The Vampire Moth is a 1956 Japanese horror film about a fashion designer stalked by a bizarre, unknown man wearing a hideous mask. Despite its title, there is no vampire. Rather, it is a strange hybrid of Japanese mystery thriller and proto-slasher.
Directed by Nobuo Nakagawa, who would go on to become one of Japan’s most important horror directors, based on a novel by mystery writer Seishi Yokomizo.
The Vampire Moth is particularly significant because it represents an early stage in the development of Japanese horror cinema. Nakagawa would subsequently make films such as The Ghosts of Kasane Swamp (1957), Black Cat Mansion (1958) and his celebrated The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959), before directing the extraordinarily macabre Jigoku (“Hell”) in 1960.
The Toho production stars Ryō Ikebe, Asami Kuji, Eijirō Tōno and Kyōko Anzai.
Plot:
Asaji Fumiyo, a successful fashion designer whose career has taken off after she returned to Japan from Europe. Her success, however, is overshadowed by a disturbing figure from her past.
A mysterious man begins stalking Asaji and sending her ominous gifts. One particularly disturbing package contains an apple marked with what appear to be four vampire fang marks. The stranger himself wears a grotesque, animal-like mask with enormous teeth, making him appear to be some sort of vampire or werewolf.
The stalker turns out to be Tetsuzō Ibuki, a man with whom Asaji had been involved while she was in Europe. Ibuki has a twin brother, Shunsaku Etō, an eccentric entomologist fascinated by moths and butterflies.
Ibuki claims to have been wronged by Asaji and begins a campaign of intimidation and revenge. His arrival coincides with a series of increasingly gruesome murders among the women associated with Asaji’s modelling and fashion business.
The victims are discovered under circumstances suggesting that a bloodthirsty supernatural creature is responsible. The killer’s hideous mask and animalistic appearance reinforce the vampire/werewolf theory, while the involvement of an entomologist and the film’s obsession with moths and butterflies adds to the bizarre atmosphere.
But there is much more going on beneath the surface. Rivalries within the fashion business, jealousy, blackmail, stolen designs and old romantic grudges gradually become intertwined with the murders. Meanwhile, detective Kosuke Kindaichi, played by Ryō Ikebe, becomes involved in the investigation.
As the body count rises, the apparent supernatural explanation begins to unravel. Kindaichi eventually discovers that the “monster” is a human murderer using disguise and theatrical methods to create the illusion of a supernatural killer.
The murderer attempts to eliminate the remaining witnesses and victims in a final confrontation. Kindaichi arrives in time to save the women, while the killer attempts to escape across the steel framework of a building under construction. His escape ends catastrophically, bringing the bizarre killing spree to an end…
Original title:
Kyûketsu-ga, 吸血蛾
Tech specs:
1h 29m (89 min)
Black and White
Mono
Aspect ratio: 1.37: 1
Free to watch online on YouTube:
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