The things a samurai has to do for money. In this case, they gotta bust some ghosts. 100 Monsters is part of a series of yokai movies that focuses on monsters and samurai. It really is a strange mix of genres, but it’s a mix that’s mostly refreshing. But with a title like 100 Monsters, you’d think there would be at minimum 100 monsters in the film. So it’s kinda disappointing that the vast majority shows up in the last couple of scenes. But the monsters we get early on are incredibly cool.
You have the classic yokai umbrella monster, which really is quite a cute puppet that’s meant more as comic relief than terror. There’s a devious long headed monster, which is probably one of the best looking monsters of the 1960s. They use a lot of trick photography and puppetry to make it look like this lady’s head is extending like a snake. For example, the puppet neck stretches behind a pillar, and as the neck appears to wrap around the pillar, the actress’s face shows up, really making the illusion feel seamless. Today that effect would be CGI. But there’s just something magical about practical effects that makes a movie feel cinematic.
You have sword fights, you have monsters, which should be enough for any movie, but unfortunately for 100 Monsters they decide to add in an overly complex plot dealing with a landowner that scams a village and tears down their local shrine, thus the monsters. So the samurai, who may or may not be a ghost, has to help the village defeat the dirty landowner and his henchmen. It all gets a bit too busy and a bit messy. I just wanted to see the promised 100 monsters. But when they do show up, they are glorious as they take over the town.
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