Onibaba

Deep in the windswept marshes of war-torn medieval Japan, an impoverished older woman and her daughter-in-law murder lost samurai and sell their belongings for the most meager of sustenance. When a bedraggled neighbor returns from battle, lust, jealousy, and rage threaten to destroy the trio’s tenuous existence, before an ominous, ill-gotten demon mask seals their horrifying fate. Driven by primal emotions, dark eroticism, a frenzied score by Hikaru Hayashi, and stunning images both lyrical and macabre, Kaneto Shindo’s chilling folktale Onibaba conjures a nightmarish vision of humankind’s deepest desires and impulses.

Japan
1964
102 minutes
Black & White
2.39:1
Japanese
Spine #226

Special Features

BLU-RAY EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES

High-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
Audio commentary from 2001 featuring director Kaneto Shindo and actors Kei Sato and Jitsuko Yoshimura
Interview from 2003 with Shindo
On-location footage shot by Sato
Trailer
PLUS: An essay by film critic Elena Lazic, a 2001 director’s statement by Shindo, and a version of the Buddhist fable that inspired the film

Cover illustration by Edward Kinsella

Blu‑ray 1 Disc $31.96 SRP: $39.95

Digital Options

Watch Now On

BLU-RAY EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES

High-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
Audio commentary from 2001 featuring director Kaneto Shindo and actors Kei Sato and Jitsuko Yoshimura
Interview from 2003 with Shindo
On-location footage shot by Sato
Trailer
PLUS: An essay by film critic Elena Lazic, a 2001 director’s statement by Shindo, and a version of the Buddhist fable that inspired the film

Cover illustration by Edward Kinsella

Cast & Credits