A visceral, suffocating horror folktale where primal lust and desperation coil like wind-whipped susuki grass. In a war-torn purgatory, a cursed demonic mask seals a chilling fate, mirroring the hideous scars of humanity's darkest impulses.

Onibaba

鬼婆

"The most daring film import ever...From Japan!"

21 November 1964 Japan 105 min ⭐ 7.7 (464)

Director: Kaneto Shindō

Cast: Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Satō, Jūkichi Uno, Taiji Tonoyama

Horror

The Brutal Urge for Survival Unbridled Lust and Vitality The Trauma and Scars of War Karma and Divine Retribution

Onibaba - Movie Quotes

Memorable Quotes

I'mnotademon!I'mahumanbeing!

— OlderWoman

Context:

Screamed repeatedly during the film's climax as the horribly disfigured woman chases her terrified daughter-in-law through the grass.

Meaning:

Thisisthetragicthesisofthefilm, declaringthatthetruemonstersaresimplyhumanswhohavebeendeformedbydesperatecircumstances[1.1].

The hole … Deep and dark … A dark passageway from ancient times to the present.

— On-screen text

Context:

Shown early in the film to introduce the foreboding pit where the victims' bodies are unceremoniously dumped.

Meaning:

It elevates the pit from a mere geographical feature to a mythic symbol of eternal human sin, greed, and death.

If my son's dead, she's all I've got! I can't get along alone. I couldn't even kill! Take her and I'll starve!

— Older Woman

Context:

Pleading desperately with Hachi to end his affair and leave her daughter-in-law alone.

Meaning:

This lays bare the pathetic, terrifying truth behind her actions. Her intense jealousy is fundamentally rooted in the absolute terror of starvation.

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