WTF Japan?!?: Monster Heaven- Ghost Hero

I finally got to this one and boy was it weird!  Long, long ago, I download this Film to watch...and then just didn't.  That ends today!  Monster Heaven- Ghost Hero is a 1990 Film that is so amazingly-Japanese that it almost hurts.  That Title alone is so 'Okay, this is Japanese then,' right?!?  I'm almost amazed that the Title hasn't been used for a JRPG by now- maybe it has.  This one is apparently pretty obscure in America, as IMDB only has a basic Cast Listing and the non-translated Title.  No Plot Summary or Details to be found, folks.  Do I have to do everything around here?!?  Before I get to that, let me tell you what the Film is about.  It features Ghosts, a magic statue, an Oni (a Japanese sort-of Demon) and some Yokai (Japanese Monsters that hide in plain sight).  The Plot involves a Tech Company and a Rock Band that shows up.  It's weird- in case you didn't pick it up yet.  To find out if this is an obscure gem or uncooked Fugu, read on...

In a Cold Open, this old man rolls into a Tech Company's Building and tells them that it is cursed!!!

One of the pet projects in the Company is this thing where Holograms fight each other by way of, well, Power Gloves.

Don't worry- Cancer will just cure itself, guys!

 

Our Hero- a hapless Corporate Lackey- is given a bunch of stuff that shows his family line and history.  They fought evil in the past and, well, this doesn't bode well for him if they are suddenly telling him this now!

Monster Heaven- by all accounts a fictitious Band- suddenly shows up and they sure are weird.

Their arrival at the time of all this can't be a coincidence.

The Statue in the Lobby is what is protecting the place from true evil.  It's safe as long as virgin blood doesn't touch it.

That night, the Boss tries to, well, rape a lady there and they both fall on it, the latter's blood sealing the statue's power.

The released Spirit first infects the CEO, but soon spreads to the Boss via a sword and he gains this bad-ass Oni form.  Murders ensue.

Naturally, they try to stop the creature.  As you may have guessed, the Band are actually Yokai and try to help them.

Try not to stare.

As things look bleak, the Programmer remembers his holo-girl and uses an upgrade to give her physical-esque form to battle the Oni!

 

It is ultimately defeated with the Stone and, well, I can't explain this last part well.  I'll just summarize...

A giant spirit/angel appears next to the building, grabs the Oni and eats it like Sushi.  The End.

Wow.  What a strange conflagration of ideas.  Tech Company + Yokai + Ghosts + Demons + Holographic Technology = Plot.  This is almost like the Mad Libs of Movies.  Do people still do those?  You know, instead of making that so-so, half-finished Version of Death Note, Netflix should have just redone this!  I don't know what other word describes this Film better than 'weird.'  Yokai show up at a Tech Company to battle an Oni.  A Hologram fights an Oni.  That Ending!  Instead of looking for a Thesaurus, I'll just say that the Film is fun and quirky.  When I finally committed to watching it, I had a good time, even if I couldn't always make sense of it.  It's the kind of thing that just is- no explanations needed.  It features all sorts of creative effects, from the mascot-esque look of that Raccoon Yokai to a guy being cut in half at a 70 degree angle to, well, that Ending.  It is a neat-looking Film, even without a more modern fidelity to make it look super-sharp.  It looks like it was made in 1990- for better or worse.  If you like this kind of insanity, it's a must-see.  If none of this made sense to you AND you didn't then want to see it, skip it.  Just don't look too deep into this guy's eyes...

Next time, I jump back to the 1980s to cover a Film recommended to me at work.  Is this just lower-budget Back to the Future or a forgotten gem?  Stay tuned...