Ghost Stories (Kwaidan)

  • Rated Not Rated
  • 3hr 3m

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  • Trailer 1

Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Masaki Kobayashi

Producer:

Shigeru Wakatsuki

Writer:

Yôko Mizuki, Lafcadio Hearn

Release Date:

Nov 22, 1965

Runtime:

3hr 3m

Synopsis

A collection of four Japanese folk tales with supernatural themes.

Cast

  • Michiyo Aratama
  • Misako Watanabe
  • Rentarô Mikuni
  • Kenjirô Ishiyama
  • Ranko Akagi
  • Fumie Kitahara
  • Kappei Matsumoto
  • Yoshiko Ieda
  • Otome Tsukimiya
  • Kenzô Tanaka

Letterboxd User Reviews

4.2
93.8K
83.3K
34.2K
RATINGS 988 FANS
4.2
  • Oct 10, 2014

    Takes the experiences of watching a play, reading a book of folk tales, viewing a painting, listening to avant garde music, and having a dream and turns them into a movie. A stylized theatrical back drop, a lighting change, a slightly off-kilter motion, a slightly off-sync…

    1.9K Likes
    laird
    laird
    Apr 24, 2020

    Scary stories to tell in lush unreality.

    1.2K Likes
    Josh Lewis
    Josh Lewis
    Dec 28, 2013

    the past is jealous.

    746 Likes
    matt lynch
    matt lynch
  •
    Feb 26, 2016

    88/100 As a collection of spooky, transfixing stories fabricated through heightened artificiality and blooming colors, Kwaidan slams the viewer into a mesmerizing trance. It's a beautiful mix of apparitions, surreal visions, and stories birthed from the past, and while…

    578 Likes
    SilentDawn
    SilentDawn
    Jan 18, 2023

    (Generally ominous noises) …… …*TWANG*… …… …*screeeeeech*… …… Japanese folklore really knows how to transfix you in its ambience, doesn’t it? An anthology consisting of four hauntingly dream-like ghost stories, all of which originate from tales told over a century ago…

    488 Likes
    Matt!
    Matt!
    Oct 31, 2023

    Few things better.

    336 Likes
    Sean Fennessey
    Sean Fennessey
  •
    Jun 8, 2022

    and in 1964, Kobayashi invented art direction:

    315 Likes
    Will Steele
    Will Steele

    Kobayashi strikes again, baby! And now he brings the color, his wonderful camera work, striking cinematography, a masterclass on blocking and direction, interesting performances, crazy eyebrows and four spooky stories! I would have welcome a faster pacing, but I guess by…

    286 Likes
    Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine
    Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine
    Aug 10, 2023

    Hauntological materialism. no notes

    256 Likes
    reibureibu
    reibureibu

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Top Reviews
  • Shawn
    Shawn loved
    Kwaidan

    Kwaidan isn’t interested in making you jump—it wants to haunt you long after the credits roll. Each of its four ghost stories explores a different aspect of the human experience: regret, broken promises, memory, and the mysteries that refuse to be explained. Masaki Kobayashi’s use of color, painted…

    2M
    Aaron Hajduk
    Aaron Hajduk liked
    Kwaidan

    Kicking off my Folk Horror Fall (countdown to Halloween) with Kwaidan. You get 4 ghost stories, all folk tale inspired. It is beautifully filmed. The use of colors & sounds, sometimes via the absence of or singularity of color, to convey the settings, atmosphere and intensity works really well.…

    1Y
    CvptvinHowdy
    CvptvinHowdy is "meh" on
    Kwaidan

    The shots and color in this film and in all 4 segments are beautiful. I do favor the first 2 segments because the atmosphere makes me feel more of the Japanese folklore ghost stories. After the intermission is when I lost interest and felt the runtime. Still a good anthology.

    1Y
  • Superbad
    Superbad liked
    Kwaidan

    A bit long but otherwise pretty good The story w/ the snow lady is probably my favorite

    1Y
    Amelia
    Amelia liked
    Kwaidan

    I need to rewatch this but I remember really liking the stories in it

    3Y
    Juliette Sirieix
    Juliette Sirieix loved
    Kwaidan

    Really interesting even if sometimes too long

    3Y
  • Emma
    Emma liked
    Kwaidan

    Watched the first half Very very pretty

    3M

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long is Ghost Stories (Kwaidan) (1965)?
The movie is 3hr 3min long.
What's Ghost Stories (Kwaidan) (1965) about?
A collection of four Japanese folk tales with supernatural themes.
Who's the cast of Ghost Stories (Kwaidan) (1965)?
  • Michiyo Aratama as First wife (segment "Kurokami")
  • Misako Watanabe as Second Wife (segment "Kurokami")
  • Rentarô Mikuni as Husband (segment "Kurokami")
  • Kenjirô Ishiyama as Father (segment "Kurokami")
  • Ranko Akagi as Mother (segment "Kurokami")
  • Fumie Kitahara as (segment "Kurokami")
  • Kappei Matsumoto as (segment "Kurokami")
  • Yoshiko Ieda as (segment "Kurokami")
  • Otome Tsukimiya as (segment "Kurokami")
  • Kenzô Tanaka as (segment "Kurokami")
Who's the director behind Ghost Stories (Kwaidan) (1965)?
Masaki Kobayashi directed Ghost Stories (Kwaidan) (1965).
Who produced Ghost Stories (Kwaidan) (1965)?
Shigeru Wakatsuki produced Ghost Stories (Kwaidan) (1965).