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A reporter heads out to the forest to investigate a strange phenomenon and ends up getting a little more than he bargained for when he gets infected with an ancient mythical Japanese spirit known as a Gakidama.

Masayoshi Sukita

Gakidama

A delightfully fun creature feature

One never knows, sometimes, just what they&apos;re going to get from a given film. This is a creature feature, sure enough, but there&apos;s a strong aspect of body horror, too, plus the notion of a person being changed by their experience. What&apos;s more, though I suppose this might have been taken in a more serious and sinister direction, it&apos;s hard to imagine that after seeing the rendition we got, which rather stops just short of being a horror-comedy given the cheeky levity on hand. For the fact that all this comes packaged in a romp of practical effects and tangible creations, well, I can&apos;t help but fall in love as the diminutive flick rolls on. &apos;Gakidama&apos; is hardly a total must-see, but it&apos;s a great time, and well worth checking out!

This is a great example of how even those practical effects that are less than perfectly seamless will always, always be preferable to computer-generated imagery; the titular beast isn&apos;t the most pristine thing we&apos;ve seen on our screens, but I&apos;d much rather have the fabricated prop instead of watching an actor flail around with an imaginary nothing. Anyway, quibble as we may about the particulars, by and large the effects look outstanding in a small story of a monster from folklore wreaking havoc on modern lives. The production values show their age to some slight extent, yet the cinematography, editing, and direction are all equally smart and flavorful to help realize what is a fun, gross little horror tale, with extra potent scene writing. The production design and art direction are impeccable; the sound effects are an unexpected delight. And the cast is small but fantastic, unfailingly embracing the wry, wicked spirit of it all, distinctly helping to remind of other kindred works over the years alongside the 80s pop song that greets us over the end credits.

Clocking in at under one hour, it&apos;s not a picture that represents the top of the line of such fare, and it&apos;s nothing one needs to go out of their way to see. But everyone involved knew what they were making, and it is very entertaining all the way through. For an 80s monster movie, one can&apos;t ask for much more than that. If you have the chance to watch then in my opinion &apos;Gakidama&apos; is a blast, and I&apos;m pleased to give it my recommendation.

One never knows, sometimes, just what they're going to get from a given film. This is a creature feature, sure enough, but there's a strong aspect of body horror, too, plus the notion of a person being changed by their experience. What's more, though I suppose this might have been taken in a more serious and sinister direction, it's hard to imagine that after seeing the rendition we got, which rather stops just short of being a horror-comedy given the cheeky levity on hand. For the fact that all this comes packaged in a romp of practical effects and tangible creations, well, I can't help but fall in love as the diminutive flick rolls on. 'Gakidama' is hardly a total must-see, but it's a great time, and well worth checking out!

This is a great example of how even those practical effects that are less than perfectly seamless will always, always be preferable to computer-generated imagery; the titular beast isn't the most pristine thing we've seen on our screens, but I'd much rather have the fabricated prop instead of watching an actor flail around with an imaginary nothing. Anyway, quibble as we may about the particulars, by and large the effects look outstanding in a small story of a monster from folklore wreaking havoc on modern lives. The production values show their age to some slight extent, yet the cinematography, editing, and direction are all equally smart and flavorful to help realize what is a fun, gross little horror tale, with extra potent scene writing. The production design and art direction are impeccable; the sound effects are an unexpected delight. And the cast is small but fantastic, unfailingly embracing the wry, wicked spirit of it all, distinctly helping to remind of other kindred works over the years alongside the 80s pop song that greets us over the end credits.

Clocking in at under one hour, it's not a picture that represents the top of the line of such fare, and it's nothing one needs to go out of their way to see. But everyone involved knew what they were making, and it is very entertaining all the way through. For an 80s monster movie, one can't ask for much more than that. If you have the chance to watch then in my opinion 'Gakidama' is a blast, and I'm pleased to give it my recommendation.

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