Onibaba

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Onibaba

1964

1h 45m

Horror

Fantasy

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Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

20 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

While her son, Kichi, is away at war, a woman (Nobuko Otowa) and her daughter-in-law (Jitsuko Yoshimura) survive by killing samurai who stray into their swamp, then selling whatever valuables they find. Both are devastated when they learn that Kichi has died, but his wife soon begins an affair with a neighbor who survived the war, Hachi (Kei Satô). The mother disapproves and, when she can't steal Hachi for herself, tries to scare her daughter-in-law with a mysterious mask from a dead samurai.

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Colin Bennett

The Age (Australia)

05/31/2022

[Onibaba] contains effectively extravagant moments sandwiched between, its grunts, groans. and gurgles

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

03/04/2013

Onibaba is a chilling movie, a waking nightmare shot in icy monochrome, and filmed in a colossal and eerily beautiful wilderness.

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Variety

04/14/2007

Too often, it turns out to be a pot-pourri of ravenous eating and blatant sex.

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Julian Singleton

Cinapse

Jul 12

A frenzied pressure cooker of desire: where carnal longing finds itself manifested in both the natural and supernatural world.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

10/29/2022

Shot in stark, severe black and white, the images seared into the film, with unnerving close-ups and bobbing handheld camerawork, Shindo makes even the waving of the grass look ominous as it all but swallows everyone who enters...

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

02/14/2022

4/4

Given its historical setting, visually dynamic presentation, and open-ended conclusion, Onibaba lends itself to interpretation and symbolic readings.

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Juan O

@juanolivares Sep 14

Viéndola por primera vez en 2025. La fotografía es una belleza increíble que supera a muchas de las películas actuales.

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Oui L

Aug 4

Great film. Came with the criterion boxset; loved it alot!

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Lau S

Jul 29

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

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Madoka A

Jun 23

Fantastic. Spooky. Funny. Great product! Really good!

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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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Dani G

May 3

Considering the time of release, a daring film to say the least.

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Kaneto Shindô

Director

Nobuko Otowa

Kichi's Mother

Jitsuko Yoshimura

Kichi's Wife

Kei Satô

Hachi

Taiji Tonoyama

Ushi

Jukichi Uno

Busho

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Synopsis

While her son, Kichi, is away at war, a woman (Nobuko Otowa) and her daughter-in-law (Jitsuko Yoshimura) survive by killing samurai who stray into their swamp, then selling whatever valuables they find. Both are devastated when they learn that Kichi has died, but his wife soon begins an affair with a neighbor who survived the war, Hachi (Kei Satô). The mother disapproves and, when she can't steal Hachi for herself, tries to scare her daughter-in-law with a mysterious mask from a dead samurai.

Director: Kaneto Shindô
Screenwriter: Kaneto Shindô
Production Co: Kindai Eiga Kyokai
Genre: Horror, Fantasy
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 15, 2020
Runtime: 1h 45m

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