Onibaba [The Hole] ***** (1964, Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Satô) – Classic Movie Review 2809

Writer-director Kaneto Shindo’s ultra-thrilling, scary and imaginative 1964 Japanese horror story is a brilliant original.

Shindo’s plot is about a 14th century Japanese mother and her daughter-in-law, grieving for their beloved son and husband, who is killed after being forced into being a soldier in a war in Japan. They live in a swamp, eking out their survival by ambushing and killing stray, worn-out samurai for their armour and valuables, and selling their belongings to a greedy merchant.

But the daughter starts an affair with a deserter and the mother becomes jealous and mistrustful, wearing a mask she has taken from a slain samurai. Soon the mask will not come off and she is mistaken for a demon by her daughter.

The strong performances from Nobuko Otowa (mother) and Jitsuko Yoshimura (daughter-in-law), the wonderfully eerie atmosphere and Shindo’s commanding writing and direction deservedly made this a hugely popular and well-known film outside Japan.

For all those who can relish its heady brew mixture of weirdness, violence and sentimentality, it’s a most rewarding experience.

By the way, Onibaba means ‘demon woman’ not The Hole of the alternative title, so Demon Woman would have been a much better English language title.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2809

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