Director: Noriaki Yuasa
Notable Cast: Yachie Matsui, Mayumi Takahashi, Sei
Hiraizumi, Yuko Hamada, Yoshiro Kitahara
With most of his career dedicated to shepherding the Gamera
franchise throughout its original run in the 1960s, 70s, and (unfortunately)
80s, it was a pleasant surprise that Arrow Video grabbed one of the few ‘other’
films that Noriaki Yuasa directed. Released the same year as Gamera Vs Viras
(see my review for that film HERE), The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired
Witch is one of his best efforts.
For a film that regularly feeds off of the same
child-focused themes that he embedded throughout the Gamera franchise,
he utilizes a fantastical horror story to sell thematic morals and he does so
with an admirably odd and offbeat manner. There’s a child-like whimsy to much
of its approach, but the balance of its silliness, creepiness, and heartfelt
moments make it a refreshing watch that feels far more impassioned than his
later Gamera entries.
When a young orphan, Sayuri, is suddenly discovered by her
long-lost parents, life couldn’t be better. She has a family of smart and
wealthy parents, she still gets support from her older “brother” and the nuns
at the orphanage, and a surprise new sister is a welcome surprise.
Unfortunately, her father must leave quickly in traveling to research a new
snake and her relationship with her sister deteriorates. Vivid dreams of her
sister attacking her with snakes and strange occurrences around the house only
seem to exacerbate the situation and soon Sayuri finds that her life might be
in danger.
Like so many of Yuasa’s other films, The Snake Girl and
the Silver-Haired Witch rides this strange line between adult and kid film.
It’s not unusual for certain eras to blend the two, the 1980s in the US was
full of dark and semi-adult kid’s films, but even compared to some of his other
material, this flick feels a bit darker and more intense than expected. Quite
frankly, the balance between the two is impeccably accomplished here. It uses
its young protagonist well, although some of her performance feels a bit
wooden, and it tosses her into a semi-fantastical horror story that piles on
some nightmare-inspired imagery.
There are heavy Scooby-Doo vibes at times in the
mystery around her sister and the silvery-haired witch that doesn’t show up
until the third act, but it’s essentially done through the lens of a giallo
film. Within two minutes of the start, there’s already a kill sequence. Ya
gotta love the efficiency of Japanese films from this era. However, as The
Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch plays out, the film substitutes its
initial slasher whodunnit set up with a ton of surrealistic imagery, thanks to
the repeated use of dream sequences, and a roller coaster third act that ends
in a strangely heartfelt and nihilistic manner.
Yachie Matsui plays Sayuri as a strong audience surrogate
throughout the film. Her voice-over narrative that runs throughout, representing her internal thoughts, is ultimately an unnecessary choice though and it undermines some of her performance. Yet, it’s Mayumi Takahashi as
the "evil" sister that ends up stealing so much of the film. She is mostly forced to act
through a face mask that creates a sense of unease and it bleeds into the
narrative and plot with a fantastic reveal in the latter half. The supporting
cast is mostly tossed to the side by the film, albeit for a few key moments
like the heroic selfless acts of Sayuri’s big brother from the orphanage, but
the mystery and the dynamic between the two sisters handily carries the film. A
secondary plot about the mother’s amnesia seems like an offbeat choice to fill
in potential plot holes, but it never detracts from the overall
experience.
Due to its budgetary constraints, some of the bigger special
effects do come across as cheesy, particularly in the dream sequences. Yet, due
to the surrealistic nature of it all, it works fairly well. The reveal of the witch
in the finale - which could have used a bit of build-up beyond her being named
in the title of the film - is creepy as all hell and the final act takes enough
fun spins that it left me pondering if they would be able to pull off some of
the odd choices they had sold throughout. The film is left with one of the
strangest final 10 minutes I’ve seen in a film in a while and that’s quite the
statement.
With its sharply shot black and white visuals and some fun
horror elements, The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch is a highly
entertaining cinematic gem. Its balance between adult themes and childlike
whimsy sparks a lot of great visual moments and thematic cues, but the oddball
structure to the film and the mystery behind the titular antagonists may not
grab a lot of more discerning cinephiles. Still, Yuasa’s foray into horror is a
fascinating one and it’s worth watching just for some of the strange choices it
makes. I’ve never seen a little girl threaten another one by putting a snake
into an open tank of acid in a zoological house lab before, but it does make
sense here...and that’s the charm.
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