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Kazuhiko Sagawa (Atsuo Nakamura) goes up the country to visit his fiancée, Yûko Nonomura (Yukiko Kobayashi, Destroy All Monsters); upon arrival, Yûko's mother, Shidu (Yôko Minakaze), breaks the news of Yûko's death to Kazuhiko, who then goes missing. Days later, Kazuhiko's sister, Keiko Sagawa (Kayo Matsuo) and her fiancée, Hiroshi Takagi (Akira Nakao), go in search of the missing couple. Where has Kazuhiko gone? Is Yûko really dead? What does Shidu know about all this? These are the questions in this 1970 Japanese horror film, brought to us by Toho...yes, the same company that gave the world Godzilla.. Toho decided to venture away from the giant monster movies here, and steered more toward something that very much feels like a classic Japanese ghost story combined with a Hammer vampire film. The result is impressive...and very creepy.
Vampire, ghost, or jaundice?
Had you told me prior to watching The Vampire Doll that Toho made such a movie, I would have scoffed a bit--in fact, I did just that when I began watching this film. It's not that I dislike their movies--on the contrary, I am a huge Godzilla fan--I just wouldn't have pictured them successfully pulling off an actual horror film, but it really didn't take long at all for me to be pulled into this story. The movie does have that slow burn build that many good Japanese films bring, but it never falls into the plodding pace of most Hammer flicks. As you likely suspect, there is not a ton of gore here, but the final scene does present a surprising amount of blood. The acting is strong as well, with Kobayashi turning in a memorably wicked performance. The explanation of what is happening with Yûko leaves a little to be desired, but the resolution is a satisfying one. If you haven't seen many older Japanese horror films and want a good jumping-off point, I certainly recommend checking out The Vampire Doll.
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