Onibaba comes from Japan and literally translates to "demon hag". A drama/horror about civil unrest and war in feudal Japan and how it shapes the lives of those affected. An old woman and her daughter-in-law kill soldiers to sell their gear for food and other supplies for survival. They dispose of the bodies in a mysterious hole in the field of tall grass in which they live in a hut. A friend of the old woman's son returns and informs the two women that her son is dead. Seduction, jealousy, and dark schemes develop as the film progresses. When left alone the old woman encounters a samurai wearing a demon mask and everything in the world of these three people is changed.
A friend recommended this to me on Halloween last year, and it was definitely worth a watch and made up for watching Scouts the day before. From the beautiful setting and superb cinematography to the haunting and odd musical score, Onibaba provides a lot to excite filmmakers and film lovers alike.
A little less of a horror but terrifying all the same, this film was a delight in so many ways. Nobuko Otowa's performance as the old woman was a joy to watch. She not only had a sinister look because of the awesome makeup (those eyebrows!) but because of her perfectly timed facial expressions. The downward stare depicted in the poster, the slight smirk as she lures a soldier to his death. Pure perfection. Kei Sato as Hachi, was also perfectly cast. The story was compelling and although seems slow to build at times, was actually very well done for development of the three main characters and to add tension between them. All in all a great little piece of film and I think I will surely add Kaneto Shindo, the director's film Kuroneko to next year's fest.
Joey and I agree on a rating for this one as well:
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