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Edward Albert, Susan George, Doug McClure, Amy Barrett, Mako Hattori ... see more see more... , Toshiyuki Sasaki , Toshiya Maruyama , Tsuyako Okajima , Henry Mitowa , Joseph Cotten , Mayumi Umeda

Based on a novel by James Hardiman, this routine haunted-house scenario is enhanced a bit by its lush Eastern setting. The story opens in an elaborate Kyoto abode, wherein a cuckolded samurai brutally... read more read more... murders his wife and her lover before committing ritual seppuku. Their restless spirits remain trapped in the house until the present, where the story continues with an American couple (Edward Albert and Susan George), the house's newest owners, whose minds soon begin to fall under the ghosts' powerful psychic influence. After the arrival of a family friend, visiting diplomat Doug McClure, a curious re-enactment of the original tragedy unfolds, and even the intervention of a Buddhist monk (Henry Mitowa) fails to dispel the evil. The filmmakers seem more concerned with the sex than horror, as indicated by frequent nudity (particularly from George) and numerous sweaty clinches, paying short shrift to the great potential offered by the Asian setting -- an aspect only hinted at in the Buddhist exorcism scenes. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

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41% liked it

1,454 ratings

R, 1 hr. 28 min.

Directed by: Kevin Connor

Release Date: May 14, 1982

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DVD Release Date: September 20, 2005

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Stats: 54 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (54)

  • ajv2688
    January 11, 2011
    ajv2688
    This could have been a good horror movie, if only it weren't so slow and boring.
  • ileo
    January 12, 2008
    ileo
    Interesting.
  • kingmob6
    September 5, 2011
    kingmob6
    The parallels that develop between the lives of ghosts haunting a Kyoto home and the American residents in modern day Japan are interesting enough in their depiction, as the various ghosts possess the living and act out in eerie ways. That said, the film is pretty predictable ov... read moreerall and never really drew me in beyond a 'hey, nice visuals' kind of way.

    Rental? Cable, perhaps?
  • joyouskiss
    July 21, 2007
    joyouskiss
    Cheesy at best. Not a scary movie, just an 80's supernatural flick taking place in Japan where a family moves in a haunted house, the 3 ghosts there are silly looking. It's an adultry flick, the woman cheated on her husband and he killed her lover then her and finally himself and... read more they three are trapped into heir own house. When the american family moved in with their daughter, the past repeats, wife cheats on her husband with his best friend because she was possessed by the japanese woman's spirit. Each member in turn gets possessed and screw up their lives.

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Critic Reviews

Scott Weinberg
March 29, 2006
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

Produced in the early 1980s by a Japanese production company, yet written, directed by, and starring tons of Americans, THWED is, well, it's really quite stupid is what it is. Full Review

Vincent Canby
August 30, 2004
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Emanuel Levy
August 11, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

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