Cat Women

We’ve watched a lot of samurai movies, but not too many classic Japanese horror movies. Now we’ve seen Kuroneko (1968).

It starts in a small hut by the edge of a bamboo forest. We see a band of samurai filtering out of the forest, looking ragged and battle worn. They go into the hut and find two women, a mother and her daughter-in-law. The soldiers steal their food, rape and kill them, and set the hut on fire. The women die, and a black cat (kuroneko, in Japanese) licks their corpses.

Soon, warriors who travel through the grove might meet two mysterious noblewomen. They seduce the men into joining them in their remote mansion. There, they kill them, ripping their throats out with their teeth.

Meanwhile, a poor soldier manages to kill the opposing general. In recognition, his general makes him a samurai. He goes home to his mother and wife, but all he finds is the burned-out hut. His general tells him about the ghosts that are killing off samurai, and orders him to dispatch them. But when he runs into them, they seem familiar, and he finds that he is in love with the younger. Before long, he recognizes them, and finds out what has happened.

This is a spooky movie, full of action, horror and romance - kind of sexy too, in a Japanese way. It moves quite quickly - I might have liked a little more deliberate pacing. All in all, a great classic Japanese horror.

In conclusion, no relation to the Kuroneko moving company in Japan.