While spending a lazy day fishing by a stream out of the city, colleagues Syo and Han take note of a mother and her beautiful daughter taking in the view from a veranda near by. Han is instantly infatuated with the beauty of the young woman and does not hesitate to rush to her aid after witnessing her collapse. A romance between Han and the ill daughter Mayumi soon begins to grow and he finds himself playing the role of caretaker to the mother and daughter.
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One night, while visiting his friend, Syo accidentally walks in on the couple and finds the horrific truth about the mother and daughter. Although Han believes his friend, he is still compelled to stay with Mayumi. The colleague realizes that Syo has been cursed and begins a ritual to keep him protected. In order to save his friend, Syo has to also overcome the erotic spell of the ghostly mother and daughter.
With the production being based off the novel/Kabuki play “Botan Doro” there is bound to be some familiarity for fans of Japanese horror film. With the original content being adapted multiple times, including as an exploitation film in the Roman Porno Era with “Hellish Love”, the film sets up a lot of hurdles for itself to cover the material in a way fans of horror and pink film can appreciate. Thankfully, Akira Fukamachi is able to capture enough material from the original work, including the tone one would expect from a classic ghost story, and infuse it with strong erotic elements. This is not to say that the film is without it's faults, as the first portion is a bit of a slog filled with mundane plot and generic erotic scenes. The film takes a drastic shift once the ghostly presence of the mother and daughter is revealed. The reveal in itself is silly, but in an entertaining way and will most likely rest on fans memories. Within the genre of Pink Film, strong visual moments or plot points can elevate a production.
The performances within the production are all passable, with no one really standing out. Where the performers do stand out is in the erotic scenes. Each scene is well shot and not over sensationalized or over the top, containing a more realistic display of eroticism that matches perfectly the tone of the movie. With a modern pink film retelling a classic story being a parody in itself, it was enjoyable to see the makers not double up on this concept and oversell the erotic scenes to push the humour.
The material throughout the production feels like it was treated with a certain level of respect by the cast. It is almost expected in a production like this to utilize the over the top (hammy) male lead. The type that bumbles through scenes and acts mostly in large motions and exaggerated vocal range. This archetype does work within some comedic pink films, but the approach the director and actors took in approaching the script in a serious tone was a great choice.
“Tales of the Peony Lantern” stands as a great example of mashing genres together to create something that stands on it's own. The film combines horror, comedy and the erotic in a pretty seamless way to ensure all three genres get the proper respect. It is somewhat restrained by budget and the technical aspects become rather forgettable. Although, within these productions that is somewhat expected, and from my own experiences, it seems to add more charm. However, within the classic horror genre I can see this feeling like a bit of a disservice to the source, especially with the many releases within the classic ghost story containing mesmerizing visuals. Although Akira Fukumachi succeeds in bringing these genres together, the production undoubtedly would be best viewed by those who have a great appreciation of the Pink film genre over classic ghost stories. This is a film that's success will rest on audience expectations, thankfully as a fan of the exploitation genre over the classic horror films, “Tales of the Peony Lantern” was a fun and enjoyable viewing.
