Yokai Attack!: The Japanese Monster Survival Guide

I came across this book awhile ago due to my convention going and attending an Japanese inspired horror panel which was both fun, silly and informative. So instead of doing reviews on movies I've seen recently or Lollipop Chainsaw I decided to do one on this fun book.

It's always interesting to compare different parts of the world's cultures to one another and see how different things are. Super natural and the occult are no different, it could spout from which religion is most dominate in a country or the lifestyle and history of a county.

I mean our UK history is very different, we have so many medieval castles seeped in spooky stories, stories of being taken over by the devil, the hounds of baskervile, the legend of bodmin moore.. and then Scotland's lockness monster. Mexico has it's Chupacabra and theres so much more in every corner and crack of the globe.

So it really is cool to find out about other places folklore's and supernatural and I have to admit Japan has some awesome ones.  The way they live their lives and what they believe in is very heavily hinted in their supernatural tales such as unclean bathrooms bringing monsters.

Also the taboo subject of the repression of woman in the nation. Many movies have shown this SHUTTER, RING, JU-ON and DARK WATER along with many others. There is a reason why alot of these horror stories are based on an angry female spirit.

There are alot of female based ghouls in the Japanese folktales and this book goes into the old, the gross and the mighty fine.

So on to the book!

While informing us of the demons and nasties it has a very comical approach to things and a light hearted read about things that might otherwise be pretty creepy to the average viewer. Now YOKAI is what they call these spirits like we call things.. ghosts.

The book isn't hefty but has alot of different monsters in it and in sections. One which will focus on silly spirits such as a 'Mokumoku Ren' which is simply a paper wall with eyes on it then the more well known ones such as Onibaba and Kappa's and as I said..  a whole section on angry woman spirits such as a jealous woman who would drown those she saw in a happy relationship... woman.. pft.

The pages are set out like fact files which are interesting and gets to the basics, their Japanese name, what it means, what it basically is. I mean there is an invisible wall for a bad spirit in one section, it has some crazy things in it!

After the fact page it goes into more depth of the nasty. Each creature gets about three pages on it so it's not just a skimming read on the spirit but a pretty good story telling piece. Back stories, history and some more.

Each one has a picture, some are nicer to look at then others and some pictures look abit armature and blah but if your not a fussy art person [X-men comics have spoilt me for good art..] then you won't mind at all.

Now along with the silly ghosts and funny laid back style of the book along side some rather goofy pictures you will get a taste of Japanese culture and why some of these things come to be. Also some of these spirts sound messed up and make me feel glad to not be in Japan!

My only real moan about this book is 95% of it is in colour for me and then the last few ghosts it was like their budget for colour ran out and they just gave up on it.. or maybe that's just my copy? either way it's a very sloppy end to an other wise awesome little piece and view into another worlds supernatural realms.

It really is nice seeing how different other peoples darker worlds are. I would love to do more reading on Yokai's and see what other cultures have to offer me!

The book retails brand new for  £10 I think it was which isn't bad! and if you want another look into this book they have an official website here. YOKAI ATTACK!

Info: 4.5/5

Length: 3.5/5

Art: 2.5/5

Scares: 0/5

Overall read: 5/5

XJIGSAWX

Necromentia

[2009]

Now on the back of the DVD it says it's inspired by Clive Barkers work.. if 'inspired' means pretty much ripped off then I will agree. It reminds me of Hellraiser in so, so many ways but despite that it's still a good movie.

The plot keeps going from one focus to another every other scene almost so it's a little hard to keep up with unless your paying attention.. unlike me who is writing notes the whole way through. Ugh.

It's based on the lives of three main people. A man called Travis and his handicapped brother, a fay man called Hagen and his dead wife and a mute. But you don't see much about the mute fello till the end.

The movies entrance sequence is alot of creepy and different flashing images which really gets you interested in what the movie has to offer, it's gory and stylish and is a good taster of what's to come. Hagen, the fat guy waked up in a shitty sort of rape ally meets a Freddy Kruger pipe works area almost naked and dripping blood from his back.

Voices of a woman ring all around him and he is pretty confused as anyone would be after waking up in a small shitty alley covered in blood and a massive headache, it's like an average weekend for some students though...

We then see our first demonic being which spouts some crap at the man.

The next scene is the fat guy Hagen talking to his dead wife and giving her a bath, talking about keeping her nice and clean, how he loves her and how he is going to bring her back to life. His basement is full of odd shit and when he gets her out the bath and hooks her into some freaky contraption to test her joints or something it's very much a Frankenstienish image.

There is even an awkward scene where he speards her legs and looks up 'there' with a flash light. Yep, still dead. I have no idea why this was part of the movie but the guy looks like a massive creeper anyway so what do I know? looking at dead people's genitals might be the standard for creeps?

The woman playing dead needs to be a little more.. 'dead' acting as you could see her breathing from time to time and moving her eyelids, I'm sure playing dead is hard but it's these small things that people like me notice that takes from the hard work they had done thus far.

Next scene we have is the man working in a barbers shop and two biker-y types burst in and tell him they know about his dead wife, the baths and the necrophilia and give him the most uncomfortable shave of his life.

But one biker also tells him there is a way to bring his wife back.. they have the power to bring the dead back to life and they want to help him. Biker with shades gives him a sob story about how he was going to do this to his brother but they'd burnt the body before he had a chance.. desperate to get his wife back to life he goes with these very shady folks.

There is alot of occult themed talking and mumbo jumbo and out comes the occult books and all the gab that comes with it. I've watched enough horror to know an odd bit or two about Ouija Boards but this is a whole new concept and it's pretty neat. By carving the board into someones back you can use them to get the dead back or go into hell.

So this is how fat man ends up with a bloody back, he has a nice new cut tattoo of the occult on him.

Now we go back in time and see our next main character 'Travis' his folks are dead and he is struggling for money, skint, living in a shit hole and having to look after his mentally and physically disabled younger brother.

Now we really end up feeling sorry for Travis, seeing the struggle he's going through, coping with money issues and a brother like this. Trying his best to make a life for them both and it seems really frustrating having a brother with so many problems and doing it all alone and he has a job to try and keep at.

He leaves his brother to go off to work and leaves the TV on for him... This is where the odd part of the movie comes in, this really happy and cheerful song about suicide comes on and a really big pig character called 'Mr Skinny' comes to entertain the brother and try get him to kill himself..

Nothing like seeing a really fat man in barbwire..

We are then taken to another scene which seems a mix between a Jigsaw trap and extreme bondage as a woman is tied to a very flash but grimey looking table in all sorts of BDSM style ropes and belts while a masked figure tortures her. Alot of well done gore and realistic blood which is an awesome point of this movie, none of the gore looks fake it all looks pretty good. Some of the best I've seen if I'm honest.

We then learn that the crazy woman paid for the torture and the masked man is Travis, yes his job is torture.

Travis is also hooked on drugs and does some after his little 'job' and has what most people think is a bad trip but he meets a grey awkwardly handsome demon who keeps visiting him in his head from time to time and is trying to worn him about the bad things going on with his brother at home.

He rushes home and catches his brother before he kills himself but from then on realises he can't leave his brother alone any more... He asks another scruffy looking man, a friend to look after his brother while he goes off to maim more people for money.

Sitter falls asleep and the brother with the aid of Mr Skinny kills the friend and hangs himself.

Demon once more warns Travis to go home but it's too late, the demon then makes a trade with Travis, if he helps the demon he will get his brother back and soon Travis is taught all the occult stuff and practises on his dead friend, cutting the Ouija board into his stomach.

Soon after this the plot goes nuts and moves away from these two people and to the mute guy and how everyone's pasts all link up.

I won't go into that as it's an awesome end plot and it finishes it up really nicely and neatly.

Monster's all look like they got dropped from the Hellrasier final cut, the gore is very well done. The actors are good, the acting good, stylishly shot with the dirty grainy feel the whole movie has from start to finish.

I had no ideas what this movie would be like but it's a good one.

Plot: 4.5/5

Gore: 5/5

Acting: 4/5

Scares: 0/5

Overall enjoyment: 4.5/5

X6X Jigsaw X6X