Japan Synopsis
ヒルコ／妖怪ハンター
“Slam the door shut!”
A school was built on one of the Gates of Hell, behind which hordes of demons await the moment they will be free to roam the Earth. Hiruko is a goblin sent to Earth on a reconnaissance mission. He beheads students in order to assemble their heads on the demons' spider-like bodies. Hieda, an archaeology professor, and Masao, a haunted student, investigate the gory deaths and eventually battle Hiruko.
Horror + Fantasy in Japan
61 Japan titles in our catalog blend the Horror and Fantasy genres. Below: the top-rated of them (excluding Hiruko the Goblin itself).
The 1990–1992 Japan Window
In the crowded 1990-1992 Japan release window, Hiruko the Goblin sits at #78 of 107. The leaderboard below contextualises its neighbours.
The 1990s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year across the 1990s in Japan, 447 titles in total. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Hiruko the Goblin premiered alongside 36 others.
Position in Catalog
Released alongside 36 other Japan films in 1991.
The 846th Japan title from Japan we index (earliest catalogued entry: 1899).
Our Japan catalog contains 4,579 titles in total (2,908 films).
Audience Engagement
45 audience reviews — more than 62% of Japan films in our index.
Popularity sits at the 58th percentile among Japan films.
Thematic Fingerprint
Tags on Hiruko the Goblin, grouped by how common each theme is across the full Asian catalog. Rare tags are more distinctive signals.
- goblin · 3
- crown · 1
- summer · 13
- hell · 8
- school · 82
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #3,704 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (19th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is -0.8 points below the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Horror productions specifically: #175 of 391 (top 45%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | Nichiei Agency, Sedic, Shochiku-Fuji Company, Wings, Kaijyu Theater |
| Runtime | 1h 30m |
| Release Date | May 11, 1991 |
| IMDb | tt0100991 |
| Official Site | tsukamotoshinya.net |