Figure 1, from the start of the 1964 horror film, Onibaba, depicts an unnamed murdered samurai as he is thrown into his grave in a low-angle view. He is stripped of his clothing by the older woman and younger woman, portrayed by Nobuko Otowa and Jitsuko Yoshimura, respectively. The young woman and the old woman are widows of war who profit from murdering and robbing samurai refugees returning from the Genko War in fourteenth-century Japan. This scene links a loud drum-based timbre to its soundtrack to heighten suspense and create a sense of dread for the audience. The shot has strong expressionistic horror aesthetics in its cinematography and fast-paced editing, despite the quaint rural farm scenery. The opening rough-textured soundtrack and this frame also create an eerie, anxiety-based mood for the viewer.
Figure 2 conveys the older woman donning her demon mask in a close-up shot for the camera – a horrific recreation, for the viewer, of what the younger woman is witnessing. The older woman is attempting to scare the younger woman away from intimacy with Hachi (Kei Satō), her samurai lover, in the middle of the night, dressing up as a demon to jump out and scare the younger woman into returning home. The silent performance of the older woman during this scene portrays a ghostly demonic figure as the younger woman responds by running away in terror. The quality of the black-and-white film stock in this shot draws out the shadowy chiaroscuro of the natural moonlight effect to highlight the demonic mask, evoking fretfulness and agonizing dread. Overall, the staple of the demonic mask is what signifies Onibaba as a horror film; this frame grab shows the mask in terrifyingly full view for the audience.
Figure 3, toward the end of the film, illustrates the older woman being cursed by the demon mask she originally stole from a ghostly samurai, one of her victims. The mask is cursed because it cannot be removed from her face, following a rainstorm, as observed by the characters’ wet hair. The younger woman reacts to the older woman in horror, believing the older woman has become a literal demon and, therefore, is apprehensive of offering any help. This entire scene, and movie, is a reimagining of a Japanese Buddhist parable that details a mother becoming cursed by a demonic mask after attempting to scare her daughter into praying at a temple. The grainy film stock and the actors’ portrayals of terror in their facial reactions deliver the audience unease and uncomfortable responses as the film climaxes. The symbolism of this scene reflects the idea of rain having power over instinctive desire in Buddhism as punishment for sins as noted by the Śūraṅgama Sūtra.
Onibaba (Spine #226) is available from The Criterion Collection.
Author Biography
Austin Rambo is a senior Film Studies student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a minor in Philosophy and Religion. A native of North Carolina, he enjoys watching and studying movies, reading, and learning about different philosophies and religions. In addition to being a full-time student, he has held a job at HoneyBaked Ham for over five years and hopes to acquire a position in film production after he graduates in May 2025.
