Film & Docs

Onibaba

Erotic-horror film from 1964 sees the wife and mother of a soldier forced to fend for themselves as a feudal war rages in 14th-century Japan

Director and writer
Kaneto Shindo

Main cast
Woman: Nobuko Otowa
Young Woman: Jitsuko Yoshimura
Hachi: Kei Sato
Samurai: Jukichi Uno
Ushi: Taiji Tonoyama

Shind'os erotic-horror film from 1964 sees the wife and mother of a soldier forced to fend for themselves as a feudal war rages in 14th-century Japan. They make a living by killing hapless, battle-weary samurai who come their way, disposing of their bodies in a pit and selling their armour and weapons to a greedy merchant.

The daughter-in-law begins a relationship with a man who lives nearby, and sneaks out at night to visit him. Her mother-in-law tries to end the relationship by preying on the younger woman's fears of ghosts by pretending to be a demon, donning a mask obtained from a samurai she has lured to his doom. But the plan goes awry when she discovers that the demon-mask is stuck to her face and is impossible to remove.

Onibaba is notable for its raw sensuality, demonstrated by the basic carnal desires of the protagonists and symbolised by its setting amid a sea of waving susuki grass in the oppressive heat of mid-summer.