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.

This film is interesting to say the least and it's definitely a different take on the vampire myth, with the setting being in a lakeside resort somewhere in Japan. Overall the movie contains some worthwhile and intriguing aspects. For example, the lead antagonist does an excellent job in his portrayal and the women who are transformed into vampires have a seductive, exotic aura about them. However it ultimately fails to build up a genuinely creepy atmosphere and the abundance of plot holes and ridiculous ideas really make this movie far too silly to be taken seriously.If you're a fan of vampire movies and you have some spare time on your hands, then maybe give this one a try, because in some ways, the fact that it's set in Japan is somewhat of a refreshing and intriguing change compared to the typical vampire films. But be warned, don't set your standards too high and don't be surprised if you find some of the scenes to be more like a comedy than horror film.

As a child "Akiko Kashiwagi" (Midori Fujita) witnessed a horrible scene involving a vampire and has tried her best to repress it since then. Now in her mid-twenties certain strange events begin occurring which bring those memories front and center. The problem is that when she tries to tell her younger sister "Natsuko Kashiwagi" (Sanae Emi) about them she ends up sounding a little crazy and begins to question her sanity. Fortunately, her boyfriend "Dr. Takashi Saeki" (Choei Takahashi) is a bit more understanding. Even so, he still isn't quite able to make the connection when a patient is admitted to the emergency room totally drained of blood and with two bite marks on her neck. And then things really begin to happen. Now, rather than detail any more of the movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that, even though this basic story has been told many times and in many ways, this particular film was somewhat unique due in large part to the Japanese setting. I especially liked the heavy use of makeup on some of the characters along with the fog which helped to create an overall eerie atmosphere. Likewise, having a pretty actress like the aforementioned Sanae Emi certainly didn't hurt either. In any case, while the movie was certainly no blockbuster I think it deserves at least an average rating.

An Excrutatingly bad film from Toho. Despite the title there isn't really much of a lake in the plot. If there was a plot. It's fun if your looking for a laugh but only for that. The characters can't even stay on track: at first this guy believes and then when one is right there he doesn't. I would have really wanted to see this on MST3k. If you want to make fun of it like they do watch it back to back with Evil of Dracula.