Hiruko the Goblin (ヒルコ／妖怪ハンター)

Starring Kenji Sawada

Planned by Koji Tsutsumi

From a book by Daijiro Moroboshi

Produced by Toshiaki Nakazawa

Toshiyasu Nakamura Masamichi Higuchi

Photographed by Masahiro Kishimoto

Music by Tatsushi Umegaki

Lighting by Kenjiro Konaka Art Director: Satoshi Akatsuka

Recording by Osamu Kageyama

Production Manager Masa-aki Kono

Executive Producer Yasuhiro Hasegawa

Producers Sadao Ochi Shin Yoneyama

Written & Directed by Shinya Tsukamoto

I've just had a depressing thought.

What?

Look at that guy.

Does he plan to dig at all the places he marked?

Don't worry. We only have to excavate the things the women find.

He'll dig up everything else by himself.

No matter what he looks like, he's a professional archaeologist.

A professional archaeologist? Him?

Years ago, the media played him up as a rising young archaeologist.

But he ended up like this. Doesn't look much now, does he?

Mr. Hieda!

You're going great!

Is that the new machine you invented? It really works, huh?

Have you got ay more bamboo markers?

Mr. Yabe!

Mr. Yabe!

Reiko! What are you doing here?

Didn't I tell you not to come? It's dangerous.

I wanted to see too. I'll be careful, so let me...

No!

Go back!

It's no use looking at me like that. It's dangerous.

Go back right now!

Please!

Reiko!

Dear Mr. Reizaburo Hieda...

How are you?

I heard you aren't back at college yet.

Why don't you cheer up?

It's for Akane's sake.

By the way, Hieda, this is really big:

It hasn't been officially announced...

but a very strange mound was discovered near where I live.

I'm sure it'll overthrow the established theory on mounds.

Apparently, the mound didn't belong to an ancient overlord.

In my opinion, it was built by the ancients to appease an evil spirit.

Unlike you, Hieda, I don't believe that goblins really existed.

But that controversial theory of yours, the one that got you suspended...

might be proved to be correct by the old mound.

Forget what happened in the past.

Just come as soon as you can.

Signed: Takashi Yabe.

Tsukamoto Junior High School, Haga City.

Mr. Yabe!

Mr. Yabe!

What's up?

Reiko!

Reiko!

Reiko!

THE GOBLIN

So, they eloped after all?

No way! You think they were dating - Mr. Yabe and Reiko?

My dad hasn't got the guts.

Let's get going.

Hey, Masao, is there really an old mound at the school?

Well, dad believed so anyway.

I'm sure they disappeared somewhere around this school.

Ouch!

What's all this?

That why I thought I could smell something nasty and damp.

You aren't an old man yet, huh?

How come you need compresses?

Maybe we should call the cops.

Dad kept talking nonsense about mounds.

Reiko got caught up in archeology as well.

Ouch!

What are you kids up to?

Huh? What are you doing here?

This guy's the janitor, right?

Look...

Kids, have you been anywhere besides this place?

No.

No.

Don't waste your summer vacation...

by coming to school.

Sure.

Okay...

Leave quickly!

Yes, sir!

Do you suppose the janitor did something to dad and Reiko?

It's Reiko!

You come too!

Hurry up!

No 'Shh!' Come quick!

Hey, hey...

It's Kono.

What are you doing here?

I went to see the inside of an old mound... with Mr. Yabe.

Where is he?

He went home.

Strings of gold are swinging gently in the wind...

They play a sweet and tender melody...

At night I walk in the pale moonlight...

Together with a dream, a secret dream...

Hey...

What an idiot!

At least she's all right.

Right?

What's wrong? You all right? Hey, you okay?

What's up?

That hurts!

What's wrong?

Masao!

Masao!

Masao! What's happening?

It happened yesterday too!

YABE

As for Takashi...

He went to school with a girl named Reiko and hasn't returned yet.

But the terrible thing is...

the crown the Yabe's have been preserving as their family treasure...

isn't where it's supposed to be.

Takashi took it.

Without a doubt, the two of them entered a forbidden place.

I don't want to experience the kind of misfortune that Akane suffered.

Grandma!

Something dreadful will happen.

Hiruko...

please forgive us.

Hiruko...

Masao... You sure you're all right?

How come you've got such a big mole?

Shall I cool it?

Hey, Masao, where are you going?

I'll go cool it.

Who are you?

Wait! Hold it. My name is...

Reijiro Hieda.

Oh!

Oh!

Masao! Why are you here?

What in the world are you doing here?

I saw a goblin just now!

Again?

What?

Another goblin?

Your stupid theory already caused my Aunt Akane's death.

And now you're starting it all over again?

What's this junk?

This?

It's a sensor, kind of.

The goblin...

it may have a visible form, but its etheric energy is like electricity.

This sensor will react to the goblin's energy.

And it reacted now, for the first time!

This letter is from your father.

He wrote this to a man who killed his sister?

You and my dad are both alike.

You're supposed to be adults... but you're always playing at make believe.

There's no old mound at this school.

Absolutely!

School? There's an old mound at this school?

I just told you. Absolutely no!

Absolutely?

My mother said she'd absolutely never become like this.

But she's like this now.

I had a friend who was as hairy a bear.

He said he'd never go bald, but he's bald now.

What are you trying to say?

Leave!

My dad already went home.

Went home?

I'm fed up with archeology.

What are you staring at?

Another goblin I suppose?

Watanabe!

Watanabe did it. Absolutely!

Wa-Watanabe? Who's he?

No luck. I couldn't get through.

Anyhow, let's get away from this school and call the police.

This place is spooked.

T-the...

What?

T-the... T-t-two...

Two what?

The two are still in the classroom.

While I was researching the remains I dug up...

I made this to ward off attacks from goblins.

So far I've never used it in actual practice. So I hope it works.

Good.

Stay close to me.

The lights are out, huh?

Aoi!

Katagiri!

If you're here, come out!

I'm not the janitor!

Aoi!