The Snake and The Silver Haired Witch (1968) {Arrow Video Blu-ray Review}

Reviewed By Jason Lockard

Japanese cinema have inspired and entertained American audiences for year. Whether is was the great monster movies of Godzilla, Mothra, Gamera and many others or the martial arts films or the sometimes insane horror. One thing is for sure Japanese films are popular in the states.

Arrow Video knows this very well. So they have been releasing many of these old Japanese films on Blu-ray. Just in 2021 we have seen, The Invisible Man Appears, Irezumi, The Blind Beast, Versus and my absolute favorite The Daimajin Trilogy.

Now the next Japanese film to get the deluxe Blu-ray treatment from Arrow Video is 1968's film The Snake Girl and the Silver Haired Witch.

The film follows Sayuri (Yachie Matsui), a young girl who has been living in an orphanage, but is reunited with her birth parents. Her father (Yoshirô Kitahara) takes Sayuri to her new home, where she meets her mother who is amnesiac and her older sister, who is locked away in the attic like a dirty secret. When Sayuri’s father is called away on business, Sayuri finds more than just new surrounding to worry about. She must deal with all kinds of creepy crawlies and other serious threats.

This Japanese film uses the black and white to enhance the atmosphere and mystery and yet bring a real campy B movie feel to it complete with trippy visuals. The film runs a very faced paced 1 hour and 22 minutes. But this film is not for everyone this films is for a very niche audience.

The film is presented in 1080p with a 2.35:1 anamorphic aspect ratio. The audio is DTS-HD MA mono. There’s only a Japanese soundtrack, but the Blu-ray has English subtitles. The moody black and white really works for this film. This transfer looks stunningly crisp and clear.

Now for the bonus features. Arrow Video have included,

* An Audio Commentary by film historian David Kalat.

* This Charming Woman with Zack Davisson

* Theatrical Trailer

* Image Gallery


Watch the Arrow Video Trailer Below:

Arrow Video did a tremendous job on the transfer of this film it looks great. But the bonus features are a bit lite in comparison to other Arrow Video Blu-ray releases.

If you are looking for a 60s horror film that is going to scare you, you are going to be disappointed with this one. But if you are looking for a trippy, campy film ride The snake girl and the silver haired witch might just be up your alley. You can get a copy of this release by heading over to Amazon.com or MVDShop.com today.

Out of 4 Film Reels (4 Being the Best) Warner Archive's Blu-ray of The Snake Girl and The Silver Haired Witch receives...