Update: Death Kappa images

Death Kappa (Japan-2010; dir. dir. Tomoo Haraguchi) is a new kaiju film that uses traditional suitmation methods to create its giant monsters in retro 1960s style and is now available on DVD and Blu-ray in the West. Check out the original Undead Backbrain article and these Brainspasm postings for details on this most recent Gojira wannabe.

Below we provide a bunch of images from the film, including funky new cover art, though I'm uncertain what it's for as the DVDs are already out and appear to sport the above image.

Image Gallery:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Sources: SciFi Japan; Subway Cinema; DeVilDead (which includes a review, in French); Variety
• Images gathered by Avery Guerra (aka Kaiju Search-Robot Avery). Text: Robert Hood

Death Kappa Trailer

The English-language trailer for Tomoo Haraguchi's daikaiju eiga/giant monster film Death Kappa has just been loosed upon the blogsphere, with the DVD already available for pre-order on Amazon and other sites (due 27 July 2010). Its retro 1960s Japanese fantasy film qualities are very exciting for True Believers, given away in this trailer only by the occasional CGI enhancement.

Trailer:

If nothing else, Haraguchi's CV entries "Gamera daikaijû kuchu kessen (1995) (creature creator)", "Gamera 2: Region shurai (1996) (creature creator)" and director of "Sakuya: yôkaiden (2000)" are enough to interest me.

For more on Death Kappa, the background of the film and a video presentation on it by Haraguchi, go to Undead Backbrain. There are images from the film in an earlier article on this site.

• via Twitchfilm and Kaiju Search-Robot Avery

Images of Death Kappa

Below are a few images of the crew (and main kaiju star) of Death Kappa (Japan-[in production]; dir. Tomoo Haraguchi).

 

 

Kaiju Search-Robot Avery has discovered this interview with director and SFX wizard, Tomoo Haraguchi.

Well, you know, it [making monster films] wasn't really a choice per se; it was just that I liked hanging out around the props. I mean, any kid would. I'd hang out in the art department and ask them to let me help make buildings for the monsters to destroy, or repair the monster suits.

I think it [using monster suits] also has roots in the Edo period, in the tradition of kabuki theater. Whenever an oni, or a tiger, or a giant snake, or some other kind of creature appears onstage, they're portrayed very similarly to the way Godzilla was -- by actors wearing suits. I definitely think that the idea of putting an actor into a monster costume came from that tradition.

Read the full interview here.

• Previous Undead Backbrain article.