After a woman and her daughter in law are brutally raped and murdered by a band of samurai, they return as onryo; avenging spirits, set out to kill all samurai.
Kuroneko (1968) directed by Kaneto Shindo does for bamboo, what his earlier film, Onibaba (1964) did for tall grass. Quite spooky, atmospheric and mesmerizing, this film is a real showcase for lighting, staging, composition, and cinematography. Shot in gorgeously luminescent black and white, it's like watching a dream, or nightmare unfold. At the heart of the film is a tragic human drama of these two wronged women, and then the tension of reuniting with the missing son/son-in-law who returns from battle only to be ordered to find and destroy the avenging spirits. This is a true classic.
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