Kuroneko / Black Cat (1968)
December 28, 2024 6:55 PM - Subscribe

In this poetic and atmospheric horror fable, set in a village in war-torn medieval Japan, a malevolent spirit has been ripping out the throats of itinerant samurai. When a military hero is sent to dispatch the unseen force, he finds that he must struggle with his own personal demons as well.

Plot summary shamelessly stolen from Criterion, who've released the film on DVD & Blu-Ray.

96% / 85% on Rotten Tomatoes.

I couldn't find a trailer on any official channel, including Criterion's
posted by johnofjack (2 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Please be aware, if you're going to watch this, that the inciting incident is the rape of a mother and daughter at the hands of samurai. The way it's presented reminded me very much of its treatment in Revenge, but it does happen right at the start of the film and it is certainly uncomfortable viewing, even if it doesn't linger on details.

That said, it has been a very long time since I've seen a film I liked this much. This one just absolutely worked for me.
posted by johnofjack at 7:00 PM on December 28, 2024


I think most of the cat ghost movies that were popular in Japan involve a woman being wronged in some way. Kuroneko is one of the better ones of that cycle (though I haven't seen one I thought of as bad). Kaneto Shindô also directed the incredible Onibaba.
posted by Ashwagandha at 7:53 PM on December 28, 2024 [1 favorite]


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