EKO EKO AZARACK: WIZARD OF DARKNESS

Directed by Shimako Sato
Written by Junki Takegami
Cinematography by Shoei Sudo
Music by Mikiya Katakura
Cast: Kimka Yoshino, Miho Kanno, Miho Tamura, Kanori Kadomatsu

1995/82 Mins/Color/Stereo Surround Sound
1.85:1 anamorphic/Japanese/Japan/NTSC Region 1

Review from Tokyo Shock/ Media Blasters DVD

Misa (Kimka Yoshino) is the beautiful new girl at school. Problem is she the school is being terrorized by dark, hellish powers. The blame is put on her, as it is soon known that she is a witch. One night, they are locked in the school, and one by one they begin to die. This is all done in hopes of brining Lucifer back on Earth. Misa must now do her best to defend them all against the forces of darkness, and stop the coming of Satan.

This fun little teen horror is the first in a series of movies inspired by the popular manga of the same name. It really knows how to start things off with a very exciting beginning and continues to be a fun movie throughout its duration. At the end there is a pretty nifty twist, although I wish there had been more of a battle at the end of the movie.

The gore is really good, as the movie is full of OMEN style creative kills, that include a crushed head, decapitation, and geysers of blood that even drench the camera! The girls are also really pretty. And, the movie has no problem exploiting this as is proven by the red-hot scene in which one of the movie’s prettiest girls makes smoldering lesbian love to the absolutely stunning female teacher. Meanwhile, lead actress Kimka Yoshino has beautiful, big eyes and does a good job in her role as the movie’s heroine. Throw in some cool Satanic moments, and you have a movie that is a good time to be had.

EKO EKO AZARACK: WIZARD OF DARKNESS comes to DVD thanks to Tokyo Shock. Presented in anamorphic widescreen, 1.85:1, the picture is good. It has consistent flesh tones and rich blacks, although, the darker scenes look pixilated. The white English subtitles look good, though. And the stereo surround sound is really exciting and pumping.

In the extras department we have “The Making of Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness”. It has some good behind the scenes and interviews with the cast and crew. But, be sure to watch after the film is done as it has lots of spoilers. Our lovely lead comes off as so cute, in this extra feature, by the way.

There are exclusive, recent interviews with director Shimako Sato and Kimika Yoshino, the lead actress. There is some really good incite into the film, by way of Sato. Meanwhile, Yoshino is even more beautiful now, than she was when she starred in the movie, ten years ago! It was really interesting to hear her reminisce about it. It is even more interesting when both of them come together to talk about the film. The film premiere footage is really just a clip that is a few seconds long with the director getting an award for the movie.

Finally, it includes its own trailer as well as trailers for EKO EKO AZARACK III: MISA THE DARK ANGEL, KINOICHI: LADY NINJA, PYROKINESIS, and VERSUS. It comes in a keep case but has no inlet card, inside.

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Review by Giovanni Deldio. All Right Reserved. 2008. ©

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