In Edo period Japan we meet, Kibakichi (Ryûji Harada), a lone
swordsman cloaked in animal skins. He readily eliminates a dozen bandits on a
lonesome road, proving he’s a skilled warrior. Stopping in a small village, he’s
lured to a gambling house. There here learns the entire village is composed of
Yokai, monsters of a great variety of forms, who have been hiding out disguised
as humans. Their leader, Boss Ounizo, has made a deal with a local samurai to
support him in return for living out in the open. The samurai however, has
discovered modern weapons are even more potent, and he decides to erase any
dealings he’s had the Yokai. Kibakichi’s fury at the slaughter of his fellow
monsters causes him to transform…
Kibakichi reminded
me of Nightbreed (1990) in a lot of
ways, with a man/monster deciding whether to put his life at risk for other
monsters who are being threatened by humans. This is much of more of a samurai
film then a straight-up horror film, although there are some gruesome scenes
and some inventive looking creatures. The final third becomes all out action
with a wolfed out Kibakichi leaping around and tearing arms off of bad guys amidst a hail
of gunfire. There was even some monster suit wrestling which was giving me War of the Garganutas (1966) flashbacks. There is an air of tragedy that hangs over
the film, which tempers the more outlandish moments, but it was still an unusual
and interesting take on a werewolf story.
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