Kuroneko

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Kuroneko

1968

1h 39m

Horror

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

24 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

08/14/2020

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

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Scott Tobias

AV Club

07/25/2018

B+

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

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Ty Burr

Boston Globe

10/28/2010

3.5/4

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

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David Pountain

Vague Visages

12/12/2023

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.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

10/29/2022

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

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Ian Thomas Malone

ianthomasmalone.com

03/07/2022

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

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Larry M.

@Wind-up-bird Nov 1

Thelma and Louise but as vampire black cat ghosts. What's not to love?

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Lau S

Jul 29

Great Japanese movie! I little bit outdated, but I liked it!

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Lily R

May 19

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

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Laura S

Mar 17

Favorite Japanese horror movie!

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05/11/2024

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!

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Christopher B

08/23/2022

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!

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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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