onibaba

1964 Directed by Kaneto Shindo

Horror Marathon Day 19 Film 31

This movie is all about the mood- black and white cinematography as a mother and daughter struggle to survive while Japan falls apart from a war that has ravaged the countryside. They slaughter men savagely and use the money from the armor for food. When one man comes home without the son and takes to bed with the daughter the mother becomes jealous and overbearing- contemplating the nature of sin.

The general feeling of the film feels like desolate post apocalypse. Their crop has grown over - and so be any kind of unseen danger can be found therein. Halfway through the film a samurai war general wearing a Noh demonic mask of jealousy comes upon the woman- she leads him into a trap and dons his cursed mask because she hates what he's done to the country and her dead son.

She's become a demon herself- trying to control the sexuality and spirit of her daughter, and ultimately forever disfigured by the sins of the past. As this comes out close to WW2 we see this as a reflection of a war torn Japan struggling to define itself anew. The atomic bomb has laid waste to the land and there is no sense of prosperity or hope.

This loss infests every aspect of their culture. There is no samurai here, only the dishonored ronin. As the daughter escapes this past demon she must find some hope from all of this loss- and take a leap. This ending in the middle of action is wonderfully within the spirit of the film, captivating as a gasping breath for what awaits in the future.