Kwaidan – Woman of the Snow (1964)
If you’re a fan of horror films you’re going to love this!
I watched this movie for the first time when I was about 10 years old.
I consider this to be one of the most horrifying Japanese tales.
Kwaidan – Woman of the Snow
Starring : Tatsuya Nakadai as Minokichi, Keiko Kishi as Yuki, the Snow Spirit Woman
Directed by : Masaki Kobayashi
Release Date: 1964
Runtime: 38 min
Kwaidan is a spooky classic from Japan. The 1964 film offers four short horror stories. In the second story shown on this page -The Woman of the Snow, a man has an other worldly experience when he watches a strange spirit woman arrive in snow storm and breathe ice on his friend…. (really nice blue lips too). The friend dies from freezing to death. She tells him never to reveal the tale to anyone. And then the story gets really weird. Cool stuff!
Part of what makes this film so special is the combination of wonderful cinematography – and a remarkable set design schema. The colors in this film are so hot – they might blow your monitor. Cannes Film Fesival winner in 1965 -Jury Special Prize, Nominated for an Oscar in 1966 for Best Foreign Language Film -Japan.
Enjoy 
This movie has impacted my life in more ways than I could have possibly imagined. I have not been able to let go of the images that this short film has exposed me to. It’s so terrifying that even now, as a 25 year old, I do not dare to press the play button to bring back the memories that has haunted me all these years… Whoever watching this, it may not seem frightening, but through an 8 year olds eyes, it’s the end of her world…