Kuroneko (1968) Yabu no naka no kuroneko (original title)

Director:

Kaneto Shindô

Writer:

Kaneto Shindô (writer)

Release Date:

24 February 1968 (Japan)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

A woman and her daughter are raped and murdered by soldiers during a time of civil war. Afterwards,...

Plot Keywords:

Samurai | Ghost | Female Nudity | Bitten In The Throat | Husband Wife Relationship

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Kichiemon Nakamura	...	Gintoki
Nobuko Otowa	...	Yone (Mother)
Kiwako Taichi	...	Shige (Daughter-in-Law)
Kei Satô	...	Raiko
Taiji Tonoyama	...	A Farmer
Rokko Toura	...	A Samurai
Hideo Kanze	...	Mikado
Eimei Esumi
Masashi Oki
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rika Mizuki

Directed by
Kaneto Shindô

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Kaneto Shindô		writer

Produced by
Nichiei Shinsha	....	producer

Original Music by
Hikaru Hayashi

Cinematography by
Kiyomi Kuroda

Film Editing by
Hisao Enoki

Art Direction by
Takashi Marumo

Makeup Department
Shigeo Kobayashi	....	makeup artist

Production Companies

• Toho Company

Distributors

• Toho Company (1971) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Janus Films (2010) (USA) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Eureka Entertainment (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• Palace Video (1983) (UK) (VHS)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (????) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"Yabu no naka no kuroneko" - Japan (original title)
"Black Cat" - USA (informal title)
"The Black Cat from the Grove" - International (English title) (literal English title)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:15 (video rating) (1995) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:Not Rated

Company:

Toho Company

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #2.15" (2011)

A MASTERPIECE OF HORROR!

Shindo's Kuroneko is an absolute classic of the genre. The film is full of imagery an atmosphere that will haunt the viewer forever. The plot is basically about the revenge of two women who are raped by samurai warriors and then killed.They come back from the grave as cat vampire ghosts who suck the blood of samurai warriors.The parts with the vampires floating through the air are awesome and when they climb trees like cats are very memorable also. One of my favorite moments is when a warrior is walking through the woods and notices something on the back of his horse while he is pulling it.(I don't want to give it away). There are so many things I could say about the film but the bottom line is if you are a vampire or horror movie fan(especially old school) this film is a MUST! You may have to search around for a copy of the film because it is extremely rare but it would be worth the effort. TRUST ME! You will wonder how you ever lived without seeing it!