Nearly two decades after the cult-classic Mononoke series ended, the enigmatic Medicine Seller returns in The Phantom in the Rain , the first installment of a planned film trilogy. Released in 2024, this film is not a reboot but a continuation—and an expansion—of the franchise’s signature psychedelic horror. It delivers exactly what fans feared might be lost to time: a dense, beautiful, and deeply unsettling exploration of human darkness.
For its uncompromising art direction and a poignant, mature script. Deducting one point only for the steep entry barrier and a slightly rushed final act. Mononoke The Movie - The Phantom in The Rain 20...
Mushi-Shi (for the supernatural detective tone), Perfect Blue (for psychological horror hidden in plain sight), or The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (for experimental watercolor animation). Nearly two decades after the cult-classic Mononoke series
One sequence is a masterclass in quiet terror: The Medicine Seller sits unmoving as a lady recounts being forced to drown her own cat to prove loyalty. The camera doesn’t show the act—it shows her reflection in a tea bowl, rippling. That’s Mononoke at its best: horror not of the supernatural, but of the all-too-human. For its uncompromising art direction and a poignant,