Tag: Supernatural

Vampire Princess Miyu, Back From The Dead … But For How Long?

40 long years (or two decades resting) won’t matter much for Vampire Princess Miyu! MediaOCD/AnimEigo’s next release brings back the original video animation that introduced this young girl to anime fans in the 90s. An Interview with a Vampire’s Claudia better look out!

Vampire Princess MiyuAnimEigo and MediaOCD

The resolution bump required to bring Vampire Princess Miyu back to home video is certainly needed to showcase why the original still matters. This latest rerelease features the classic U.S. and UK dubs alongside the original Japanese stereo track. However, it arrives without extensive extra features, largely due to the strict licensing time constraints parent company MediaOCD faced to get prints out to the masses.

That time crunch extended to the packaging, which utilizes a pure white case reminiscent of GKIDS’ release of Evangelion: 3.0+1.11 Thrice Upon a Time. This minimalist design works beautifully. It represents a canvas of purity before corruption can taint anyone’s soul, a visual metaphor that feels entirely apt when considering the tragic background of the titular character.

Continue reading “Vampire Princess Miyu, Back From The Dead … But For How Long?”

Vampire Princess Miyu Returns From the Blackest Shadows to Blu-ray

At long last, the four part original video animated series Vampire Princess Miyu is headed to Blu-ray, giving fans a chance to bathe in this supernatural classic!

Vampire Princess MiyuRelease Date: Sept. 8, 2026

AnimEigo, along with parent company MediaOCD, is finally unearthing a classic for fans of Vampire Princess Miyu. She’s no ordinary teen who has joined the ranks of the undead. Instead, she’s a Guardian, accompanied by a servant of sorts who may be much older than she is. And for this release, the companies are going for a bold design: a pure white label to reflect innocence. The only text to be found will be on the spine.

Although his name sounds strange, Larva, as used in the translation, serves a very specific purpose. He’s meant to keep Miyu from becoming a full vampire, even though he’s the one responsible for her transformation! As part of his shame, he hides his face behind a ceramic mask.

Continue reading “Vampire Princess Miyu Returns From the Blackest Shadows to Blu-ray”

Is It Souls Chapel or Soule’s Chapel? Even Kentucky’s Ghosts Can’t Decide.

Souls Chapel builds on real-world folklore but struggles to ground its story in Appalachian roots. Strong ideas and atmosphere are there, but uneven pacing and missed cultural depth keep it from fully landing.

Souls Chapel Movie PosterDesktop Entertainment
Available on DVD and VOD

Jack C. Young and D.W. Daring’s Souls Chapel has its heart in the right place. It draws from what they present as a real-life legend, with Young directing and Daring digging through urban legends to shape the story. I suspect just where the writer found inspiration is from the Lake Cumberland Tactical Innovations LLC website.

What is confirmed is that a chapel once stood there, and that the American Civil War fractured its congregation. Those are noted in historical records. Beyond that, the details which included who was the pastor fade into speculation. That isn’t necessarily a flaw. Folklore often fills gaps where history falls silent. When stories pass through enough voices, they shift and take on a life of their own, especially when tied to a burned site and that there’s a cemetary nearby.

Continue reading “Is It Souls Chapel or Soule’s Chapel? Even Kentucky’s Ghosts Can’t Decide.”

Who’s the Boss? Can Lee Cronin’s The Mummy or Universal’s Sand the Test of Time?

When Lee Cronin’s The Mummy leaves theatres as fast at arrived, what’s presented is better off set to unwind as a pulp piece to put in the VCR.

Lee Cronin's The Mummy Movie PosterLee Cronin‘s The Mummy sits in an unusual place. It isn’t wholly inspired by the mythology of Ancient Egypt, and that’s a problem. When the spirit that possesses Katie (Natalie Grace) does not hail from this world, this filmmaker misses what makes the very word meaningful. The word alone carries weight, and most people will connect it to legends of yore, ancient curses, and maybe hope Anubis makes a cameo to fix what’s wrong.

What this writer/director offers feels more in tune with Evil Dead Rise than a true reinvention of the genre. For fans of the Universal and Hammer cycles, these films usually centre on the resurrected’s longing for a reincarnated soul. This storyteller pivots entirely away from that romance because Blumhouse gives him complete creative freedom. Instead, the result is a mashup that blends The Exorcist with Evil Dead, with a dash of Hausu for good measure. When the action takes place in an enclosed space and gets almost comedically gross, that Japanese film came to mind.

Continue reading “Who’s the Boss? Can Lee Cronin’s The Mummy or Universal’s Sand the Test of Time?”

Another World at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival. A Chinese Reimagining of a Japanese Novel.

Although the number of animated releases from Hong Kong are few and far between, just what’s offered in Another World are insightful looks at the human character, and this film is no exception.

Another World Movie PosterAMC Atlantic Times Square 14
May 3, 2026, 6:00 pm (buy tickets here)
* Mild Spoiler Alert

Although Tommy Ng’s animated adaptation of Naka Saijō’s novel Thousand Year Ghost differs from its source, that’s likely because the original’s intent is hard to comprehend cleanly. It’s possible this work is more like a huge anthology than a focussed tale about one individual. Another World is more digestible. At its core, we follow Gudo (Suet-Ying Chung), a child-like supernatural being searching for the meaning of life. As one of many soulkeepers guiding spirits toward reincarnation, he understands that not all will pass on. Those weighed down by guilt or resentment risk becoming “Wraths,” not ghosts in the traditional sense, but manifestations of unresolved emotion taken to their extreme.

These beings linger in the living world, causing harm. Stopping them isn’t Gudo’s role; others handle that. What stands out is how observational the movie feels. There’s no grand rebellion against cosmic order, just quiet witnessing. This lad’s presence adds to that unease. The mask he wears, or what may simply be his face, seems to act like a chamber, giving his voice a different resonance. We hear him as though he’s speaking from an empty room. The sound design brilliantly reinforces that he’s not from our world, but another one, which perfectly suits the film’s title.

Continue reading “Another World at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival. A Chinese Reimagining of a Japanese Novel.”

Light Chaser Animation’s Liao Zhai Lan Ruo Si May Well Be Ghosted By Western Distributors, and ….

….it’s easy to see why changes to this narrative is struggling to be visible outside of China. Strange Tales (Liao Zhai Lan Ruo Si) is borrowing from tropes some may say are outdated but not everyone will agree to that accessment.

Liao Zhai Lan Ruo SiLight Chaser Animation

After countless searches and a properly worded query to Claude AI about availability, the elusive Liao Zhai Lan Ruo Si (Curious Tales of a Temple, aka Strange Tales: Lan Ruo Temple) is finally within reach. When it will receive an official release remains uncertain. In a future article, I’ll explore the challenges behind getting Ne Zha 2, White Snake: Afloat, and this work to home video. For now, wht’s offered are my early reactions.

What I’ve managed to see in the wilds of the Internet suggests this is a film worth watching. I won’t dive into a full review just yet, but it’s worth sharing some early impressions. As for how long this fleeting upload remains available is anyone’s guess.

Continue reading “Light Chaser Animation’s Liao Zhai Lan Ruo Si May Well Be Ghosted By Western Distributors, and ….”