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Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Sato, Jukichi Uno, Taiji Tonoyama ... see more see more... , Hosui Araya , Kentaro Kaji , Somesho Matsumoto

A landmark in fantasy cinema, this lyrical ghost story is set in medieval Japan amid a bloody conflict between rival fiefdoms. While the warrior Kichi's impoverished wife (Jitsuko Yoshimura) and mothe... read more read more...r (Nobuko Otowa) wait for his return from battle, they maintain a humble existence by luring lost soldiers into the surrounding fields of tall grass and murdering them in order to sell their armor and weapons for food; the bodies are then disposed of in a deep cavern. After learning that her son has been killed in battle, Otowa begins to concoct a scheme to frighten her daughter-in-law into staying at home with her indefinitely. After killing a soldier clad in a hideous demon mask -- which hides his grotesque, scarred face -- the mother dons the mask and succeeds in frightening Yoshimura away from her new lover's house. To her own horror, the mother quickly discovers that the mask is now securely stuck to her face, and her attempts to remove it culminate in the greatest horror of all. Fraught with sexual tension, nefarious schemes, and Freudian symbolism, this compelling masterpiece, by turns hypnotically beautiful and shockingly brutal, represents the finest in horror filmmaking, driven by powerful imagery and aided by sumptuous black-and-white photography. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Flixster Users

89% liked it

5,123 ratings

Critics

82% liked it

11 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 43 min.

Directed by: Kaneto Shindō

Release Date: February 4, 1965

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DVD Release Date: March 16, 2004

Stats: 365 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (365)

  • sanjurosamurai
    January 15, 2011
    sanjurosamurai
    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 ... read moremood 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.
  • DrBenway
    November 30, 2009
    DrBenway
    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 ... read morethe 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.

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  • vierasesine
    September 17, 2008
    vierasesine
    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.
  • rubystevens
    April 14, 2008
    rubystevens
    classic japanese horror tale with frank sexual themes; all about 2 women killing to survive in a hypnotic sea of grass...until a man comes beween them. atmospheric and haunting and full of incredible images and not quite like anything else i've seen. odd but fitting score as well
  • kenstachnik
    March 23, 2008
    kenstachnik
    Crazy Japanese topless chicks fill a giant hole with dead Samurai whom they kill in order to buy food. After fighting over a dude who moves in next door, another dude, wearing a freaky mask, shows up. Badness ensues
  • binky013
    October 31, 2007
    binky013
    Well, I don't want to give this one star. It is a beautiful looking film with stunning imagery. It's amazing to me how, with such a restricted environment in which to work, that a storyline could end up so muddy and diffuse. Really disappointing on the whole from a writing sta... read morendpoint. You would think that a minimalist approach would almost guarantee a tight story. Go figure.
  • ceWEBrity
    September 20, 2007
    ceWEBrity
    Onibaba is the Picnic at Hanging Rock of 1960s Japan. A bizarre, self-contained film, almost locked within its own universe, it really manages to lure you into that same kind of "bubble". The movie is set entirely in one field of grass, on which the camera lingers constantly...sw... read moreaying, beautiful, almost intrusive waves of grass.

    Onibaba's really gorgeously composed. When the music isn't cheesy, it's minimal and atmospheric, and incredibly well-designed. Some of the pieces really stick with you. Likewise, the visual mood of the film is spot on. There's nary a single frame of the movie where you don't see through nets of grass, which makes the whole thing seem kind of claustrophobic.

    Though many of the parts for a truly timeless film were there, not much is going on in Onibaba. The characters aren't particularly deep, and though the story is interesting on surface level, it moves lethargically. Onibaba is successful in its minimalism, but the writing doesn't really resonate.

    That's one of the interesting things about black and white films. A lot of people are so averse to them, and even I would normally watch a film in color, but it really brings out the beauty of the image to see it in grayscale. Thus, films that really aren't all that engaging on a rhetorical or compositional level are lent classic status just because of how they look, and how that look makes you feel.

    Ultimately, deserving of its arthouse status. It doesn't all hold up, but it's an undeniably interesting film. Give it a look.
  • mjgildea
    May 30, 2007
    mjgildea
    I'm 99.9% sure I know how it ended but it could've been made way clearer. With that being said Onibaba has some beautifully haunting and downright frightening imagery. The story starts off like a demented mother-in-law-daughter-in-law story, but things slowly creep up on a climac... read moretic ending that totally pulls it out in the final minutes. There are also an odd amount of topless shots on said relatives which seemed pretty random, but overall the movie's completely worth it. I never thought weeds could be so cool. And the score is truly amazing.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    January 9, 2007
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Onibaba shares my view of what really makes a horror movie, not ghosts or interchangable guys in masks killing teens, it's much simplier than that: real human beings doing harm to each other, completely conscious of it.

    In the case of Kaneto Shindo's Onibaba the film deals with ... read morebasic human emotions: greed and sexual desire, and how these two can drive people to do anything they can to sattisfy their prime instincts, especially in a war-fare enviroment as the one in the film.

    It's a shame than most film snobs dismiss directors like Shindo and just stay with the same 3, Kurosawa, Ozu and Mizoguchi. With Onibaba Shindo shows a masterfull control of the camera and story. Worth a check to any serious fan of japanese cinema and cinema in general.
  • fb1142797643
    February 17, 2010
    fb1142797643
    Witchy, beautifully photographed tale (see plot synopsis) with a small cast and scarcely any sets beyond two little huts and a huge field of rippling, wave-like reeds. The cast and filmmakers did wonderfully with what they had.

    Has a surprising amount of topless female nudity fo... read morer a film of its time.

View All Onibaba Reviews

Critic Reviews

April 14, 2007
Variety

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

A.H. Weiler
May 10, 2005
A.H. Weiler, New York Times

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. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
January 1, 2000
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

A creepy, interesting, and visually striking 1963 feature by Kaneto Shindo. Full Review

Anton Bitel
August 2, 2007
Anton Bitel, Eye for Film

the horror of war and the horror of untrammeled market forces combine in a nightmarish vision of humanity bestialised. Full Review

April 14, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

One of the absolute peaks of atmospheric black-and-white horror. Full Review

January 26, 2006
Time Out

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. Full Review

Jake Euker
July 9, 2004
Jake Euker, Filmcritic.com

Classic. Shows less interest in laying bare its meanings than in evoking the viewers' meditations on life, existence (a different thing), and whatever lies below. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
March 31, 2004
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Interesting as a claustrophobic vision. Full Review

Christopher Null
March 18, 2004
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

Time enough has passed to qualify the uniquely spare look of Onibaba classic Full Review

Jon Fortgang
May 24, 2003
Jon Fortgang, Film4

Onibaba graphically illustrates that brutalism, art and allegory can co-exist to spellbindingly powerful effect. Full Review

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