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Tales of Terror Collection: From Tokyo And All Over Japan (4DVD)
Tales of Terror Collection From Tokyo And All Over Japan
4DVD
Directors: Takashi Shimizu, Norio Tsuruta
Genres: Indie & Art House, Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy
UR     2007     5hr 55min

TALES OF TERROR 1 & 2 -While some stories may seem too fantastic to believe, many come from the most horrifying of sources The Truth! Step into places not meant for the living. Witness psychological horrors that rattle the...  more »

     
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Movie Details

Directors: Takashi Shimizu, Norio Tsuruta
Genres: Indie & Art House, Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sub-Genres: Indie & Art House, Horror, Fantasy
Studio: Tokyo Shock
Format: DVD - Color - Subtitled
DVD Release Date: 12/11/2007
Release Year: 2007
Run Time: 5hr 55min
Screens: Color
Number of Discs: 4
SwapaDVD Credits: 4
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 1
Edition: Box set
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Languages: Japanese
Subtitles: English

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Movie Reviews

Unless you're a fan of Japanese horror shorts, you could pas
Pixie | 01/06/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)

"Tales of Terror from Tokyo is a horror anthology. These are made-for-TV shorts, based on supposedly "true" stories collected from all over Japan. I bought it mostly because I had seen a few of the pieces before and enjoyed them. This boxset contains volume 1, volume 2, volume 3 part 1, and volume 3 part 2, which to my knowledge are all volumes available. So far as I can tell, there is no difference between the loose DVDs and this box set. Do note that this is the TV SERIES, and does not include the movie. I highly suggest that if you want any of the made-for-TV Tales of Terror, you go ahead and purchase the entire set rather than the loose DVDs- the box set is the same price as one volume here on Amazon, so it's like getting 4 for 1. That's a pretty good value, considering the true boast of over 60 short films.

The quality isn't bad. The case all four are in is one of those flimsy, thin cardboard ones, but that doesn't really matter. I do have some problems getting two separate DVD players to read the first disc. Eventually, though, they will read it. I have had no problems with any of the others. As for how they play, I don't know anything technical about picture quality, but to me, it looked really nice and clear.

As for content, honestly, it varies wildly from short to short. A lot of them are nothing special, perhaps not even entertaining. In order to enjoy this, you just have to enjoy and be familiar with Japanese horror. I do, so for me, this was a worthwhile purchase. Still, quite a few of these shorts are basically empty, and nearly all of them are open-ended. In my experience, you see that a lot in Japanese horror shorts, but it's still a little frustrating sometimes. Many of these feel like the beginning of a story and have no resolution. Sometimes that's a good effect, cutting off at just the right second and leaving you tense and anxious, but to watch it over and over again can get old. Many times you'll be left saying, "What was that? What even happened? What?!" If you understand some of the motifs you'll have less questions about certain things, but it's not much help. The tales are exactly the type of urban legend gossip Japan is inundated in, and honestly, they'd probably be better whispered in a low voice than as a film.

However, as mediocre as the majority happen to be, there are some definite gems in this collection. Like I said before, if you enjoy Japanese horror, I would encourage you to buy this, just for the few that are really good. You probably will not be scared, but some of them are genuinely creepy, and some are rather amusing. Of the amusing ones, some are trying to be funny; others are an attempt at seriousness that are giggle-worthy instead. Others, if not creepy, are just cool to look at. And most of them, despite their plotlessness, are filmed very well. There are occasionally some stupid effects that ruin an otherwise well-filmed piece, however. I tend to enjoy the ones with children the best. Also, some of them are longer or in two or three parts, and those tend to be better as well. I think if the five-minute pieces were given more time, they could be a lot better than they are.

I'll end with my favorite pieces from this set: The Visitor; Covering the 100 Tales; The Woman Next Door (which, mind you, falls into the trying-to-be-serious-but-is-funny category); Copy Machine, The Promise, Please Don't/No More, Please/Come If You Dare! (these three are a series); Let's Play; Don't Ever Open It; Getting Closer; The Men in Black (this one surprised me, as the MIB are more of a Western paranormal phenomena, and for me, a local one; it was also pretty funny, but I think intentionally); Tell Me; Another One; Overtime/Overtime 2 (series of 2)"
Worth the cost of admission....
LFrog1386 | North-eastern CT | 03/24/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)

"All of these shorts are five minutes long. It became a challenge for each producer/director/writer team to try to create scares inside a five minute block of time. Many are not scary, although they are usually moody enough to keep you in that right frame of mind waiting for a good scare. Then there are the few very good ones that you wished would go further or at least get picked up, fleshed out and made into a 2 hour movie because the premise was so intriguing and had so much potential. This would be a great place to look for fresh, new ideas for upcoming Japanese horror films.
Overall I did enjoy it, maybe even because they were shorts. Those of us that have gotten hooked on Asian horror and their style of mood and story-telling over blood and gore will enjoy this because it's more of the same. There are some long haired female ghosts but most of the shorts dealt with nothing like that at all. I enjoyed the ones that dealt with folklore and urban legend and what I liked most was that I could watch a handful of them inside a half hour and then go do something else. I'd watch a few before bedtime just to give myself a chill. And it was easy to do because you didn't have to spend 90 minutes or more waiting for the build up. These shorts built the tension inside four minutes!
It was fun, some of it was scary and overall, it was enjoyable. If you like Asian horror, I think it's worth the price. As the previous reviewer wrote, the whole darn TV anthology is here for the same price as individual ones (4 for the price of 1) so why not get the whole thing? Then you can enjoy it over time. Also, the previous reviewer had problems with 2 of 4 discs playback but I can report I had no issues at all, so it isn't a transfer or region issue."
Loved it, for old and new fans of asian horror!
R. Rivers Jr. | 10/09/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Is it possible to scare a person within five minutes? Well...is it? I say yes after viewing this dvd. This dvd is packed with 66 short stories, 33 on the first two discs and 33 on the last two discs. IMO the last disc which is the second half of vol.3 is the best if I were to rank them I'd say...Vol 3.2(20 stories)>Vol.1(15 Stories)>Vol3.1(13 Stories)>Vol.2(18 Stories) I watched them in order but you don't have to of course.

Each story is a gives you a quick plot and a few jolts of scares but not every one of them actually pulls it off. Some stories just do not hold up BUT the ones that do are worth the price of admission(aka worth buying!) Which is currently $26.99(which is what I payed for it) Like I said yes there are a few stories that don't hold up well but all of them are worth the watch at least once, if you're a fan of asian horror films like Ju-On, Ringu, One Missed Call, etc. Then you will be entertained by a good chunk of the stories here.

Now on to my favorites on the dvds...

Vol. 1
The School Excursion
Kengo
The Visitor
Covering the 100 Tales

Vol. 2
Getting Closer
The Garden
Please Don't/No More Please/Come If You Dare(3 part story, I liked the first one the best of the 3 but you need to watch all 3 of course)
The Garden(worth it for the ending)

Vol. 3.1
The Breath of Mononoko
The Bride
The Men in Black(the ending will remind you of a famous older film)
Another One(kind of funny but I like it)

Vol. 3.2
Only Two of Us
A Woman Next Door
Three People Are Coming
Blue Trench Coat
Unbroadcast Footage
The Visitor
Sleepy Head
Greetings
Animal Odor
The Music Box(ends the set with a GREAT note)

Now just because these are my favorites doesn't mean you will like them but that's why you should give the entire collection a chance to see for yourself which ones you prefer.

The DVD themselves are barebones besides a few trailers but I honestly didn't care these shorts were enough to satisfy me. If you love asian horror, or just short horror stories in general then I suggest that you go out and buy this now! Stop reading my review and get these dvds!!!"
Defintely worth it: most are well thought out and chilling
Sparks | United States | 06/29/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I watched part of this yesterday (daytime) and got some fun chills. The acting can be a bit stiff but overall Im really happy with the quality of the story lines. Good way to review Japanese too :)
"