Hiruko the Goblin (1991) Yokai Hanta Hiruko | Region-Free (DVD)

Title: Hiruko the Goblin (1991)

Alternate Title: Yokai Hanta Hiruko

Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Comedy

Plot Synopsis:
A school is constructed over one of the Gates of Hell, where hordes of demons await their release. Hiruko, a goblin, is sent to Earth on a reconnaissance mission, beheading students to assemble their heads onto spider-like demon bodies. Archaeology professor Reijirou Hieda and student Masao Yabe investigate the gruesome deaths.

Cast and Crew:

• Director: Shinya Tsukamoto
• Writer: Shinya Tsukamoto
• Cast:
  • Kenji Sawada as Reijirou Hieda
  • Masaki Kudou as Masao Yabe
  • Naoto Takenaka as Takashi Yabe
  • Megumi Ueno as Reiko Tsukishima
  • Hideo Murota as Watanabe

YouTube Trailer:
HIRUKO THE GOBLIN | Official Trailer

IMDb Link:
Hiruko the Goblin (1991)

Reviews from Letterboxd:

1. Rafael “Parker!!” Jovine – ★★★★☆
   “A better Evil Dead Trap sequel than the actual Evil Dead Trap sequel, at least it delivers on the bonkers horror stuff much, much better. As you would expect from a Shinya Tsukamoto movie, you get a dose of awesome makeup and prosthetic work with some crazy fun and disturbing creatures, especially in the third act when literally all hell breaks loose. The Japanese director especially succeeds at what I believe Andy Muschietti failed on It: Chapter 2, and that’s making an effective, terrifying, and cool-looking spider human head monster. The film is also quite experimental, but not so much that makes it difficult for most people to enjoy, though you can…”
2. Justin LaLiberty – ★★★★☆
   “A true shame that Tsukamoto was never hired to helm a major video game adaptation as this captures the essence of gaming more than any film about (or an adaptation of) video games has thus far; it also features a lot of gnarly decapitations, The Thing-esque spider heads, and homemade gadgets that feel plucked from a twelve-year-old’s imagination — perhaps Tsukamoto’s most unsung gem.”
3. Michelle – ★★★★☆
   “Hiruko the Goblin (1991) was director Shinya Tsukamoto’s second full-length feature film and his first studio project after his independently made cult hit Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989). It is based on Yokai Hunter, a popular horror manga at the time. It is not a direct adaptation as it combines elements from two different stories and has additional creative elements that Tsukamoto added to…”

Meta Description:
“Hiruko the Goblin” (1991), directed by Shinya Tsukamoto, is a Japanese horror-fantasy film where an archaeology professor and a student uncover deadly supernatural events at a school built over a Gate of Hell.