The Mystery of Rampo is a phantasmagorical tale drawn from the life and work of Edogawa Rampo (1894-1965), a Japanese detective story writer.
He reads about a woman who has murdered her husband by suffocating him in a trousseau chest. This bizarre act mirrors an unpublished tale of his which the government has censored. Rampo meets this woman in her shop and soon becomes obsessed with her. Suddenly, he finds himself making her a character in another story. She is a beautiful creature who must be rescued from a seaside castle presided over by a diabolical marquis.
The Mystery of Rampo is Kazuyoshi Okuyama's first film and it is a visual stunner. The story explores the delights and dangers of creativity, fantasy, and desire.