ADV's latest release in their line of "rubbersuit" monster shows, while decidedly aimed at kids and those fans who are into the more obscure releases from Japan, is set in medieval Japan. Some grave robbers have disturbed the tomb of a nasty supernatural beast who drinks human blood and takes control of human hosts. In short, he's a vampire.

The creature is very powerful and disturbs the natural order of things. This includes the lives of the natural spirits and other imps, monsters and demons. The movie shows how the humans and monsters work towards the common goal of ending the threat posed by this creature.

Okay, I liked the cheesy effects and silly nature of the monsters. From the one who looked like a guy with a frog mask to the one with a crystal ball in it's head (not to mention the lady with the long neck), the low budget release made me howl with laughter. My laughter at the acting was also enough to make my sides ache (though in a good way). That the story was so bad, only reinforced my enjoyment of the release. The original director, Yoshiyuki Kuroda, didn't show a lot of originality but he sure played this one so straight forward that it yielded numerous unintended laughs. For that alone, I Recommend it as a treat for movie fans able to enjoy a silly guilty pleasure once in awhile.

Picture: The picture was presented in 2.35:1 ratio Anamorphic Widescreen and looked far better than what I expected going into watching it. All too often, low budget monster movies from Japan-especially those made in the 1960's, look lousy. While there were some obvious print flaws such as dirt, scratches and other minor nuisances, they were not nearly as prevalent as older movies are known for. Overall, the movie looked crisp and clear considering the nature of the release. The dvd transfer showed some care too and that's impressive considering the limited market this one was designed for.

Sound: The sound was presented in 2.0 Japanese Dolby Digital with English subtitles. The vocals were clear and the music score, in keeping with it's cheesy nature, appropriate to the subject matter. It wouldn't win any awards but it was better than average for a rubbersuit movie from it's time period.

Extras: trailers, including the US and Japanese versions of the feature

Final Thoughts: Okay, the movie was lame but so much so that I really thought it was fun to watch. It tied in some Japanese traditions about spirits and demons with a mindset that differed from the superstitions that I was raised with and showed a different light on the concept of samurai of ancient Japan. If you like silly monster movies, but can't quite get into the ones focusing on 300+ foot tall super sized monsters, this one will likely appeal to you as much as it did to me. In short, how often does a terrible movie get better with each viewing? Recommended!