THE JAPAN TIMES review of Hideo Nakata's KAIDAN

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"Nakata revs up the pace and amps up the shocks in 'Kaidan' to keep the audiences of 2007 clutching their popcorn, while engaging their eyes with gorgeous cinematography by Junichiro Hayashi and period-production design by Yohei Taneda. At the same time, he respects his source material, so much so that 'Kaidan' plays like a remake of a [Nobuo] Nakagawa film." - The Japan Times' Mark Schilling, August 3rd

Shochiku Co. Ltd. (Shôchiku K.K.) and Xanadeux K.K. (K.K. Zanadû) released Hideo Nakata's Kaidan theatrically in Japan yesterday (August 4th). Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. is the international sales agent for the movie.

The screenplay for Kaidan was written by Satoko Okudera, based on the kaidan-banashi "Shinkei Kasane-ga-fuchi" by Enchô San'yûtei. (Note that Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan (Kaidan) was based on stories from books by Lafcadio Hearn (a.k.a. Yakumo Koizumi).) The movie stars (listed order corresponds to order on cast page of official website) Kikunosuke Onoe V, Hitomi Kuroki, Mao Inoue, Kumiko Asô, Tae Kimura, and Asaka Seto.

Here's a synopsis for Kaidan from the production: "250 years ago. Soetsu, a humble moneylender, is murdered by Shinzaemon, a cruel samurai, and his body is disposed of in Kasane-ga-fuchi - the pool of a snaking river where, legend has it, those who sink into the water will never float to the surface again. 20 years later, in a chance encounter, Shinkichi, the handsome son of Shinzaemon, meets Toyoshiga, the daughter of Soetsu, and they fall in love. When Toyoshiga dies from a strange disease, Shinkichi finds that not only is he unable to avoid the mysterious fatality of the past and Toyoshiga's tenacious love for him, but he is also forced to confront the ghostly truths held by Kasane-ga-fuchi."

For more information on Kaidan, see ScreenAnarchy's ninth, eighth, seventh, sixth, fifth, fourth, third, second, and first articles on it.