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I have watched a few older Japanese films, like the 1964 Kaidan (Kwaidan), and Onibaba, and I thought that THIS film is a fairly good attempt to re-create the atmosphere & look of that style of film.The story is basically that of a man who has a simple life, but becomes involved with a woman whom he doesn't treat well, because, while she takes care of him, he's also out with a few other women here and there too. Eventually she becomes injured and dies of an infection while he's out sowing his oats, but she did leave him a nice little note that if he ever married, she would return & kill his wife.As the film goes on, the man finds himself in more and more trouble as his former lover has kept her promise. He does marry, he does become a father, but there's something very wrong with the baby, and there's also a matter of someone knowing of his indiscretions elsewhere & seeking to blackmail him. And his former lover's face keeps popping up here and there, but unfortunately for him, it's only in his mind, and it's a bit unnerving when one realizes that they've just strangled the wrong person.Like most ghost stories, this doesn't, of course, have a happy ending.I thought this was a mostly beautiful film, as far as sets and locations, like foggy, murky swamps, beautiful landscapes, etc. Unlike the older ghost stories though, this does have some rather bloody scenes & there's even a bit of CGI tossed in that works for what little is used.I can't get into reading too much into this film, nor comparing it to the works of the great masters, etc, but I do know what appeals to me, & I found this to be a mostly appealing film, although it is rather long. 7 out of 10
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