Tak Sakaguchi's Samurai Zombie (Yoroi) is set to have its world première at this year's Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan).

Here's a description of Samurai Zombie from the PiFan website: "A family is kidnapped by a couple who have guns. Wandering lost, they get together in a place where there are zombies in samurai armor. Encountering zombies and police, reunited family struggle and get to confront a tragic secret. A fun action-horror on the low budget B-movie."

PiFan: Samurai Zombie

Nice to hear of the VERSUS hottie coming out with his own directorial debut! I still have yet to see any other films he's acted/starred in (particularly BATTLEFIELD BASEBALL & DEATH TRANCE, which I'd love to check out). It sounds nice,goofy and creepy.

Just found a 2007 film reference book called HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF HONG KONG CINEMA by Lisa Oldham Stokes. The author's name sounded familiar, so I peeked in the back of it, she's listed as the co-author of the HK book CITY OF FIRE:HONG KONG CINEMA. I remember it being a very interesting book, mainly because it was either the 3rd or fourth book I'd bought on HK films (she even posted about the writing of the book on this very site.) Plus it's been a long while since I posted about any HK film books--all the best ones (at least the one I bought and had) seem to have been written already.

Samurai Zombie is the second feature directed by Sakaguchi; he previously directed the feature Be a Man! Samurai School (Sakigake!! Otokojuku). Media Blasters apparently has acquired U.S. and Canadian distribution rights for the latter.

Here's a new description of Samurai Zombie from the PiFan website: "This Japanese low-budget action drama follows a family on a trip that encounters a man threatening them with a gun on a desolate mountain trail. At a moment of maximum tension, a couple shows up out of nowhere, kills the man and disappears again, and shortly after a lunatic old lady comes and warns them of death. The frightened family is headed for a showdown for no reason with samurai zombies resurrected from their graves. Samurai Zombie is a so-called fusion-style film that has established itself as a trend. What starts out as an action movie turns into a gory horror film and then goes back to action all over again. Each genre is decorated with utter tackiness. Zombies resort to traditional action using swords and bows rather than biting off the alive and actors demonstrate what overacting really is as they take comic motions at the most serious moments. Attraction of this film brimming with exaggeration throughout should be found in its freewheeling style. The unexpected, hidden drama is quite interesting as well."

BTW, Sakaguchi was the action director for Ken'ichi Fujiwara's High School Girl Rika: Zombie Hunter (Saikyô heiki joshikôsei: Rika - zonbi hantâ vs saikyô zonbi Gurorian) - the third movie in the Nihombie (Nihonbi) series.

PiFan: Samurai Zombie

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Sympatico / MSN: Be a Man! Samurai School English-subtitled promo reel page

Be a Man! Samurai School official website

Fantasia Festival: Be a Man! Samurai School

High School Girl Rika: Zombie Hunter trailer (QuickTime)

GOMORRAHY.com: High School Girl Rika: Zombie Hunter (w/ trailer, flyer, stills, etc.)

I just saw a trailer for a BE A MAN! on YouTube---it definitely looked like a lot of fun to watch---hopefully it'll get a playdate here in the D-metro area at the Main Theatre in Royal Oak (the place it's most likely to play, I think). SAMURAI ZOMBIE sounds like my kind of movie too--thanks for the plot description and links.