The Bog Lady Review.

The Japanese horror film I’m currently watching is a mummy film directed by Kyoshi Kurosawa (no relation to the great Akira.) Actually, it isn’t exactly a mummy film as normally perceived since the character in question is a bog lady in a black dress rather than an ancient high priest swathed in bandages. But at least she’s been mummified by the mud of the bog, so I suppose the term might be excused.

Anyone familiar with the standard mummy films produced by Hollywood and Hammer Films will know that they exemplify Macbeth’s view on life – full of sound and fury, signifying nothing – the vengeful revenant having been inadvertently re-animated by some dumb archaeologist who ‘doesn’t believe in all this superstitious nonsense’ (they never learn, do they?), thence to stagger around evoking pity while violently despatching sundry onlookers in the most unlikely circumstances.

In contrast, the Japanese effort is more restrained, more subtle, more atmospheric, and I can tell you this: Japanese bog ladies are a damn sight scarier than Egyptian high priests. And if there’s one thing you need to learn in life, it is that you should never allow a mummified bog lady to rest overnight in your house (especially if she's wrapped in a tarpaulin.)

It’s called Rofuto and is available on YouTube.