“Lake of Dracula” / “Noroi no Yakata: Chi o Suu Me” (呪いの館 血を吸う眼), Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1971, Rare STB Tatekan Size 20 × 57 in / 51 × 145 cm B271
This is an original Japanese STB / tatekan theatrical poster printed in 1971 for the first release of Lake of Dracula (呪いの館 血を吸う眼 / Noroi no Yakata: Chi o Suu Me), one of Toho’s great cult horror films of the early 1970s.
Directed by Michio Yamamoto and starring Shin Kishida, Midori Fujita, Sanae Emi, and Chōei Takahashi, the film is the second entry in Toho’s celebrated Bloodthirsty Trilogy, following The Vampire Doll and preceding Evil of Dracula.
This is the rare original Japanese STB / tatekan format, measuring approximately 51 × 145 cm / 20 × 57 in. The tall two-panel format gives the artwork enormous Gothic impact and is significantly rarer than the standard Japanese B2 poster, especially for Toho horror titles of this period.
Why this is a trophy piece
Lake of Dracula occupies a special place in Japanese horror history. Unlike Toho’s kaiju and science-fiction spectacles, the Bloodthirsty Trilogy draws heavily on Gothic atmosphere: misty mansions, family curses, candelabras, vampirism, pale victims, and nightmarish visions.
This poster is one of the most powerful Japanese horror designs of the early 1970s, combining Toho vampire cinema, Hammer-influenced Gothic imagery, and the commanding scale of the STB tatekan format.
Poster design
The upper section is dominated by a terrifying close-up of Shin Kishida as the vampire, his face rendered in icy blue-grey tones with blood-red lips, exposed fangs, and piercing golden eyes. A lit candelabra cuts across the lower left of the face, heightening the film’s Gothic atmosphere.
The design uses a dramatic torn-paper visual effect, dividing the monstrous vampire face from the lower narrative scenes. This gives the entire sheet the sense of a nightmare breaking through the surface of reality.
The green boxed title reads:
「呪いの館」
“Mansion of the Curse”
The huge red brushstroke title reads:
「血を吸う眼」
“Blood-Sucking Eyes”
Together, they form the full Japanese title 呪いの館 血を吸う眼.
The right-side vertical copy reads:
「霧の館に吸血鬼が甦った！花嫁への呪いか？死美人の悲しみか？地下から洩れる細いすすり泣き！」
A natural rendering is:
“A vampire has risen in the misty mansion! Is it a curse upon the bride? The sorrow of a dead beauty? A faint sobbing seeps up from underground!”
The lower section features a dark mansion interior, stained glass, a pale female victim carried in the vampire’s arms, and further shadowy Gothic imagery. The overall effect is lurid, elegant, theatrical, and deeply atmospheric.
Cultural context
Toho’s Bloodthirsty Trilogy remains one of the great cult cycles of Japanese horror cinema. Lake of Dracula is especially admired for its fusion of Japanese psychological horror with European-style vampire mythology.
This STB captures that identity perfectly: a towering vampire face, blood-red title lettering, haunted mansion imagery, and a distinctly Japanese Gothic sensibility.
About STB / Tatekan posters
STB / tatekan posters are tall Japanese cinema signboard posters formed from two stacked B2 sheets, typically measuring around 51 × 145 cm. They were designed for theatre-front display, lobby pillars, and free-standing promotional boards.
Because they were made for visibility rather than permanence, many were displayed, folded, pasted, damaged, or discarded. Surviving examples are now highly prized by collectors, especially for major horror and cult titles.
Condition
Very Good / Excellent display condition. Please review the photo carefully, as it shows the exact poster for sale.
The poster retains strong colour, excellent horror imagery, and major wall presence. As expected for an original Japanese STB of this age. The poster was previously folded and subsequently stored flat. once framed, this poster will display very well.
This is an original 1971 Japanese theatrical STB poster.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
It is over 55 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
