Classic Horrors Club

If this is the kid-friendly Yokai movie I was expecting, then I must have it confused with something else. Even more than 100 Monsters (1968), The Great Yokai War (1968) has truly terrifying moments with pre-1970s melted Crayola blood and Yokai that curse like drunken sailors. It’s only when the “good” monsters appear to battle an ancient Babylonian vampire that a clash of tones occurs.

The music is somber throughout. Even at the end, when there’s what I believe is becoming an obligatory slow-motion parade march of all the Yokai, the spirit (pun intended) is downbeat. They’ve failed multiple times to defeat the vampire, Daimon, and have been held captive in a jar, yet they rally like I suspect they always will, to emerge victorious. While their march may be celebratory, I would have expected the music to match.

The movie opens in Ur, the capital of Babylonia. A prophecy passed down through generations has been forgotten and treasure seekers disrupt the grave of Daimon. Suddenly, the sky darkens… there’s thunder, lightning, and wind. A winged, pointy-headed creature emerges, causes an avalanche, then floats into the air and flies toward a ship on a stormy sea. His mere presence in the sky above causes it to capsize.

He arrives in Japan and immediately bites the Lord Magistrate. If you doubt my repeated comments that The Great Yokai War isn’t kid-friendly, stick with it… when Daimon, in the guise of the magistrate, returns home, he silences the family’s pet dog with his sword. Yes, the movie commits the ultimate sin of killing an animal. About this time, foul-mouthed Kappa, the water imp, rises from the pond of the home he protects to realize something’s wrong.

The Great Yokai War features my two favorite Yokai (so far): Rokurokubi, the long-necked woman, and Kasa-Obake, the umbrella boy. While they play pivotal roles in the story, two other Yokai threaten to steal the spotlight. First is Futakuchi-onna, a woman with a lovely face, but a second, monstrous face on the back of her head. I could not find the name of the second, but it’s a squat creature with a stomach that inflates to act like a sort-of crystal ball.

There’s also Abura-sumashi, “a squat creature with a straw-coat covered body and a potato-like head.” Abura-sumashi seems to be the leader and makes the most successful moves against Daimon. However, it’s a pretty plain Yokai compared to the others. In one of my favorite scenes, Yokai fan the air so Abura-sumashi can hold onto Kasa-Obake and float into the air toward Daimon, who has grown giant, to throw a spear into his left eye, his one weak spot.

This is after they learned that, by doing the same thing for his right eye, only the left eye is the weak spot. This is also after battling not only a giant Daimon, but also an army of clones. They have to find the original for their plan to be successful. The Great Yokai War is great fun! Although the middle drags with repeated attempts and failures, the scary opening and exciting closing compensate to make not only the Yokai, but the movie itself, a winner.