New Trailer for 4K Restoration of ‘Kwaidan’ – Quartet of Ghost Stories
by Alex Billington
August 17, 2026
Source: YouTube
“Even if you cry out, there’s no one who can help you.” Janus Films has unveiled their official trailer for a new 4K restoration of the Japanese horror classic Kwaidan, originally released in theaters worldwide way back in 1965. It played at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival and was also released in the US by Continental that same year. Kwaidan is a Japanese horror anthology film featuring four supernatural segments all directed by Masaki Kobayashi. This consists of four separate stories adapted from Lafcadio Hearn’s collections of Japanese folktales, including two from his 1904 book Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, the film’s namesake. Set mostly in feudal Japan, the stories feature vengeful spirits enforcing moral retribution, while portraying the supernatural realm as largely indifferent to human suffering. The film stars Tatsuya Nakadai, Tetsurō Tamba, Yoichi Hayashi, Katsuo Nakamura, Rentarō Mikuni, and Keiko Kishi; no actors appear in more than one segment. This new 4K re-release version is based on the original 3 hour cut, not the Cannes version that was a slightly shorter 161 minutes. This final version is 183 minutes in total. Reviews describe it as: “a rare, hermetic beauty, full of ethereal images and errant ideas that will haunt the mind.” One of the most incredible horror films ever! A must watch on the big screen if it’s playing near you.
Here’s the official 4K re-release trailer (+ poster) for Masaki Kobayashi’s horror Kwaidan, from YouTube:
After more than a decade of sober political dramas and socially minded period pieces, the great Japanese director Kobayashi shifted gears dramatically for this rapturously stylized quartet of ghost stories. With colorfully surreal sets and luminous cinematography, these haunting tales of demonic comeuppance and spiritual trials, adapted from writer Lafcadio Hearn’s collections of Japanese folklore, are existentially frightening and meticulously crafted. 👻 Kwaidan, also known as 怪談 in Japanese, is directed by master Japanese filmmaker Masaki Kobayashi, also director of the epic war trilogy The Human Condition, The Inheritance, Harakiri, Samurai Rebellion, Inn of Evil, Tokyo Trial, and The Empty Table. The screenplay is written by Yôko Mizuki; based on short stories from Yakumo Koizumi (aka Lafcadio Hearn). Produced by Shigeru Wakatsuki. Made by Ninjin Club. The film originally premiered in December 1964 before opening in Japanese cinemas in early 1965. It also played at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival then debuted in US theaters in November 1965. Janus Films will re-release Kobayashi’s Kwaidan in 4K in art house theaters in the US starting on September 11th, 2026. For more info, visit their official site. Any fans of this horror classic?
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