We discuss two films adapted from Seishi Yokomizo’s ‘The Inugami Curse‘, both made by Kon Ichikawa, both starring Kōji Ishizaka as Kosuke Kindaichi. Originally adapted in 1976, then remade in 2006, the film follows the inheritance dispute of the powerful Inugami pharmaceutical family. The patriarch passes, and his various wives and their children have their claim to wealth upended by the return of Sukekiyo, a grandson scarred unrecognisable in the second world war. The death of a legal representative draws the attention of the enigmatic Kosuke Kindaichi, who finds both allies and enemies as he tries to prevent the police from imprisoning the wrong person. What changed between the two versions of the film, and how does this Japanese classic hold up?

Check out our coverage of Seishi Yokomizo’s ‘The Honjin Murders‘ here.