Onibaba (1964)

Onibaba (1964) — Set in war-torn 14th-century Japan, this spare, unsettling drama-horror follows two women who survive in a reed field by ambushing and killing exhausted samurai, selling their armor and goods to a merchant. When a deserter named Hachi returns, the younger woman gives in to loneliness and begins a secret affair, sparking jealousy and fear in the older woman. The tension escalates when the older woman finds a disfigured samurai wearing a grotesque demon mask, which she uses to terrorize and manipulate her daughter‑in‑law — with shocking consequences. Viewers can expect a slow-burning, atmospheric experience: bleak, striking black-and-white imagery of wind-blown reeds and mud, mounting psychological dread, stark violence, and a haunting use of ritual and superstition. The film explores survival, sexual jealousy, guilt and the thin line between human cruelty and superstition, delivering both moral ambiguity and jolting horror. Content warning: scenes of violence, death and sexual themes.

Actors: Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Satô

Director: Kaneto Shindô

Runtime: 103 min

Genres: Drama, Horror

7.7 /10 7.9 /10 7.8 /10