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Third Window Films present the third set of a series of films from the legendary 1980s Japanese production company, all with brand new digital restorations. This collection will be released on February 17, 2025 on Blu-ray and digital.

Bumpkin Soup (1985)

Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa

A wild and crazy pink film from Kiyoshi Kurosawa, a director who would go on to become world-renowned with films such as Tokyo Sonata and Cure.

on Terracotta by clicking on the image below

Bonus Features

Interview with actress Yoriko Doguchi Feature length audio commentary by Jasper Sharp Video Essay by Jerry White, author of “The Films of Kiyoshi Kurosawa : Master of Fear” Slipcase with artwork from Gokaiju ‘Directors Company’ edition featuring insert by Jasper Sharp – limited to 2000 copies

Region Free / TWFBD088

Mermaid Legend (1984)

Directed by Toshiharu Ikeda

on Terracotta by clicking on the image below

Celebrating its 40th anniversary, yet...

Stars: Jun Etoh, Mari Shirato, Kentarō Shimizu, Seiji Miyaguchi, Junko Miyashita, Yoshiro Aoki, Takashi Kanda | Written by Takuya Nishioka | Directed by Toshiharu Ikeda

As FrightFest unveils its line-up each year, part of the fun is seeing what cult gems they have unearthed to show on a large screen. Amongst 2024’s line-up was Mermaid Legend, a 1984 feature from the late Toshiharu Ikeda (Evil Dead Trap) that had never been released in any format internationally or played at a film festival outside of its native home of Japan. In celebration of the film’s 40th anniversary, this rare exploitation film is rightfully given the chance for a brand-new audience to appreciate it.

The story introduces viewers to fisherman Keisuke Saeki (Jun Etoh) and his pearl-diver wife, Migiwa (Mari Shirato). They are newlyweds who may be growing at odds with each other, but love still remains between them. After witnessing a murder late one night,...

Fans of Japanese horror are almost certain to be familiar with the infamous “Evil Dead Trap” series, an odd amalgamation of East meets West with an absurd edge only really experienced through Japanese cinema. “Evil Dead Trap” is one of those films that is perfect to toi revisit around Halloween. But as we are heading into the summer months, a more idealistic choice would be the other genre-bending film from Toshiharu Ikeda that paints a very violent picture framed by the gorgeous backdrop of a seaside village.

“Mermaid Legend”, at points, has a very contemplative flow to the storytelling, moments of reflection on the seaside as well as a general romanticization of the industry tied to the sea–including some picturesque shots of the infamous pearl divers that have become the subject of interest in many films. The abrupt end to this solitude by way of Migawa (Mari Shirato) losing...

Battle Of The Pacific

Stars: Sean McGowan, Daniel Baldwin, Treat Williams, Matthew R. Anderson, Yutaka Takenouchi | Written by Takuya Nishioka, Gregory Marquette, Cellin Gluck | Directed by Hideyuki Hirayama

Four months after the hostilities of WWII officially ceased, Capt. Sakae Oba (aka The Fox) and a loyalist band of Japanese soldiers entrenched themselves on Mt. Tapochau and continued fighting a guerrilla campaign. Meanwhile, a U.S. officer, determined to flush out him out of his mountain hideaway, sets about his seemingly simple objective. Strengthened by several hundred civilians who refuse to enter camps or follow suicide directives, Oba and his people fight on, unable to come to terms with an unthinkable defeat.

Much like Clint Eastwood’s Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, Battle of the Pacific is a war movie told from the perspective of both sides of the battle – in this case the Japanese and the American’s.