Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness

Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness (エコエコアザラク -WIZARD OF DARKNESS-) is a 1995 Japanese horror film directed by Shimako Sato. The film is based on the manga Eko Eko Azarak, and stars Kimika Yoshino as a transfer student to a new school, who is secretly a witch travelling from school to school in order to dispel the work of the devil.

Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness
Directed byShimako Sato
Produced by
  • Yoshinori Chiba
  • Shun'ichi Kobayashi
Screenplay byJunki Takegami[1]
Story byShinichi Koga
Based onEko Eko Azarak
by Shinichi Koga
Starring
Music byMikiya Katakura[2]
CinematographyShoei Sudo[2]
Production
companies
  • Gaga Communications
  • Tsuburaya Eizo Co.[3]
Release date
  • April 8, 1995 (1995-04-08) (Japan)
Running time
82 minutes[2]
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

The film was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival in 1995. The film was followed by two sequels, starting with Eko Eko Azarak II: Birth of the Wizard in 1996.

Plot

A mysterious cabal of red-garbed magicians have been murdering inhabitants of an unnamed Japanese city. Their latest victim is a woman who is decapitated while the magicians perform a ritual with a voodoo doll. The object of the murders to provide the five geographical points of a giant pentagram, with a high school in the nexus. The magicians' ultimate aim is to summon Lucifer himself.

Misa Kuroi, a transfer student at the school, is a witch of considerable power and has come to battle the evil magicians. However, Misa has some difficulty getting classmates to trust her.

Cast
  • Kimika Yoshino as Misa Kuroi
  • Miho Kanno as Mizuki Kurohashi
  • Miho Tamura as Maki Yoshida
  • Kanori Kadomatsu as Kazzumi Tanaka

[1][2]

Production

Shimako Sato, the director of Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness, had previously filmed Tale of a Vampire (1992) in the United Kingdom.[1][4] She returned to Japan with the desire to make a film about witchcraft and magic.[4] She recalled the manga series Eko Eko Azarak from the 1970s, and began adapting it for cinema.[4]

The film was shot in two weeks, and featured the cinematic debut of Kimika Yoshino.[4] Yoshino received her script a day before shooting had started and before she had even met the director.[4] .

Release

Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness was released in Japan on April 8, 1995.[2] It was shown at the Toronto Film Festival in September 1995.[3]

A DVD of the film was released by Tokyo Shock on December 16, 2003.[5] The disc included footage of the films premiere, the trailer, and interviews with the director and Kimika Yoshino.[5]

Reception

Variety gave the film a positive review, referring to it as "high-octane, modestly produced occult thriller is top-notch genre fare", and that "obviously plowing a familiar celluloid field, director/co-writer Sato demonstrates not only a visual flair for the genre, but a wicked sense of humor that deftly counterbalances the per force conventions of this type of story."[3]

The film won the Minami Toshiko Award at the 1995 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival.[6] It was also selected for the official competition for best film at the 1997 Fantasporto.[7]

Aftermath

Shimako Sato returned to the direct the follow-up film Eko Eko Azarak II: Birth of the Wizard (1996).[4][8]

Notes
  1. Kalat 2007, p. 271.
  2. Kalat 2007, p. 272.
  3. Klady, Leonard (October 23, 1995). "Review: 'Wizard of Darkness'". Variety. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  4. Kalat 2007, p. 59.
  5. "Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness (1995)". AllMovie. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  6. "Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival Archive". yubarifanta.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
  7. ""Bound" and "Unhook the Stars": Winners of the two competitive sections Of Fantasporto'97". Fantasporto. Archived from the original on August 1, 1997. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  8. Sharp 2011, p. 108.

References
  • Sharp, Jasper (2011). Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0810875411.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Kalat, David (2007). J-horror: The Definitive Guide to The Ring, The Grudge and Beyond. Vertical. ISBN 193223408X.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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