Onibaba1965
Onibaba (1965)
Onibaba Photos
Movie Info
Cast
as Kichi's Mother
as Kichi's Wife
as Hachi Farmer
as Samurai General
as Ushi
as Runaway Warrior B
as Ushi's Follower
Critic Reviews for Onibaba
All Critics (12) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (10) | Rotten (2) | DVD (4)
Too often, it turns out to be a pot-pourri of ravenous eating and blatant sex.
No masterpiece by any means, it's at times overplayed, but it's striking visually, handling swift horizontal movement very well. It's also genuinely erotic.
Although his artistic integrity remains untarnished, his driven rustic principals are exotic, sometimes grotesque figures out of medieval Japan, to whom a Westerner finds it hard to relate.
A creepy, interesting, and visually striking 1963 feature by Kaneto Shindo.
Unflinching in its violence and eroticism.
Onibaba is a chilling movie, a waking nightmare shot in icy monochrome, and filmed in a colossal and eerily beautiful wilderness.
Audience Reviews for Onibaba
despite the limitations that this film faced with its limited story, few characters, and single environment, the film is incredibly effective with what is put on screen. the cinematography was especially perfect in every way, creating a necessary eerieness that sets the perfect mood for a mild horror film that takes place in the most perfect of settings with the daunting tall grass near an unsettling river. the fear factor was at a perfect level and overall the film is perfect for fans of the old style horror that cares more about story than gore and shock value. one of my favorite horror films of all time.
Super Reviewer
A personal favorite of mine. It's dark, earthy, erotic, claustrophobic, eerie, but mostly a grim tale of a trio with little but the basics of human nature to keep them going. It's a harsh film shot with a minimalist set with survival as a key theme to the story, the look being the primary attraction. Dialogue is minimal, as is the percussive jazz soundtrack creating a Bushido-noir.
To judge the women in the film would be hypocritical since the impoverished world they live in has been created by the hierarchy of man and the aftermath of war. Then there's the sexual jealousy between mother and daughter stemmed from self-preservation; the mother may not survive without her and being reminded of her own unfulfilled sexual desires while only growing older. The pace is slow but time is never wasted. More psychological than spiritual horror, Onibaba is like no other film and has proven the test of time with other greats from Kurosawa, Ozu and Mizoguchi.
Super Reviewer
A story of survival in extreme poverty during wartime. Minimalistic and bare, yet at the same time ridden with symbolism. Strongly sexual without being sexy or vulgar.
Super Reviewer
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