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Kuroneko

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Kuroneko

1968

1h 39m

Horror

Fantasy

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

In this ghost story based on a folk tale of feudal Japan, a group of samurai mercenaries led by Raiko Minamoto (Kei Satô) storm the home of Yone (Nobuko Otowa) and her daughter, Shigei (Kiwako Taichi), pillaging their food before raping and murdering the pair and finally burning the house down. When the samurai are set upon by vengeful vampire-like ghosts, it falls to the warrior Gintoki (Kichiemon Nakamura) to slay the malicious spirits, but his connection to the victims leads to conflict.

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J. Hoberman

The New York Review of Books

The movie's implacable sense of poetic justice is only equaled by its graphic smarts.

Aug 14, 2020

Full Review

Scott Tobias

AV Club

With Kuroneko, Shindô obscures the thin line separating the dead from the living-through which spirits, sin, and passion move freely.

Rated: B+

Jul 25, 2018

Full Review

Ty Burr

Boston Globe

There's a witchy, atmospheric timelessness to the movie that extends well past the unadorned sets.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 28, 2010

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David Pountain

Vague Visages

Kuroneko's otherworldly visuals evoke a reality shaped by great and sinister powers, and a world where fate will always scupper the impudent plans of hubristic men.

Dec 12, 2023

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

It’s one of the greatest of Japanese ghost stories, a horror film of elemental drive, social commentary, feminist rage, and visual grace ...

Oct 29, 2022

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Ian Thomas Malone

ianthomasmalone.com

Shindo delivers a triumph of the horror genre as he explores his painful themes.

Mar 7, 2022

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Lily R

Great Japanese movie! When of the all time bests! Alot of atmosphere and suspense!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/19/25

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Laura S

Favorite Japanese horror movie!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/17/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Best Samurai horror! Cat monster is really creepy, even if it's a little hard to take seriously at first. Love the sets and costumes too. They don't make movies like this anymore!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/11/24

Full Review

Christopher B

Filled with atmospheric and beautifully captured B&W widescreen images, Kuroneko is a haunting beauty of a film on Blu-ray. The transfer itself is magnificent, as Criterion worked with the original camera negatives and only added trace amounts of clean up making it look natural and film like. The film itself tells a supernatural story but one also that ultimately tells more of the evil of mankind then of anything other worldly. A beautiful and creepy score accompanies the film and adds to the creepy imagery making for a great night time watch. Enjoyed watching this one with my brother Jon and friend Brad on a breezy and cool night at Brad's home. Highly Recommend this film for not just Horror fans but people looking for a movie with top notch cinematography and direction to go with an eerie story and mood!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/01/22

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william d

The direction and cinematography are excellent, the story not so much.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

An absolute masterpiece. A must-see due to the technical proficiency of lighting and cinematography alone. Aside from that, the movie is also a great companion film to the classic Onibaba.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

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Kaneto Shindô

Director

Kichiemon Nakamura

Actor

Nobuko Otowa

Mother

Kiwako Taichi

Actor

Kei Satô

Raiko

Hideo Kanze

Mikado

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Synopsis

In this ghost story based on a folk tale of feudal Japan, a group of samurai mercenaries led by Raiko Minamoto (Kei Satô) storm the home of Yone (Nobuko Otowa) and her daughter, Shigei (Kiwako Taichi), pillaging their food before raping and murdering the pair and finally burning the house down. When the samurai are set upon by vengeful vampire-like ghosts, it falls to the warrior Gintoki (Kichiemon Nakamura) to slay the malicious spirits, but his connection to the victims leads to conflict.

Director: Kaneto Shindô
Screenwriter: Kaneto Shindô
Genre: Horror, Fantasy
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (DVD): Oct 18, 2011
Runtime: 1h 39m

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