According to my DVD, there are supposed to be framing segments with this, but I could never access them. As such, we have five separate stories. "The Spiderwoman" was my favorite, with some scary visuals and a fun story about the myth of the Spiderwoman. Not heavy on real spiders, which is a plus for an arachnophobe like me! "Crevices" could have worked as a longer film, and "The Sacrifice" was interesting but nothing special. "Blonde Kwaidan" was just silly and seemed to be missing a large portion of plot. I also found myself enjoying "Presentment," which concerned a rather unusual tour package."Dark Tales of Japan" is overall a decent intro to J-horror, but nothing to write home about.

Dark Tales of Japan is a collection of made-for-TV J-Horror stories, shot by popular Japanese directors. The result is a Twilight Zone style anthology that aims to please those who can't get enough of Japanese ghost films, but unfortunately it fails due to rather cheap production values, poor effects and a lack of genuine scares.In 'Would You Like To Hear A Scary Tale?' (directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura), which acts as a 'wraparound' story for the whole anthology, a creepy old lady boards a late-night bus and proceeds to tell a scary story to the driver (despite his not being too keen on hearing one). She's obviously a ghost, but isn't the slightest bit frightening.The Spiderwoman (also by Nakamura), follows a couple of magazine reporters who are writing an article on a mysterious monster that has been repeatedly sighted in the town of Ibaraki. The intrepid investigators track down the creature... and soon wish that they hadn't! A couple of creepy moments and some rather fun dodgy CGI make this tale just about watchable.Next up is 'Crevices' (directed by Norio 'Ring 0' Tsuruta), in which a young man finds out exactly why a missing friend has plastered his apartment with red tape: it's to keep out the creatures that lurk in the crevices! Lots of creepy atmosphere make this the best of the bunch.The Sacrifice (directed by Koji Shiraishi) is the title of the third story, and although lacking in scares, it is made watchable by the presence of the gorgeous Yû Yamada who stars as a young woman cursed by a creepy workmate, but who is ultimately saved by her mother (who sacrifices herself to a giant disembodied head with strange eyes!).Blonde Kwaidan, the low point of the whole film (despite being directed by perhaps the most well known of those involved—Takashi 'The Grudge' Shimizu), is a (mercifully) short story which features a Japanese businessman in Hollywood, who comes face-to-face with a blonde ghost. Yawn!Before the film is rounded off with another 'scary' story from the ghostly bus-lady seen at the beginning of the film, Masayuki Ochiai (director of the upcoming Shutter remake) delivers the fairly enjoyable Presentiment, in which a trio of ghosts scare the hell out of a poor man trapped in a lift.

Five tales of terror from renowned modern Japanese horror directors is made in teleplay format. You could call this compilation the Japanese version of chiller theater.The Spider Woman:Reporters are sent on assignment to trace down the eye-witnesses who perhaps can prove that the urban myth of a spider woman is real. They might just not like what they find..Crevices:Removing red tape from the cracks and crevices, placed on items within a missing high school chum's apartment, might spell doom for a friend trying to find clues as to what might've led to his disappearance. What he realizes, after reading a repeated phrase, "I'm being watched" on the computer screen and seeing just what might've occurred to his frantic, mentally distraught friend on a camcorder recording, our protagonist will be visited by something with an eerie giggle as he races to replenish the place with red tape before harm might befall him.The Sacrifice:Mayu rejects the date offer of a co-worker Fukuda and finds out that he practices black magic & witchcraft. Truly terrifying is the fact that Fukuda has placed a legitimate curse on Mayu and it might just take someone else offering their life as a sacrifice so that she can be spared. Mayu brings up a haunting nightmarish image from childhood where she saw this monstrous head in the chanting room where her grandmother sacrificed her life so that her daughter would be spared. Could this be a repeat affair with Mayu's mother, who is shown chanting without ceasing, sacrificing herself for the love of her daughter? Blonde Kwaidan:A Japanese visitor in Hollywood on business has the misfortune of sharing the flat of a tragic suicide/murder where he is visited by a blonde ghost who doesn't look very happy.Presentiment:A man, stealing company files from his employer sure to bring in huge profit so that he can run off with his lover(..turning his back on the wife and daughter), is trapped in an elevator with specters awaiting an event to take place. Could that event have something to do with him? I really enjoyed this series of tales. Yes, they vary in quality, but most of them are solid little creepers which work well despite the low-budget, made-for-television hindrances which don't allow the directors to go very far in the gore department. Most of the tales, especially "The Spider Woman", "Blonde Kwaidan" & "Presentiment" have a dose of macabre humor to lighten things up. Strangely, the most accomplished director of the group, Takashi Shimizu, has the weakest entry being "Blonde Kwaidan" which lacks strong narrative and seems to end right as it was getting good. The first two, "The Spider Woman" & "Crevices" are probably the creepiest, while Presentiment and The Sacrifice were the most accomplished with care for characters and story. I'd say Presentiment is the most solid entry of them all.

If you're tired of little girls with long dark hair, this is something quite different for horror fans and Japanese horror fans. Though most look to be shot of video, which I know some people find off putting, the acting and production values and the FX, both make-up are well done. More creative than the American Masters of Horror series,though these are shorter some being under 20 minutes long and it's easier to support that shorter running time. Though there are funny moments in them they never go totally into a comedy pay off. This is really diverting stuff, imaginative, check it out.Giant heads, curses, evil blonds, elevators, spider people, a wide range of locations and types of stories. Music from The Amityville Horror shows up in one episode, rather strangely actually. No nudity but there is gore in decent amounts.