Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Expected more

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Otherwise known as 'Noroi no yakata-Chi o su me', this was the second in a vampire trilogy released by Toho, who were by this time coming to the end of the first wave of their Godzilla film series. It is a perhaps surprisingly effective chiller starring Shin Kishida as a gaunt, golden eyed vampire. His scenes are given great menace and shot in effective cold colours. His is a very alien, feral vampire and very eerie because of this, as are his doll-like brides. Tadao Futami should also receive special mention as a very quirky, unnerving 'truck driver.'Director Michio Yamamoto infuses the picture with the classic ingredients of traditional horror - fine use of shadows, storms, rain lashing against skeleton trees and a deathly white pallor for the undead - and gives the limited locations a claustrophobic air.Good guys Akiko (Midori Fujita) and Dr. Takashi Saeki (Chôei Takahashi) are full of resolve but never quite as interesting - their personalities are strictly confined to solving the various problems at hand leaving no room for characterisation.That is my only real issue with this though. Everything works in a surprisingly restrained, sinister way, except the vampire's eventual demise, which is terrifying. It certainly won't change your world, but it is significantly more than the bygone horror curio I thought it was going to be.

Arriving at a small lake-side town, a new teacher comes to suspect that someone is behind the strange incidents and dead bodies piling up around town, and when she learns that a master vampire has moved into the area she sets out to stop his blood-soaked reign against the villagers.This was a decent enough if slightly flawed vampire effort. One of the few solid points involved here comes from the way this goes about trying to instill the idea of the vampire in the area as the build- up here is somewhat credible. Building the strange crate delivery alongside her arrival at the same time is quite nicely handled, and the first attacks, as well as the discovery of their aftermath, all come off rather well as the mystery starts to unfold. Even some of the fine action scenes throughout here, from the abduction in the woods before being startled away and the hospital resurrection of the first body to the idea of the nightly romps through the woods where he's able to feast on her friend despite continually denying it all makes for a rather fun time here and sells the idea of her mental competence rather well which runs through the first half of the film. Once it's confirmed that there are vampires involved, things pick up far more here with the Gothic action scenes really enhancing this one from the ambush in the car at the same time the two of them trap her in the home and begin tormenting her or the hospital awakening sequence give this some really energetic and lively moments. However, it's really the big confrontation at the end which really works best here with the Gothic imagery and action really making for a great finish and gives this one a lot to really like here with the way it all wraps up inside the basement and spreading throughout the rest of the house. Still, while these are the film's good points there are a few negative issues. One of the main problems is the fact that the film really suffers from a stiff and dragged out beginning where not a whole lot really makes an impact. Despite the series of events that play out here detailing the emergence of the vampire around the village, it's still a somewhat dull and dragged-out effort where those brief spurts feel like exceptions to the bland dialogue-heavy sequences that are much more commonly featured so this one really feels like it takes a while to get going. By focusing on her burgeoning mental instability doesn't make for a fun time here regardless of how well the vampire storyline is built through these events, this one really takes more time than it should in letting loose with its story and comes across as somewhat duller than it should be considering what goes on. Likewise, there's also the rather economical manner this one manages to make the heroine think of her predicament and how she buys into it all, as a few throwaway lines regarding the Western methods of dealing with vampires and yet it's completely bought into without so much as a real questionable thought. This makes for a tough time overall, although it does still have its moments.Rated Unrated/R: Violence, Language and violence-against-animal aftermath.

"Lake of Dracula" from Tohei (not Toho) is one of my guilty pleasures, or would be if i felt that i should feel guilty for liking it. I suppose Japanese vampire movies are a fairly niche market, and anyone who wants the blood-drenched Gothicisms of a Hammer horror may feel a little short-changed by this more lyrical approach: a noteworthy Nipponese nosferatu.Little Akiko goes in search of her dog when he runs off on the beach; after following the elusive hound through a tunnel, she finds a cottage in the woods straight out of a Brothers Grimm fairytale, which is inhabited by a golden-eyed vampire. Years later, an all grown up Akiko must confront the vampire when he begins preying upon her friends and neighbours for their blood.Haiku review?This one is quite a goodVampire film.

The movie's strengths include the vaguely Wizard Of Oz-like opening sequence, persuasively evocative of a little girl's dream; its desaturated/pastel color scheme (which I guess could just be a sign of a decaying print, but anyway lends it an intriguingly muted quality at times); the occasional interesting composition; and the overall interest value of seeing standard vampire plot gambits and mythology at play in an unusual setting. These virtues wear out pretty fast though, and the movie quickly becomes over-reliant on coincidence and contrivance, with the heroine experiencing one narrow escape too many; the tone becomes repetitive, and the mythology lackadaisical. Needless to say, the dialogue (at least in this dubbed version) and acting are seldom more than functional. The movie also suffers from excessive decorum, with the erotic aspects of vampirism severely downplayed (especially given the final plot twists).