People of San Francisco – wanna get into the Halloween spirit by using a hint of Japanese film and culture? Then you better get yourself down to VIZ Cinema!

A special exhibit is being held at VIZ Cinema (or could quite possibly be under the branding of NEW PEOPLE) entitled “Yokai University: San Francisco Campus“. Yokai is a name for supernatural or ghostly creatures in Japanese folklore which range from evil Oni (ogre) to the mischievous Kitsune (fox) or Yuki-onna (snow woman).

The free admission exhibit displays plenty of books, art and more in the lobby. There is also Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock prints by master artist Hokusai Katsushika (creator of the work Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido Road), and artwork by yokai manga pioneer Shigeru Mizuki (creator of GeGeGe No Kitaro).

The celebrations will be in place for 2 weeks (beginning October 23rd and ending November 6th), and will feature a free yokai lecture by Tokyo-based writer Matt Alt. Matt co-authored a book (titled Yokai Attack!: The Japanese Monster Survival Guide) with Hiroko Yoda which chronicles the long-running fascination that the Japanese have with all things grim and scary.  The book is the first-ever English language guidebook to yokai and is published by Kodansha International. Matt will be sharing history and insights on the yokai culture on Saturday, October 31st from 1 – 2:30pm at VIZ Cinema if you are interested, and there will be copies of the book and other yokai themed goodies available at NEW PEOPLE the Store.

If that weren’t enough, there will also be a screening of BATTLE LEAGUE HORUMO. Here is a movie synopsis:

After failing the entrance exam and enduring two years of cram school, Akira Abe (Takayuki Yamada) finally is accepted to the prestigious Kyoto University. One day while on his way home with a friend, Akira meets a senior who invites them to a welcome party hosted by his club called the Azure Dragon. At first, the club appears to be an ordinary social group, but the new members soon discover the mysterious 1000 year-old tradition of the “Horumo” battle upheld by the four universities of Kyoto. The battle is fought between 10 players per team who each manipulate an army of 100 spirits (referred to as Oni) to fight their opponents. The members go through rigorous training to achieve fluency in the Oni language as well as learn the indefinable gestures that are required to complement it. Let the battles begin!

If you would like to go see the film, here are screening times for you:

10/23 (Fri) 6:00pm, 8:30pm
10/24 (Sat) & 10/25 (Sun) (1:00pm), 3:30pm, 6:00pm, 8:30pm
10/26 (Mon) (3:30pm), 6:00pm, 8:30pm
10/27 (Tue) (3:30pm) only!
10/28 (Wed) -10/30 (Fri) (3:30pm), 6:00pm, 8:30pm
10/31 (Sat) & 11/1 (Sun) (1:00pm), 3:30pm, 6:00pm, 8:30pm
11/2 (Mon) – 11/5 (Thu) (3:30pm), 6:00pm, 8:30pm

Finally, a word from Seiji Horibuchi, Founder of New People and President and CEO of VIZ Pictures:

“The Halloween season and the beginning of Fall is the perfect time to introduce NEW PEOPLE visitors to a taste of what has been scaring, haunting and tricking people in Japan for centuries,” says Seiji. “Everyone is familiar with monsters like Godzilla, but Yokai University and our theatrical presentation of BATTLE LEAGUE HORUMO offer even seasoned fans a crash course in all kinds of new creepy creatures and spirits.”

If you would like to go, you can find the VIZ Cinema situated in Japantown at 1746 Post Street. Happy Halloween everyone!