Unpredictable and nightmarish.

84.875

Misery writ large on the silver screen, the admonishing tone of this film is overly dire, and its irony far too stagey. However, the motivations are simple and intriguing, resulting in some interesting characters who just don't have enough room to flourish in the tightly wound narrative.

I can't stop thinking about this film.

Penetrating, primitive, universal, desperate. No need for hardcore gore, when you live in a rat trap.

A fair enough period piece/love triangle/morality play/fairy tale, that has dated horribly in sound design, acting and overall pacing. Also, it calls itself a horror movie, which it is certainly not. Also, it raises questions: Why does the lust of young women sound like horny pigeons? How the hell do these people find their way around the WORLD of rushes (of which there are waaay too many shots) and finally: Why do the Japanese yell so much all the fucking time? Calm down. Please. Calm. Down.

Go PSI! You've discovered what might be my favorite Japanese film ever.

The style sometimes overtakes the substance, but on the whole it's very atmospheric and comes together strongly in the end.

A singular, forceful film combining elements of erotica and horror into a japanese period drama. A sinister, torrid beast of a movie with spellbinding imagery, rich in oppresive, humid atmosphere. It's awesome, I guess is what I'm trying to say.

One of the most weirdly erotic works I've ever seen. It's a bizarre hodge-podge of blatant sexual motifs coalesced with veiled, esoteric ones. The setting amongst the swaying reeds, as well as the way in which it's shot, is inexplicably perfect. The sound design/music additionally lends to the overall what-the-fuckery to the point where you stop caring about cohesion so much because what you're witnessing is so uniquely strange.

The way Shindo escalates both the foreboding tension & the eroticism as the film goes on is incredibly powerful, and the three leads are brilliant, evoking both repulsion & pity. Pithy tagline: "Makes Woman in the Dunes look like The Wedding Planner!"

Haunting. Reminds me a bit of Laughton's 'Night of the Hunter'

An extraordinary visual achievement - low-key illuminations have never been more frightening.

Impressive feature, chronicling the darkness within the human soul. Shindo's sound design is especially important in this regard, often bringing out the mumbles, groans, chewing, and other sounds associated with physical acts like eating and having sex. In the face of a tragic war, these people are reduced to existing for their appetites. The film wisely sidesteps the question of blame for this scenario, and the ending delivers one of the great ironic final lines in cinematic history.

This movie's going to stay with me for quite some time.

Visually striking tale of desperation of many varieties. The film still feels fresh and modern due to its honest depiction of sexuality and human savagery.

It is a chilling, strange movie that works very well in B&W. Beautiful and haunting.

Possibly, nay, probably the best direction I've ever seen; it truly predicates insightful depths into the human psyche. After one and three quarter hours of work of very little dialog, I can tell Shindō is a wise man. It's beyond me why this film seemingly hasn't attained cult masterpiece status in the film world. What a haunting, hypnotic, unforgettable film.

Onibaba, Baba Yaga. Do not be mistaken, this is purgatory. There isn't a single soul in this movie that's not rotten to the bone. I'll be adding it to my list of best chiaroscuro lighting in a movie. While there are many movies that looks more than pretty with lightning, few makes use of lighting to the full effect. 2nd half seems less effective to me, but my mind may have slipped, I'll schedule a rewatch soon.

Creepy and haunting, and beautifully filmed. A bit over-stylized at times, but not too bad.

Dark, weird movie about two nice Japanese women who kill people. In short, my kind of movie