The stories aren't terribly engaging, yet it is still really great due to its aesthetics and mood. The film, particularly the second and third stories, is like walking in to a gallery of Japanese art through the ages. The expressionism of the thing is just stunning to watch. Though the film isn't scary it still nicely gently runs its fingers down your spine and there are a couple emotional punches, but the main reason I thoroughly enjoyed it was for its out of this world visual choices.

The highlight of this eerie anthology is undoubtedly Hoishi the Earless with its unnerving score and gorgeously expressionistic set designs.

Whether utterly terrifying (The Black Hair) or immeasurably haunting (Hoichi the Earless), the collection of tales within Kwaidan are all extraordinarily beautiful, the visuals aren't altogether unbelievable, but rather infuse the work with the fairy-tale atmosphere that it seeks to replicate thus providing it with a fantastical aesthetic. Although the depth of the tales within are merely general fables, the beauty of the film itself and how its tales are told overshadow its minor issues.

The first couple stories are great, the longer one does drag, and the last one is kind of an afterthought.

Stunning images and a haunting atmosphere should be enough to make a compelling film about ghost stories, but I can't say that was my experience. The stories are paper thin and drag on and on taking away from the impressive imagery which seems constrained by the storytelling it has to follow. The second half, especially the third story, did seem more engaging but by that point I had started losing interest.

This is a mix of the Twilight Zone, Creepshow, and the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark folk tale/urban legend books done Japanese-style. It was much better than I expected in spite of how predictable the stories were at points. The visuals are clearly the bread and butter. The graveyard scene with Hoichi playing the biwa for the spirits was definitely the high point in my opinion.

All the stories were very well shot, but other than that I don't see what was so great about this. The stories sucked as did the acting. So it gets a 45.

83.750

Visually stunning, but it lacks a certain momentum of Kobayashi's other films (maybe due to the simple nature of the stories and a heavy reliance on narration). But definitely worth seeing for the atmosphere and camerawork.

Kwaidan contains four folk tales, each one better than the last. This is a film that succeeds mainly on its formal qualities. There aren't any deep or hidden messages buried beneath these stories, but they're all so visually spectacular and atmospheric that it just doesn't matter. It's hard to pick a favorite. From the shot of the eyes in the green sky to the ghost-like movements of the disembodied torches, this is a film overflowing with beautiful and haunting imagery.

Certainly one of the most surreal and strange horror films you'll ever see. It doesn't have the awful jump-out scares that plague films of today. I think everyone will pick out their favourite of all the stories which is fine. They're four distinct tales and naturally people will prefer one to the other. Something for any (real) horror or surrealist movie fan.

Interesting yet painfully long and drawn out. Why must they state everything five times?

The second and third of the four stories are great.

Incredible art diretion; Breathtaking makeups and sets. But, actually, i was not that envolved with the stories, or even with the characters. But still a good movie, specially the second and third parts.

Style over substance - this film makes that phrase a compliment.

Wonderfully composed Japanese horror anthology. It's like a visual poem but with blood and ghosts.

Kwaidan is visually astounding, but the storys presented feel disjointed and ultimately not as compelling as you'd hope. The third story, Hoishi the Earless is the only one of the four that has any real merit in terms of its story telling, but the rest of the movie is certainly still interesting. The set design and costumes are phenomenal; truly some of the most sophisticated I've seen before and this is a 43 year old film. Highly recommendable on all fronts.

Excellent shot composition, camera movement, and use of color. Usually I don't like the presence of obvious background sets, but it worked pretty well here. The are many great, creepy, memorable images, while the fablistic stories, though sometimes predictable, become rich with the fantastic visuals.

Arguably the most visually stunning film I've ever seen. I've known Kobayashi to be brilliant when it comes to composition, but this is just amazing. He's endlessly creative with the numerous editing and lighting tricks, camera angles, and color schemes. The set designs lend a fairy-tale like quality to these stories, and though the whole thing is very eerie, it's not so much scary as it is atmospheric.

It's absolutely beautiful to the eye. Of the four stories, the second and third are the best. The first one is okay, and the last is just kind of a silly diversion. Unfortunately the whole movie is much slower than it needs to be, but when the images are so gorgeous it's hard to get upset about that. Extraordinary use of sound and silence.

Beautifully shot and effectively moody. The third story is way overlong but its still quite good.

One of the most beautiful horror films ever shot

Very, very, very Japanese. Once that hurdle is cleared, scary as all hell!

Really excitingly shot, I couldn't get over the scene compositions and the camera use and alone those would make this film worth watching. The four stories were well done, atmospheric and interesting with a storybook sort of atmosphere helped out by the vivid colours, sounds/silences and settings. Pleasure to watch.

Like every other mini-review states, this looks great, composition-wise and in terms of editing/ trickery. But it didn't involve me, the stories are far too simplistic and predictable. The next time I see this I will turn off the subtitles and simply enjoy the imagery and the music, perhaps then it will create a mood not influenced by the narrative.

A literally haunting film that is among the most beautiful ever made, with its succession of exotic, perfectly composed images and strange narratives.

The hand-painted sets were really really nice to look at, and the use of sound and music was also great. But most of it was just too slow and labored to take in in one sitting. The stories are basically fairytales you'd tell your children, as you'd tell them to your children. Don't expect a ton of depth, and you'll find one or two stories here you'd actually like. (or all, but probably not at once)

Beautiful imagery. The middle two stories are the best. The large eye that appears in the second story is an amazing set piece.