From age-old ghost stories to chilling tales from the spirit realm, the Japanese Film Festival (JFF) presents a FREE Classics program featuring spine-tingling horror from 21 – 22  September. Titled Grief and Vengeance: Otherworldly Tales in Sydney, with abridged versions in Melbourne and Canberra, the program features landmark films from Japanese horror pioneer Nobuo Nakagawa, alongside contemporaries Masaki Kobayashi and Satsuo Yamamoto.

The Classics program arrives in Canberra at the National Film and Sound Archive (21 – 22 Sept); Sydney at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (2 – 23 Oct); and Melbourne at the Astor Theatre (25 – 26 Nov).

Screening will be Nobuo Nakagawa’s renowned The Ghost Story of Yotsuya, about a greedy samurai whose disfigured wife comes back to haunt him; mere mortals clash with supreme supernatural forces in Black Cat Mansion, about a couple battling against a violent ghostly apparition and a centuries-old curse; and in The Adventures of Tobisuke, a puppeteer and a young girl must cross a treacherous valley filled with fantastic demons and creatures, as they journey to the base of Japan’s highest mountain.

“The 2019 Classics program is a bone-chilling celebration of Japan’s distinctly unnerving take on the horror genre, from eerie tales of ancient curses across centuries, to a young student’s disturbing descent into the underworld,” said Japanese Film Festival Programmer, Simonne Goran.

“Take a deeper look under the surface of these terrifying tales, and viewers will discover a fascinating glimpse into traditional Japanese folklore and the spirit world spanning across many eras,” she said.

This free Classics program is a satellite event of the annual Japanese Film Festival. The festival’s main program is a ticketed event, which screens at Event Cinemas, George Street in November and offers the best in new releases and contemporary Japanese cinema.

The Classics program is free admission. See japanesefilmfestival.net for ticketing details.

Tickets will be available at www.japanesefilmfestival.net or at venue box offices.

Film synopses:

• The Adventures of Tobisuke
  In war-torn Kyoto, a kind-hearted puppeteer named Tobisuke meets Ofuku, a young girl desperate to find her lost mother, when he rescues her from a dangerous man. To his dismay, Tobisuke is struck on the head during the scuffle and loses his memory. Ofuku tells him that if they travel to her mother’s hometown at the base of Japan’s highest mountain, they’ll find both her mother and the mythic golden fruit that can restore his memories. The unlikely duo embark on an adventure depicted through elaborate sets in this early film by famed Japanese horror director Nobuo Nakagawa. Along the way, they’ll face demons, travel through Fake Town, and survive the Valley of the Dead — trusting no one but each other.
• Black Cat Mansion
  In this nonlinear ghost story that mixes black and white and colour footage, Dr Kuzumi and his wife Yoriko relocate from the city to the countryside for a healthier environment to help cure Yoriko’s illness. Not long after moving into the old mansion that serves as their new home and clinic, Yoriko has uneasy feelings about her new abode which are soon confirmed by frightening apparitions of a haggard old woman. As the visitations become more frequent and threatening, the couple learn about the mansion’s violent history and a curse that was placed on Yoriko’s ancestor. Will Dr Kuzumi and Yoriko be able to lift the curse before it’s too late?
• The Ghost Story of Yotsuya
  This adaptation of the 19th century kabuki masterpiece by Nanboku Tsuruya is a tale of a greedy ronin samurai, Iemon Tamiya, who will stop at nothing to get what he wants — especially if it involves killing. While murder may serve him well in the short term, he must eventually pay the price when his disfigured wife comes back to haunt him.