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Yokai Monsters - Spook Warfare (Vol. 1) Director: Yoshiyuki Kuroda Number of Items: 1 Format: Animated, Color Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Running Time: 90 minutes Studio: A.D. Vision Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2003-05-20 Buy from Amazon

From Description While storming the ruins of Babylonia, thieves unearth the ancient tomb of the wicked vampire demon Daimon. The demon flees to Japan, where he takes possession of Lord Isobe's soul and begins to feed on innocent townspeople. An astute villager suspects local patriarch Isobe has become a bloodthirsty demon and seeks help from friendly Yokai (Spirit Monsters) to uncover the truth. Will the army of Yokai be enough to help vanquish the dreaded Daimon, or will the villagers fall prey to an unspeakable fate?

Customer Reviews: Total numer of reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 "Old school Kaiju fans, don't miss this great film!" I agree with Amazon customer STEPHEN W YANKOWICH's review: This is a great film on an excellent DVD. Being a fan of Japanese Kaiju movies I first was rather sceptical because of the Yokai monsters' unusual and weird look. But it turned out that YMSW is a very charming and atmospheric film which in parts is eerie and haunting, but also has it's (intentionally!) funny moments. I recommend this movie strongly to any open minded Kaiju as well as Tokusatsu fan who loves classic stuff from the 60's and 70's. It's well made and extremely entertaining! "Very strange... but loads of fun!" I guess this is Daiei's take on the british Hammer monster movies of the 1960's. But instead of ripping the monsters off Hollywood movies, they came up with some of the craziest, and coolest, monsters I've ever seen! Yokai Monsters has gotta be my favorite Kaiju/Samurai flick (there's quite a few). However, the movie doesn't start out too good. First, we get to hear some mindless bable from a narator that sounds like he doesn't know what he's saying. Then, it cuts to the ruins of Babylonia, where we see two Arab guys speaking English in strange, muffled voices. There lines consist of something like this: "Oh I found it. Ooohoohoohoo!" Next, they go into a cave and, for no apparent reason, begin hacking away at the rocks with pickaxes. The ceiling starts caving in, but they don't seem to notice. Enter Daimon, the green Dracula with a funny head. Thankfully, it gets better. A few scenes later, Kappa shows up. Even though he's extremely goofy, I thought he was cool. The battle that then ensues between Kappa and Daimon is edge-of-your-seat action. Kappa runs away, and finds the rest of the Yokai (spirit monsters). One of my favorites is Two-Face. On one side, she's a pretty Japanese girl, on the other, she's the ugliest thing you'll see in your life. I liked the scene where the two guards find Two-Face. One guard sees her pretty side, while the other gets the crap scared out of him. This scene made laugh, and gave me the creeps. One part that doesn't make much sense is the final battle. It takes place in a foggy, almost dream-like setting, making it hard to understand what's going on. However, I did like the final shot of the Yokai taking off into the mist. Overall, like Daimajin, this is not for all kaiju fans. But if you're like me, and like samurai flicks, and wierd monsters, you'll enjoy this strnage, fun, and exciting Japanese monster movie. PS: The SFX are really good. "Rokuro-holy cow!" I definitely loved this movie. There wasn't too much action, because most of these yokai don't have any real offensive magic. And the fight between the Kappa and Daimon around the beginning was just hilarious, albeit a little one-sided. There were a few bad parts, though. The last scene, where the spirits wander off into the mists is a little too reminescent of stuff like Godzilla and is far too drawn out. And my favorite type of Japanese yokai, the rokurokubi (long neck) is barely in it at all, although she does have a few scenes. So, if there's anything better, I'll take it. Until then, this is the best I can get. 4 stars. "SPOOK WARFARE: Bizarre, but entertaining!" ADV Films has done it again by bringing us yet another lost treasure... YOKAI MONSTERS: SPOOK WARFARE (A.K.A. GHOSTS ON PARADE)! Although Daiei's Gamera films got to be cheesy by this time, SPOOK WARFARE gives us chills and thrills! The demon Daimon is awakened after a four thousand year hibernation by treasure hunters in Babylonia and heads to Japan to start a campaign of world domination. "Good monsters" are summoned and team up to stop Daimon once and for all. The overall entertainment value of SPOOK WARFARE is excellent... You will not see naked babes screaming their heads off, but you will see a good amount blood and an abundance of monsters unlike anything you have ever seen! There are also scenes in which Daimon looks like a guy in a rubber monster suit, but the scenes in which he is stalking his victims in atmospheric lighting are really effective... At that point, Daimon looks absolutely terrifying! The rousing music score really adds to the film: Chilling horror music! The special effects are mixed in quality, but for the most part are excellent! (The scenes involving the miniature work at the beginning and the snake woman throughout the movie are flawless!) The monsters that confront Daimon range from cheesy to scary, but are quite unique. The DVD... Sharpness and contrast of picture is superb. The sound is a bit distorted at times when the music reaches its peak, but still excellent. The special features include previews for other films of this trilogy, YOKAI MONSTERS: 100 MONSTERS and YOKAI MONSTERS: ALONG WITH GHOSTS (which are unreleased on DVD as of this writing) as well as the more recent GAMERA films, the DAIMAJIN (MAJIN) trilogy and the Godzilla epic DESTROY ALL MONSTERS. ADV has brough us another great DVD package. Unlike Toho, Daiei is more liberal about the international market. Thank you ADV and Daiei!!! :) "Mediocre Kaiju" I bought this after reading some really good reviews. Unfortunately, Yokai Monsters disappoints. It does have it's moments of charm and a few decent monsters. Most of them are not all that great, though and do not get enough screen time or closeups. There are MUCH better Japanese monsters out there. Track down all the Godzilla, Gamera, Ultraman, Kamen Rider, Japanese Spiderman (1978), and Kure Kure Takora before you pick this up.