A Japanese ghost story in the folkloric tradition, ‘Haunted Lantern’ tells the story of a tragic love triangle, involving a young ronin and the two sisters who both fall in love with him. To say anything more would give away a large part of the tale, so I’m just going to add that things don’t go all that well for anyone involved. Scariness ensues.

Let me just start off by saying that this isn’t a movie for all tastes. I love a good Asian ghost story, but if you’re the type of fellow (or lass for that matter) who thinks that Paul Anderson is the best director working in Hollywood today, do us both a favor and skip this one. (And while your at it, this is a web site devoted to, well, good horror films. You might just want to leave all together.)

Ok good. Now that I’ve alienated the riff-raff, let's get down to business, shall we?

If you’re familiar with the traditional Japanese manner of ghost story, or if you’ve seen other film of this genre (‘Kwaidan’ springs to mind) then you know what to expect in terms of plot. The story here is both chilling and sad. Doomed romance, untimely death, love gone rotten. Literally. The tale is handled incredibly well. The plot develops at a steady clip and is genuinely moving. There are some very shocking moments contained in ‘Lantern‘. Some that will have you jumping out of your seat with revulsion, and others that will simply fill you with a general sense of unease. (Although it’s a terribly simple effect, I found the sight of the lantern itself, gliding unattended, slowly, through empty streets to be truly unsettling.)

The visuals in the film are very well done. If you’ve ever seen a Japanese ghost print (and if you haven’t try to find some on Google , they are truly stunning both in terms of beauty and sheer gruesomeness) you might get some idea of what to expect from the visuals. While the cinematography is a bit dated, it highlights the lush colors and settings typical of this type of narrative. The makeup is quite good, and very faithful to the traditional conception of decaying, skull-faced Japanese ghosts. (I wasn’t kidding about those old prints being creepy.) Unfortunately, some of the special effects are embarrassingly out-dated. The battle between the blind priest and the ghosts for example, seems like a segment out of an old 70’s kung-fu movie.

The acting is good, if a bit broad in some segments. The makers of ‘The Haunted Lantern’ decided to incorporate a traditional kabuki style into the performances, which can come across as a bit silly to some Westerners.

Speaking of us stupid round-eyes, I should mention that this film uses a somewhat bizarre framing mechanism. While the tragic love triangle of the young ronin and his two prospective brides plays out primarily in the main segment of the film, the movie also takes time to examine the past karmatic baggage that led up to these happenings, as well as their future repercussions. Anyone not familiar with both the doctrine of reincarnation, as well as the Buddhist precept governing the negativity of attachment, even an attachment born of true love, might have some trouble figuring out just what in the hell the point of the movie was. But frankly, that’s all the more reason for you to broaden your cultural horizons! Give this one a go.