Kurneko
Blu-ray | DVD
Directed by Kaneto Shindo
Written by Kaneto Shindo
Starring Kichiemon Nakamura, Nobuko Otowa, Kiwako Taichi
The Criterion Collection
Release Date: October 18, 2011

You can feel it in the air. The weather is changing, leaves are falling, and costumes are about to be brought out, as Halloween is just a day away. And while the majority of people will be going to the well for their cinematic slices of terror, Criterion, in their inescapable wisdom, has decided to not only follow up last year’s great release of the cult horror masterpiece Hausu with yet another cult horror offering, but hell, even cats are involved with this sucker.

Kuroneko is the name of this atmospheric gem, and it comes to us from the mind of Japanese auteur Kaneto Shindo. Best known for his fellow Criterion staple, the hauntingly devastating Onibaba, Kurnoeko (Black Cat) is equally as meditative and brooding, and is just as much of a masterful folk tale as that horror classic.

Kuroneko follows the story of a mother and daughter pair who, after being viciously raped and murdered by a gang, become taken over by a malevolent spirit, and must feast upon the blood of wanderers who stumble into their area. Featuring some fantastic effects, some even more stunning photography, and some of the most evocative filmmaking of its ilk, Kuroneko is a film that should be thrust alongside ghost story works, and directly into the watch list for any horror nut or person just looking to get his or her Halloween rocks off.

The film itself isn’t that much of an actor’s piece. The cast includes Kichiemon Nakamura (a really wonderful yet unsung Japanese actor from such wonders like Pitfall), Nobuko Otowa, Kei Sato, and Rokkou Toura, all of whom give wonderful performances, but this is far from the film’s strong suit. The two female leads are indeed wonderful, and really give the film a great emotional and thematic core, but as far as structure goes, characters are pretty much black and white. This is a revenge horror film through and through, therefore making the emotional resonance fall a bit to the wayside, as you are inherently attached to these entities due to the heinous crime that is committed against them.

However, it’s not less a masterpiece. Shindo is the film’s true star, imbuing his film with a sense of style and atmosphere that would feel right out of the play book of other Japanese ghost story icons like Nobuo Nakagawa (Jigoku) or Masaki Kobayashi (whose Kwaidan plays as this film’s closest child). Kiyomi Kuroda shot the film in black and white, and ultimately crafted a brutally beautiful film that allows its world, characters and more importantly, mood, to really breathe and thrive on the silver screen. Shindo, who also wrote the film’s script, also crafts a screenplay that is far smarter than one would expect. A true-blue ghost story on the surface, the film has a strong feminist bent, something not wholly seen from films of its generation. It’s a film that thematically allows the viewer to chew on something for quite a long time, and yet also leaves the viewer on the edge of their seat, and that is all thanks to Shinto’s masterful filmmaking, and some of the greatest cinematography you’ll find in a horror film you’re likely to watch this Halloween.

THE EXPERIENCE

Beyond reproach. The transfer is absolutely fantastic, as one should really expect from Criterion at this point, but it shouldn’t go without saying. The menu titles, done by cover artist Sam Smith, are some of the most beautiful and haunting screens you’ll find on a DVD/Blu-ray release, and the cover is equally as impressive. Not to spoil anything, but you’re in for something really special. Something really damn special.

THE EXTRAS

Loaded. The release features a trailer as well as an interview with Shindo from the Director’s Guild Of Japan, which is both enlightening, and really captivating. Shindo is one of the all-time great Japanese filmmakers, and it’s just fun to watch him talk his craft. But it’s the other feature that really has this release’s gold star.

THE SPECIAL FEATURE

There is an interview with film critic Tadao Sato here, and it’s the most enlightening piece this film’s supplemental material has to offer. It’s a really entertaining and massively engaging piece of informative material, and adds such great context to this film and its release. Second place goes to the cover. Seriously people, it’s one of the coolest covers around.

THE RATING

Just a month or so after the release of yet another horror addition to the collection, The Phantom Carriage, Criterion returns to the genre, and proves that they are truly the best home entertainment company we have. Giving the world not only this under-seen, and yet truly punk rock wonder of a ghost story horror tale, but as extensive as a release as they have given it, this is a must own for any horror aficionado. Many people may go look at the Friday The 13ths or the Halloweens this year, but if there is one horror thriller that you must watch this October, make it Kaneto Shindo’s masterpiece, Kuroneko.