The mileage that one gets from the films included in Yokai
Monsters depends on their ability to roll with the shifting genres and a
sense of artifice within their stories. This review covers the third film in
the series, Along with Ghosts, but stay tuned for more reviews for the
rest of the series.
ALONG WITH GHOSTS (1969)
Directors: Kimiyoshi Yasuda, Yoshiyuki Kuroda
Notable Cast: Pepe Hozumi, Masami Burukido, Toura Sakiichi,
Yoshito Yamaji, Bokuzen Hidari, Kojiro Hongo
After bouncing through the second film of the series, Spook Warfare, with all of its comedic elements and humorous and heartfelt yokai monster chemistry, the third film Along with Ghosts causes some significant whiplash. While all three films lean into the period set horror-tinged supernatural basics, this third and last (of this original run) of the series finds itself as the most cohesive and cinematically sound in its storytelling. It may not feature nearly as many yokai as the previous entry - or, quite honestly, as the first film, but it makes up for it by being a better film.
When a young girl witnesses some criminal activity, an
assassination unfortunately committed on sacred spiritual ground, she is sent
to find her wayward gambling father before the assassins find her to make sure
she doesn’t blab. With the help of a young boy, a righteous swordsman, and some
pissed-off spirits looking to find those who desecrated their grounds, the
little girl has a chance to survive.
If the first film had a half-baked anthology approach to its
material and the second film pitted spook against spook, this film essentially
combines the best parts of the two into a lightning-paced story that would have
been solid even without the additions of the yokai. Perhaps this is because the
directors of the first two films, Kimiyoshi Yasuda and Yoshiyuki Kuroda, team
up to direct Along with Ghosts. The results speak for themselves.
The biggest fix for the series is that the main human story
is littered with intrigue, some dynamic characters for both heroes and
villains, and a fun structuring that feels like a chase film. Using a young
girl in peril might be a relatively quick, shorthanded way of earning the
audience’s hearts and creating a sense of urgency, but for this film, it works
and there’s enough weight to the performances to carry it. As mentioned, this
film effectively works on its own as a fun chanbara flick even without the
supernatural elements and this is the main reason why it’s far more effective
throughout.
Now, the biggest choice that Along with Ghosts makes
that may lose some viewers is the lacking screen time of the yokai. Although
there are a handful of moments with the yokai, including a fun flaming, flying
head sequence the usual spirits on ghostly parade, it’s mostly relegated to being
one of three sets of characters in the film and it’s not until the third act
that they fully come into play. As with the other films of this time period
(and this series specifically) the yokai are creatively made by a combination
of special effects, men in rubber suits, and some in-camera visual trickery.
Gone are most of the humorous characters from previous films like the water imp
or the umbrella creature and the ones that show up here are far scarier than
expected. A couple of the yokai are down-right nightmarish and it fits in with
the serious tones and darker concepts of its main plot. The lack of screen time
will make some viewers feel let down, but when they arrive, they make a
statement.
To wrap up this initial trilogy contained in the Yokai
Monsters Collection box set from Arrow Video, Along with Ghosts
maintains a strong sense of purpose and delivers on the two parallel
storytelling devices with the most cohesion between the two. It’s a strong film
on its own with some solid action set pieces and great emotional stakes. The
yokai portions ably add to the sense of urgency and threat on hand for the
characters without detracting too much from the pacing and adding in some
impressive spice to the mix.
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