Director: Kaneto Shindo
Year: 1968
Country: Japan
Alternate Titles: Yabu no naka no kuroneko; The Black Cat of the Graveyard; The Black Cat Inside the Bamboo Grove; Black Cat
Genre: Ghosts
Plot:
Traveling to a remote village, a samurai gang find a sudden series of graphic murders to be due to a previous encounter with two women who were raped and killed and are now seeking revenge while a revered warrior is enlisted to launch a battle against the malicious ghosts who have tormented his friends.
Review:
This was a really enjoyable and entertaining ghost effort. One of its better parts is the technical work throughout here, starting with the incredibly strong and brutal opening. Showcasing nothing at all, done totally in long, silent takes and focusing not on the act itself but the crazed animalistic expressions of the troops as they go about raping the girls which sets a perfect tone for the film and the rampage later. There's also a lot to like from this one's visual images, which is best displayed by the eerie and almost ghostly journey through the forest. The setting is amazingly creepy on its own while the scenes of the white-dressed woman almost float through the scenery while the horseman struggles to follow behind, even losing her in the trees at one point. His later monologue in their house, where the background turns into a ghostly forest superimposed over it as he recounts his story makes for an impressive visual, especially with the cat-like behavior slyly integrated into the evening.
The later scenes of the ghost's rampages are some of the film's best moments in that they're so much fun, especially when the duped samurai are lead into the house time and again to meet their deaths by the ghosts. The fight scene from the one smart enough to avoid the ghosts originally, with them both whipping around the air and the rapid slashing at them is a really great way to up the fun here, and the main one where the head samurai discovers that he knows who they are and resort to a relentless series of mind-games to torment him is just a blast. With the different ways that they go about it, with the dancing and different rituals that are presented, it becomes quite expressive and incredibly enjoyable. There's also the fantastic finale where the two finally reveal their true form which is nothing short of impressive as there are some real chills to be found from their look in these scenes and take their full revenge that captures the perfect balance of existential torment and supernatural action with the ghost floating around the hut and disappears into the atmosphere being a particular highlight. These here are the film's best points.
There wasn’t much wrong with this one. Frankly, the most irritating factor is that this one ends up doing the same thing throughout the middle section over and over again without any difference. The daughter shows up in distress, leads the unwary party back to the house while engaging in a tea-ceremony with her mother before the untimely end, which happens to each of the men. It doesn't change the formula at all, and while one of them discovers the treachery and at least fights back, there's still nothing new that develops. The other part of this that stands out is the extremely slow-going pace. There are some really long scenes in here that don't really serve much for this one beyond giving it some length. The near-incessant talking becomes a little too much to bear at certain points, especially the eternally-agonizing revelation scene where the ghosts reveal their intentions. It just drags on forever, lasting twice as long as it should've been as it just talks through everything, letting it last a little longer than it should. These, though, are the only flaws in this one.
Overview: ****/5
While not the fastest-moving film around, there's still plenty of stuff throughout to like about this one, making it one of the top entries around. Give it a shot if you're into that kind of film or a fan of Asian horror cinema or looking for the origins of the Asian ghost genre, though those who can't enjoy the films should seek elsewhere.
This review was originally published on Asian Movie Pulse and is gratefully reprinted with their cooperation.
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