From February 27 to March 10, the Japan Society in New York "offers a retrospective of rarely shown films produced from the late 1950s to the early 1960s by mercurial, pioneering Japanese film studio Shintoho" with its Globus Fim Series 2013.

About the studio"

Founded in 1947 by employees of the Tokyo-based Toho Company during strike action (its name means "New Toho"), Shintoho promptly established itself as one of the major studios of the second golden age of Japanese cinema, specializing in low- (or no-) budget productions that have become absolute cult classics.

Selection for INTO THE SHINTOHO MIND WARP: GIRLS, GUNS & GHOSTS includes New York premiere of Vampire Bride (1960) on March 2nd.

Vampire Bride plot:

"Fujiko, a dance student with a horrific facial scar, seeks help from a sorceress in the mountains, who ultimately transforms her into a powerful monster. After undergoing a ritual that results in her temporary death, she returns to life as a fanged, hairy monster. Not long afterwards, her dance school classmates Kiyoko, a film star, and Eiko, a model, encounter Sayoko, a girl who is the spitting image of the presumed-dead Fujiko. Sayoko, it soon becomes apparent, is not a double, but the original in a new guise. But as much as Sayoko wants to live a normal, peaceful life, she cannot control the monster within her who wants payback against her tormentors."

More titillating is Flesh Pier (1958) is also having its New York premiere on March 2nd.

Synopsis:

"Another world of illicit pleasures lies beneath the glittering neon surface of Tokyo. Ken Utsui stars as an undercover cop investigating a call-girl ring operating out of a Ginza nightclub, where he is surprised to discover the boss's moll is his long lost love. He also recognizes a fashion model at the club—Haruko (Akemi Tsukushi), whom he knew as a reporter when he was fighting crime in Kobe. The sharp-eyed pianist, Teruo (Teruo Hata) senses something fishy about these two—and relays his suspicions to Rumi, who has Haruko confined in Teruo's room."

Sex, blood and B-Movies for Tokyo Thursdays # 251

Previously: Soy Sauce Broiled Dango Balls, Salty Tea Snacks from Japanese Farm Food cookbook

(* Image from Vampire Bride © C.E.C.-Centro Espressioni Cinematografiche, from Japan Society's program pages)