'Kuroneko' Review: A Japanese horror film with folklore connections
Published on HivePostify by @namiks · Mon Sep 07 2026
After recently watching Kwaidan I had a bit of an interest to continue watching some Japanese horror films. I hadn't seen many from the 50s or 60s, though it seems that era was ripe in stories that explored folklore and held a significant amount of artistry within them. I really liked the synopsis of this which held more supernatural aspects to it, where the story holds elements of revenge and ghosts to it. In typical Japanese fashion, it still had some folklore connections. During a civil war, two women are raped and killed in their home shortly before it is set ablaze. A cat enters the ruins, to which soon after the women come back to life.
The cat being a spirit that has offered them a chance to return again, a chance to get their revenge. The women sell their souls to it by agreeing to feed the spirit with blood. And thus the two women lurk the night and hunt down men deserving of being sacrificed. As news spreads of a strange monster hunting men, a warrior is chosen to hunt it and bring it to alleged justice. The film's ultimate twist? The man chosen to hunt them down is none other than the husband and son of the women that were killed. His disappearance taking place a few years prior as he was sent off to join the war. Of course this brings in some drama a bit later on in the film.
For a 60s horror film, it's quite cartoonish in parts. It's certainly more atmospheric than actually thrilling or scary. But I really loved that side of it. Shot in black and white on film, Japanese 60s anamorphic lenses which create a beautiful, wide frame. I particularly loved this for the film's otherworldly interior scenes where there is a dense spiritual fog that seeps through the ruins of buildings. Where the forestry is dimly lit and we get close-ups of characters in the light. A very creatively shot film, which still had a lot of similarities to Kwaidan in its style. I don't think this will appeal to all though, it has quite a long runtime and feels a bit repetitive before the main story kicks in. It's not particularly gory of course, making for a film that displays its cards quite early on and starts to bore a bit in the midway point. Though that twist adds up for it.
Tags: #film#movies#writing#blog