My take: I was riveted because it was a completely unique story in a unique setting.
Rating: 4 out of 4 stars
Atmosphere can make or break a horror movie, and some of the best horror movies can turn inanimate objects into fearful things.
In The Shining, Kubrick managed to embody the Overlook Hotel with horrors. In The Wind, the director made the howling winds carry all the fears and torment of poor Letty.
Likewise, in Onibaba the endless grass field is a character unto itself. The grass makes warriors in feudal Japan lose their way trying to get home. It helps the old woman and young woman, who are the main characters, stalk and kill the warriors who mistakenly wander into the grass field. It hides the deep, old well the women use to dispose of the bodies. It also helps the old woman strike fear into the heart of the young one as she hides amongst the grass dressed as a demon.
The demon in the grass in Onibaba.
The story plays out like a fairy tale or parable. The two women kill to survive. When a neighbor returns from war telling them that their son and husband are gone, he sets his eyes on the young girl. The young girl, now newly widowed, reciprocates to the old woman’s dismay. The old woman would not survive without the help of the young woman. So, she hatches a plot to frighten the young woman into believing that her acts of love will land her in hell.
It was a story unlike any I had heard before, and it was utterly refreshing after having watched so many western tales of horror. Additionally, the setting of feudal Japan with samurai and war, kept me guessing at what could possibly happen next.
I would recommend this to anyone who like a bit of history mixed with their horror as well as fans of Japanese horror films.
I got the movie on disc from Netflix. Here is the trailer from the Criterion Collection:
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