Kwaidan (1964) Masaki Kobayashi   One of the best films Director Masaki Kobeyashi ever made, Kwaidan is a dark exploration of the macabre from a distinctly Japanese point of view. Based on the work of Lafcadio Hearn (a Greek-born writer who made his home in Japan), the film features four vignettes inspired by Hearn's ghost stories. "Black Hair" concerns an unfaithful samurai who abandons his wife in search of personal glory, to discover (in the most unpleasant way) that you never really can go home again. Next, "The Woman in the Snow" is a chilling story about a man who encounters a supernatural spirit. Years later he marries, but us perilously oblivious to his wife's real identity. "Hoichi The Earless" is the best and longest of the stories, and tells of Hoichi, a blind musician who is summoned every night to sing and play his biwa for a mysterious audience. Unbeknownst to the sightless Hoichi, his audience is made up of the ghosts of the Heike clan who had been wiped out in a sea battle (a real historic event) by their rivals. The final story, "In a Cup of Tea," releates the tale of a writer whose creation becomes a little too real. Kobeyashi's use of lighting and color is so beautiful and arresting that, at times, the film feels more painted than photographed. Shot mostly on sets, even in its exterior scenes, the style of the film draws on both cinema and Japanese stage traditions, yet manages to avoid being "stagey." Do not expect the thrills and shock effects which typify American horror films. Rather, this film evokes a powerful aura of creeping doom which chills one to the bone. Much of this can be credied to Toru Takemitsu's score, which enshrouds the film in surreal ambiences and adroitly combines traditional Japanese music with more abstract effects. Kwaidan is leisurely paced, no doubt, but that is part of its allure, and it is a welcome viewing alternative in this age where most movies offer not much more than incessant explosions and hyperactive editing. —Paul Andrew MacLean

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