Onibaba (1964)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Kaneto Shindô

Writer:

Kaneto Shindô (written by)

Release Date:

4 February 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Plot:

After being forcefully inducted as a soldier into war in 14th century Japan, his wife and mother remain living in a swamp...

Plot Keywords:

Japan | Mask | Samurai | Swamp | Daughter In Law

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Nobuko Otowa	...	Kichi's Mother
Jitsuko Yoshimura	...	Kichi's Wife
Kei Sato	...	Hachi (as Kei Satô)
Jukichi Uno	...	Samurai General (as Jûkichi Uno)
Taiji Tonoyama	...	Ushi
Senshô Matsumoto	...	Runaway Warrior A
Kentaro Kaji	...	Runaway Warrior B (as Kentarô Kaji)
Hosui Araya	...	Ushi's Follower
Fudeko Tanaka	...	Old Woman
Michinori Yoshida	...	Samurai with Blood
Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi	...	Horse Riding Samurai A
Hiroshi Tanaka	...	Horse Riding Samurai B
Kanzô Uni	...	Horse Riding Samurai C
Nobuko Shimakage	...	Child

Also Known As:

Devil Woman
The Demon
The Hole
The Ogress
The Witch

Runtime:

103 min | Argentina:105 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated | UK:15 (video rating, uncut) (1994) | UK:(Banned) (1965-1968) | UK:X (original rating, cut version) (1968)

Company:

Kindai Eiga Kyokai

Trivia:

The demon mask used in the movie inspired William Friedkin to use a similar design for the makeup in subliminal shots of a white-faced demon in The Exorcist (1973).

Quotes:

Woman: I'm not a demon! I'm a human being!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Atman (1975)

great and intriguing.

Wow,I saw this movie on Cable recently.Both of the women in this story are just trying their best to get by and survive in a bad situation.I could tell it was on a limited budget but very well written.It was erotic with frontal nudity and even filmed in the 60's.It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.I was trying to figure out where they were going with the whole thing.I kept trying to decide if I sympathized with the old woman more than the young one.Then at the end I felt sorry for both of them.What a great story.This one needs to be on Cable more often.This one is a must see even for people who only like contemporary films.I would recommend it to anyone.