Evil of Dracula (1974) User Reviews

The Third Vampire Film by Toho Studios

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 23 November 2019]

Professor Shiraki (Toshio Kurosawa) travels from Tokyo to the countryside by train to work as a psychology teacher in the Seimei School for girls. There is a driver waiting for him and he sees a car accident on the road. He learns that the principal´s wife died in the accident. When they arrive at the school, the Principal (Shin Kishida) welcomes him and Shiraki offers his condolences to him. He tells that the coffin of his wife will stay in the basement for seven days as per the local costume. He also tells that Shiraki was chosen to be the next principal of the school. During the night, Shiraki has a dreadful nightmare with the principal´s wife. Soon he befriends three students and learns that a roommate has disappeared and other students are also missing. What is the mystery of the Seimei School for girls?

"Chi o suu bara", a.k.a. "Evil of Dracula", is the third vampire film by Toho Studios. There is no Dracula in the story despite the American title. However it is cult and does not disappoint the fans of a vampire movie. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "A Maldição de Drácula" ("The Curse of Dracula")

A Different Flavor

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 26 October 2012]

"Professor Shiraki" (played by Toshio Kurosawa) arrives from Tokyo to a new school for teenage girls in a small Japanese village. Upon checking in he learns that the principle's wife died a couple of days earlier and that a student named "Keiko Nonomiya" (Tomoe Mari) went missing about the same time. That night he has an encounter with a vampire that matches Keiko's description but dismisses the incident as nothing more than a dream. Not long afterward another student named "Kyoko Hayashi" (Keiko Aramaki) faints in his classroom and is taken to the school's doctor, "Doctor Shimimura" (Kunie Tanaka). During Kyoko's examination two small "needle pricks" are discovered but neither Professor Shiraki nor Doctor Shimimura are able to figure out their significance. Since she appears to be tired, they send her back to her dorm room to recover with her two roommates, "Yukiko Mitamura" (Mio Ohta) and "Kumi" (Mariko Mochizuki) promising to take care of her. All hell breaks loose after that. Anyway, having outlined the first part of the story, I'll stop here so I won't spoil everything for any viewers who wish to see the rest. Now, although this is a "standard" vampire story, the fact that it is entirely Japanese results in a few curious details. For example, a white rose is seen by the bedside of each of the females who have been bitten. Once they drink blood the rose turns red. I thought that was an interesting touch. Having said that though, I thought there were a couple of faults as well. First, the dialogue was awful. But the movie I saw was originally in Japanese and dubbed in English and it is quite possible that much had been simplified or even lost in translation. Likewise, the acting was also quite bad. Even so, this film had a different flavor than most other vampire movies and I thought some of it was actually quite good. Obviously, there will be people who might not like this film. Like I said, it has its flaws. But I think fans of this genre might be pleasantly surprised.

small amount of nudity here and there

[christopher-underwood · 7/10 · 11 September 2018]

Third of the trilogy of Hammer inspired Japanese 70s movies. Not quite as good as the first, this is an improvement on Lake of Dracula, with much better photography helping this become a very good looking film and adding interest to some of those middle sequences. Starts very well indeed and the finale certainly has some vigour, even if you are urging someone to construct a crucifix to bring things to a more urgent ending. Actually, total absence of use of the crucifix to save the day is presumably something to do with the Japanese not wanting to elevate the importance of such alien paraphernalia, but thats just a guess. So, bit more action here, bit more colour and a bit more sexed up too with small amount of nudity here and there.

Uneven but entertaining, and pretty well made

[I_Ailurophile · 7/10 · 4 October 2021]

Swell filming locations and set design are rounded out with fine detail of decorative elements, giving some great imagery to serve as the setting. Even in building a sense of mystery, the writing is rather direct, and at times a bit over the top, and in this instance composer Riichiro Manabe's score echoes that slant. Still, 'Evil of Dracula' also carries a minor sense of atmosphere that's gratifying, and growing suspense. Though broadly declining genuine fright or thrills, this is pretty entertaining throughout.

The cast do well to embody their roles, embracing every shift in demeanor and doing a fine job of bringing their characters to life. That said, I'm not sure that the screenplay provides a lot of room to explore parts freely; suitable as they are, performances feel relatively straightforward and scripted. Of anyone on hand, Shin Kishida is most notable in his part as the principal - here leaning much further into an exaggerated, overt portrayal of a very particular creature of the night, alternately echoing classic interpretations, and straight-up chewing scenery.

Somewhat unremarkable overall, there's nonetheless some fun cleverness to the narrative that differs from other vampire flicks. Though maintaining the air of the slightly overdone approach, the climax is especially well done, producing the most substantial excitement of the film. It seems quite certain that this is where the most energy and resources were devoted as great care is given to the choreography, stunts, and special effects.

Smart as some plot points are, 'Evil of Dracula' doesn't wholly stand out among the wealth of other vampire movies in the world. Of the trio of features Toho produced in the early 70s, this strikes me as being in the middle of the pack: more carefully considered than the often middling 'Vampire doll,' but also definitely less sharp and stimulating than the superb 'Lake of Dracula.' That said, this is most assuredly far from a bad movie - just not the utter cream of the crop, either.

There's little about this picture that impresses outright, and for whatever it does well, the level of enjoyment to be had doesn't mark this as a film to proverbially write home about. But it's consistent and crafted well, with a measure of greater intelligence around the edges. 'Evil of Dracula' isn't absolutely essential, but it's capably entertaining, and worth watching should you come across it.

Moody settings but lacking depth

[kluseba · 7/10 · 15 January 2019]

Evil of Dracula is the third and last entry in the Bloodthirsty Trilogy centered around American-styled horror movies in a Japanese context. Released a whopping three years after the previous output Lake of Dracula and four years after The Vampire Doll, this story is centered around a psychology teacher who assumes a job at an isolated private school. Upon arrival, he learns that the principal's wife died in a tragic car accident two days earlier. When the teacher respectfully asks if he could visit her grave, he is told by the principal that her body hasn't been buried or cremated yet and is instead kept in a coffin in the basement for a whole week according to an ancient local tradition. The surprises don't stop there for the young teacher when he is told that the principal would like him to be his successor. At night, the young teacher has a haunting nightmare of the principal's wife and an unknown girl attacking him. He is stunned when he learns that the girl in his nightmare is in fact a student who mysteriously disappeared and that several students indeed run away from the old school every single year. The teacher realizes that something is afoul and starts investigating.

Horror movies that are set in high schools don't seem to be original anymore but Evil of Dracula was released two years before Carrie, three years before Suspiria and even decades before the Whispering Corridors series. Setting a gothic horror movie at an old private school for girls was a clever idea back then and the movie's familiar yet unsettling settings still work perfectly four and a half decades later. The isolated railway station, the bumpy country road with the carwreck, the elegant principal's mansion, the gloomy forest and lake next to the school, the big classrooms and the modest dorms make for diversified locations.

The movie also convinces with a gloomy atmosphere. Right from the start, viewers might sense that something is wrong. The teacher arrives at a completely isolated railroad station. The staff is very rude. The person who was supposed to pick him up arrives late. The first thing he sees on his way to the school is the horribly burned carwreck. The tension intensifies from there on and will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

Even though Evil of Dracula is a good horror movie that has aged surprisingly well, it isn't as great as The Vampire Doll with its outstanding acting performances and Lake of Dracula with its mysterious and surreal vibes. The acting performances in Evil of Dracula are solid but not outstanding. The principal's characteristics are a little bit too similar to those of the main villain in Lake of Dracula. Lead actor Kurosawa Toshio looks stylish but his acting performance lacks depth and emotions. The characters of the three students who decide to stay at the school during summer break are promising but not fully developed. If the movie had been a little bit more detailed, it could have been much more intense.

The final showdown is also less convincing than in the two predecessors. There are a lot of things going on but the action looks unintentionally humorous at times and feels completely exaggerated by the end. This rather recalls The Rocky Horror Picture Show than an actual horror movie, even though said was also released one year after Evil of Dracula.

In the end, Evil of Dracula is an atmospheric and intense horror movie that gets even closer to American-styled horror cinema than the two predecessors. However, the acting performances are only slightly above average and the film is at times lacking depth. If you have watched the first two entries, you will also like this film. If that isn't your case, watch the Bloodthirsty Trilogy chronologically.

Sad to see these end

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 11 September 2020]

The third entry in director Michio Yamamoto's Bloodthirsty Trilogy, this Toho-produced vampire film ends this non-connected cycle by telling the story of Professor Shiraki (Toshio Kurosawa, Lady Snowblood), who comes to teach at a new school and discovers that he may not be ready for this strange place.

You have to love a vampire movie that has Dracula finding himself shipwrecked in Edo period Japan, a time when Christianity was illegal. Forced to spit on the cross and wander the desert, he is forced to drink his own blood to survive. Acquiring a taste for it he soon begins feeding on the blood of the locals.

It turns out that the past principal was also a vampire and has been feeding on his student body. This involves shredding their clothes off their bodies and drinking right from their breasts, which leads me to believe that this movie is more inspired by the later, more naughty side of Hammer.

Shin Kishida is the vampire again - he also played one in Lake of Dracula - but there isn't any mention of him being the same character. That said, the love going even past death theme that exists in so much Hammer and in later films like Bram Stoker's Dracula is in full effect here.

The Evil of Dracula may not surpass The Vampire Doll or Lake of Dracula, it still offers enough compelling elements to warrant a viewing

[kevin_robbins · 7/10 · 22 April 2024]

I recently watched The Evil of Dracula (1974) on Tubi. The film centers on a school led by a principal who is revealed to be a vampire, with his wife residing in a coffin at home alongside three vampire mistresses. When a suspicious teacher begins investigating the principal's home, he risks disappearing forever.

Directed by Michio Yamamoto (known for The Vampire Doll & Lake of Dracula), the film stars Kunie Tanaka (Sanjuro), Katsuhiko Sasaki (Terror of Mechagodzilla), Midori Takei (Brain 17), and Shin Kishida (Shogun Assassin).

While The Evil of Dracula maintains a high standard, it doesn't quite reach the level of its predecessors in the trilogy. The film excels in its elite attire, settings, and background music, while the blood-drinking scenes are effectively executed. However, the mind control elements lack the intensity seen in previous installments, and I found myself missing the distinctive "crazy eyes" of the vampires from Lake of Dracula. Despite this, the dialogue and storyline remain engaging, with standout sequences depicting stabbings, corpses, and the aftermath of vampire destruction.

In conclusion, while The Evil of Dracula may not surpass The Vampire Doll or Lake of Dracula, it still offers enough compelling elements to warrant a viewing. I'd give it a 6.5-7/10 and recommend watching it at least once.

Terrible dubbing, but very interesting

[Alex Klotz · 9/10 · 25 June 2003]

The last part of Yamamoto's Vampire Trilogy has been described as the worst, but it's still very entertaining. The main problem is that it obviously tries to copy the Hammer Vampire movies, and the man with the cape always looks a little bit out of place. Otherwise, most 'scary moments' are carried out in the `Kaidan Eiga'- fashion with slow camera movements and impressive lighting. Here, and in some beautiful long shots, it shows that some skill was involved, and that the movie could have become a minor classic if it had stuck to the Japanese tradition of the Horror Film. The sound track sounds too European, too and the dubbing is a total nightmare, but I think, a subtitled version recently got released in the U.K. Recommended viewing for fans of offbeat seventies horror.

Final entry in the Bloodthirsty Trilogy

[ebeckstr-1 · 7/10 · 13 October 2021]

Each film in the so-called Bloodthirsty Trilogy has something different to offer. In this final entry, we have an effective isolated location, eerie wind effects, an appealing protagonist (albeit a little slow to recognize that gray-blue skinned people are probably vampires), some pretty gruesome scenes toward the end, and, like the second movie in the trilogy, The Lake of Dracula (the only one of the films to actually name Dracula within the plot), a very cool climactic sequence. One of the strangest things about The Evil of Dracula are the fights between the vampires and the people, which play out like relatively ordinary wrestling matches or fist fights.

As other reviewers have noted, this film and the others in the trilogy owe a lot to the Hammer vampire flicks. All three movies are fun, and worth watching for fans of vampire flicks, Gothic horror, and the Hammer films.

At least the Dracula-guy puts his heart and soul into it!

[PCC0921 · 5/10 · 6 September 2020]

The Evil of Dracula (1974), or as it is known in Japan as, Chi o suu bara (1974), is part three of a Japanese horror trilogy, called the Bloodthirsty trilogy. The other films in the set are Vampire Doll (1970) and Lake of Dracula (1971). Michio Yamamoto, directed all of them. It's interesting to note, that the Japanese also have a fascination with vampire lore, just like Europe or North America does. There are a number of stories, featured in Japanese cinema or television, about vampires. In the 1970s, Toho Studios was cutting back on expensive special-effects movies and was funneling their budgets more into, fantasy and horror films, that were more down to Earth on a human level and not effect-heavy stories. They also saw the success, that England's, Hammer Studios had in the 1960s, with their successful run of Dracula films.

Also remember, Toho Studios, was the owner of the Godzilla franchise, which was also feeling the effects of low-budget angst, in the 1970s. One of the great aspects of Evil of Dracula (1974), was the exceptionably, well-done, cinematography and camera work, seen in the film. Japanese filmmakers were always, very good at the cinematography, found in their films. The framing, that cinematographer Kazutami Hara used in Evil of Dracula (1974), helps capture the eerie, gothic aura, needed for a vampire film. Hara also was the cinematographer for Vampire Doll (1970) and he eventually landed the job on Return of Godzilla (1984 - AKA: Godzilla 1985). In fact, most of the Godzilla/Toho Studios, monster-guys, were working on Evil of Dracula (1974). What little special-effects were used in this film, they were designed by Teruyoshi Nakano, who worked on all the 1970s, Godzilla films. The soundtrack music in this film, is composed by Riichirô Manabe, who also did the music for Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) and Godzilla VS Megalon (1973).

On the acting-side of the equation, Katsuhiko Sasaki, who plays the Renfield-like, Professor Yoshie, was also working on Godzilla VS Megalon (1973) and the Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975). Our Japanese Dracula, known only as the Principal, was played by Shin Kishida. Kishida shows up in Godzilla VS Mechagodzilla (1974), the same year as this film. Kishida is the new principal at the local girls school, who has his dead wife stored down in a sepulcher in the basement. You know, the kind of sepulcher, that anybody can just lift up and grab a quick look at the dead person in it (just kidding), which is what the new school assistant, Professor Shiraki (Toshio Kurosawa), does for some unknown reason. Shiraki is caught looking at the dead wife, by the principal, which provokes Dracula, into knocking Shiraki out. The next day Shiraki awakens, thinking it was all a dream, but the damage has been done. As the plot of Evil of Dracula (1974), moves along, Shiraki, some of the school girls and the tiny town they are in, becomes threatened, by a nightmarish situation, from this school of vampires.

If it wasn't for Shin Kishida, putting his heart and soul, into his vampire performance and the fact, that the writers tried to put together a half-decent story, Evil of Dracula (1974), would have been even worse, than it was becoming. I am not saying it is a bad film at all. Nor do I think, it is great either. Like I said earlier, this film is shot very well. The music is good and does give off a cool, psychedelic, 1970s, electronic vibe to it. The film tries to bring this 19th century character, into the 20th century and tries to do it 1970s, Japanese style. What begins to hurt the film, is poor acting, mostly by the school-girl actresses, a boring pace, that begins to slow down the plot and a film, that had so much promise, until it crashes and burns, by the end. This film, ends up being a bad-deal, as we finish out this trilogy. Evil of Dracula (1974), is the worst of the three films. I still recommend seeing this film however, especially of you decide to watch, all three of the films in this series. Evil of Dracula (1974), deserves an E For Effort. It is a Toho Studios horror classic.

5.2 (E+ MyGrade) = 5 IMDB.

Really entertaining conclusion to the series

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 8/10 · 14 June 2017]

Taking a job in a remote village, a man is promoted instantly to be principal of the all-girls school he teaches and comes to learn that the previous boss was a vampire still lurking around the school grounds and must find a way to stop him before he claims more of the student body.

This was a highly enjoyable and engaging effort in the series. What tends to give this one a lot of it's best qualities is the fact that there's quite a creepy atmosphere developed from the very start. The ride to the school where they witness the damaged car on the side of the road gets this off to a nice bit of foreshadowing, especially once the real motivation for his arrival is given which is what really starts this one off. Moving into the school's bunkers is where this one starts in on the Gothic atmosphere that's present throughout here in his first encounter with the three brides in his room which is full of tense Gothic images as they chase him around as well as the later scene in the basement where he discovers the coffin of the dead wife unknowingly turned into a vampire. That they appear so early into the film help make the film's tangent into the mysticism and lore of the backstory for the main villain all the more interesting as there's quite a large influence of Western mythology which readily enhances this as a whole. As that itself leads into their behavior later on when they start attacking the schoolgirls in much more frantic encounters out in the woods attacking the transfixed girls or brawling with the faculty chasing after them which feel far more commonplace in Western efforts rather than these Eastern tales which adds immensely to their appeal. Once we get into the finale where the bodies of the students under his control come out and are shown to attack the others in his basement, this one becomes quite fun with the added fun of some cheap-looking gore to enhance the experience while giving this one some nice action to close it out. Along with the chilling look to the vampires and the way it moves rather nicely along, there's enough to like here to hold this one up over it's few minor flaws. The film's biggest issue is the way it resorts to lengthy, somewhat drab dialogue-heavy scenes to tell a vast majority of its plot points, as rather than feature them battling each other or investigate anything it's all driven by speaking to everyone and then drawing conclusions based on that so it tends to run into sections where it's not nearly as exciting as the events that are supposedly being put forth end up being. Likewise, there's also the fact that this one does look rather cheap at times, especially in the bloody kills which are like colored water in their consistency and the day-for-night scenes in the woods are somewhat obvious and embarrassing. These are the film's only real problems, though.

Rated Unrated/R: Violence, Language and Brief Nudity.

Creepy Japanese vampire tale, influenced by Hammer

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 17 May 2021]

EVIL OF DRACULA (1974, original title Chi o suu bara) is the last of the Japanese Bloodthirsty trilogy and once again a standalone contemporary vampire story. Made a good few years after the last one, this feels heavily indebted to Hammer's LUST FOR A VAMPIRE, with the girls' school setting and story of teachers menaced by the undead. There's even a little nudity and a blood-on-breast scene of the kind which was once considered a trigger for psychopaths by the good old wannabe psychiatrists working at our BBFC here in the UK!

Sonny Chiba-lookalike Toshio Kurosawa plays Professor Shiraki, arriving at a remote school to take up a teaching position. He soon discovers something odd about the principal and his wife, and elicits the aid of some allies and the local police force to investigate. As with the other films in this unconnected trilogy, it's a slow-burning slice of atmosphere with plenty of night-time set-pieces and ethereal scenes of our hero being ambushed by vampiric brides. The only action really comes at the extended climax, a hell-for-leather battle between the living and the dead. The vampires are a creepy lot here with decent makeup making them feel spooky and imposing, and it's all very close to Hammer in look and feel, albeit on a smaller budget.

Toho's second attempt to rip off Hammer

[JoeB131 · 5/10 · 29 October 2023]

And this one was better than the last one I reviewed, "Lake of Dracula". The story here is that a school teacher takes up a new position at a girl's school in Japan, where apparently the staff can prey on the students. (I'm hoping this is a college!)

The creepy headmaster is keeping his dead wife in the basement, as the students are slowly being picked off.

This one is more Hammer like in that there are ample amounts of blood and breasts, and these vampires are almost scary. But it still falls down on the lack of engaging protagonists. Seriously, no one should be able to win a fistfight with a vampire except a werewolf or a Frankenstein.

The two vampires being symbiotically linked also seems to be a major design flaw. There's also a really creepy part of being able to cut off your victims face and wear it.

So is this fun to watch? Meh, kind of.

Don't watch this alone.

[jacobjohntaylor1 · 10/10 · 1 June 2016]

This is a Dracula sequel. And it is one of the scariest movies of all time. This movie has a great story line. It also has great acting. It also has great special effects. 5.9 is underrating it. This is a true classic horror movie. Shin Kishida was a great actor. He is very scary in this movie. This movie scarier then The Exorcist. And that is not easy to do. Toshio Kurosawa is a great actor. Micho Yammamoto is a great director. I am running out of things to say. And I need more lines. This a great movie. This movie is a must see. Great movie great movie great movie. See it see it see it see it see it see it. There are a lot of Dracula sequels and this is one of the better ones.

Japan has given us some classic horror films; this isn't one of them.

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 22 April 2024]

The Evil of Dracula is the third and last of director Michio Yamamoto's vampire movies, after The Vampire Doll (1970) and The Lake of Dracula (1971).

Toshio Kurosawa plays psychology teacher Shiraki, who takes a position at a girls school in the country only to discover that the principal is a vampire (NOT named Dracula, despite the film's American title). And to be honest, not a lot of interest happens, the entire film spent following Shiraki as he tries to unravel the mystery (not that there is much of a mystery to unravel) while unsuccessfully protecting three students from the principal (Shin Kishida), his undead wife (Mika Katsuragi) and their loyal assistant Yoshie (Katsuhiko Sasaki).

The vampires themselves are suitably menacing, the gloomy and atmospheric girls school makes for a creepy location, and the film does feature one or two original touches (the principal's vampire wife assuming the identity of one of the students by wearing her face as a mask is fun), but the weak script and slow pace means that this Japanese Hammer wannabe still lacks bite.

Solid Take on the Hammer Vampire Film

[Reviews_of_the_Dead · 8/10 · 24 February 2019]

This was a film I didn't know much about, but when my local theater was showing this trilogy of Japanese vampire films, I decided to check all three of them out. Much like the previous film, I had seen the trailer once and wasn't sure too much about it coming in. The official synopsis is a teacher assumes a position at a school where some of the young women are turning up missing.

I want to lead off stating that I altered the synopsis a bit as it contained a spoiler. We start the film with professor Shiraki (Toshio Kurosawa) getting off a train. He goes inside and asks when the next bus is and learns that there isn't one that day. He goes outside and a man pulls up to take him to the school. He is Yoshi (Katsuhiko Sasaki) and he is also a professor. On the way to the school they see a car accident on the side of the road. Shiraki learns that is was the principal's wife that died in it.

They arrive and meet with him. He is played by Shin Kishida. He offers Shiraki a drink and tells him that his plan is for him to become the next principal of the school. He asks him to stay and they talk briefly about his departed wife.

In the night, he hears a woman singing and goes searching. He goes into a room where he finds Keiko (Yasuko Agawa). There's something not right about her and then he is attacked by someone who looks like the principal's wife, played by Mika Katsuragi. She is vampire.

Shiraki wakes up the next day and thinks it was all a dream. He goes about meeting some of the students, which includes Kumi Saijô (Mariko Mochizuki), Yukiko Mitamura (Mio Ôta) and Kyôko Hayashi (Keiko Aramaki). He also meets Dr. Shimomura (Kunie Tanaka). It is through them Shiraki learns about the history of this place, how one or two girls go missing each year and there are rumors of vampires in the area.

When a break is coming up and Kyôko is attacked, her friends decide to stay behind. They become the targets of the vampire while Shiraki and Dr. Shimomura try to figure out who is behind this and the truth.

I want to start this review off stating that much like the previous one, I liked this even more for its story. This is actually the first film in the trio that credits Bram Stoker. This film also much like the others does have a feeling of the Hammer films in Europe that were coming out at the time. What I find interesting as well is the setting of this film. It establishes this school is in the middle of nowhere. That gives it an isolated feeling which helps in the mood. The houses that are used also look creepy. They aren't the castles you get in many vampire films and I think it works in the film's favor to be different.

This one also follows the vampire mythology. We get that you can't take pictures of vampires and that they need blood to survive. I also found this one interesting in that it takes us back to the history of the vampire. It was crazy that the person who became the vampire was actually a Christian who was tortured in the town. In his pain he turned his back on God and then drank blood which turned him. This also does something quite interesting in how the identity of the vampire is unknown.

I did have a little issue with the school having one or two women disappear each year. We see that if someone is bit that they turn into a vampire, which explains why some of them disappear. My issue with this though is I feel the school might be closer to being shut down if it was that frequently. Just something that crossed my mind while watching this.

I will say that this film was paced pretty well. It never really got boring to me, but I think a lot of that comes from the fact that they introduced more characters here and the vampires feed on them. The higher body count keeps it from getting boring. There is an interesting reveal in this film as well that I have kind of alluded to earlier that I enjoyed. I thought the ending was solid and fit the film.

Acting for the film was good also. Kurosawa is good as the hero in the film. I like that he gets introduced to the creature pretty early on and is trying to get to the bottom of it from the beginning. He doesn't believe initially, but as much information is discovered, he knows that it must be. Tanaka is solid at giving us the history of the school as well as the side-kick to Shiraki. He isn't in the film all that long though. Kishida is solid in his role and I thought he had a good look. Mochizuki, Ôta and Aramaki are solid as the three friends who are the focus of the attacks. They are all pretty cute as well. I also thought Katsuragi was solid in her small role. The rest of the cast round out the film well.

Effects were something else that I thought were surprisingly pretty well done. The blood in the film looked good. It is interesting that they didn't go as fluorescent as films from the era tended to do. The vampire wounds looked good. There was really only one scene that involved a Rorschach test that I thought didn't look great. The film was also shot very well in my opinion.

The last thing I wanted to touch on would be the score. I thought it was solid at setting the mood for the film. There is some quirky sounding songs, but for whatever reason they fit the scene and helped to enhance it. There is also some odd sounding singing that we hear which is actually happening in the film. I thought that was a good touch as it draws the character to the action.

Now with that said, I thought this was a good film. The story, even though not perfect, was good and they actually established a back-story. The pacing was good and it moves through at a good rate. It had an ending that fit for what they needed. Acting for the film I thought was good as were the effects. The soundtrack did some interesting things and it fit the film well. As I said, I thought this was a good vampire film, but I will warn you it is from Japan. I watched it with subtitles on, so if that is an issue, I'd avoid this one.