Do The Yokai Koki

Maverick Japanese director Takashi Miike has delivered to us some of the strangest, most extremely sick and violent films ever made.

There are moments in Audition, Ichi The Killer, Dead or Alive, Happiness of the Katakuris and Gozu that make you question your sanity and whether you should really be watching what's on the screen. One Missed Call was a good Ring type J-Horror and very enjoyable. Izo I really hated and nearly walked out of the cinema I saw it in. However despite Izo, a new Miike film is still something to look forward to.

Given the challenging and disturbing CV above it's interesting to see that Miike's latest is essentially a kids adventure. The Great Yokai War is an epic that western audiences might liken to Harry Potter or Lord Of The Rings. There are countless Goblins and Demons, evil bad guys, magic and monsters. Make no mistake however this is distinctly Japanese and refreshingly different from the tales of Potter and Frodo. It's very imaginative and worth checking out. For a kids film, there are a couple of scenes that might be a bit too strong/freaky for the under 10's. We'll have to see if they remain when Yokai is released in the US and UK .