Yōkai Monsters: Spook Warfare (1968)

Treasure hunters rummaging with a pickaxe in the ruins of Babylonia accidentally awaken an evil that’s been snoozing for four millennia. For some reason it flies to Japan to feed on the inhabitants of a small town.
The first Yōkai Monsters film has an antagonist with a head like a veiny asparagus, but the story throws much that makes me happy-clap about Japanese cinema into one bizarre mix: jidaigeki, tokusatsu, swordplay, ghosts, fantasy, weird folklore, horror, vampires, demons and more. And I learned that even a friendly rokurokubi gives me wiggins.

3½ other faces out of 5

Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell (1974)

In the sixth Lone Wolf and Cub film Ogami is pursued by the last remaining members of the Shadow Yagyū, the ones that he hasn't yet sent to the grave. The rōnin's continued existence not only wounds Retsudo personally, but is an insult to his entire clan, so he tries a new tactic: instead of directing his efforts toward the father and son, he targets everyone they interact with.
The previous films relied on the occasional use of gimmickry, but White Heaven goes full fantasy, even throwing in some bizarre supernatural elements. I'm not averse to fantasy and/or supernatural samurai films at all, but within the context of what's come before it feels very out of place.
The series needed just one more film to complete Ittō's journey, but unfortunately it was the last one.

3 winds of carnage out of 5