Kaneto Shindo’s 1968 horror film Kuroneko gets new print for Fantasia Fest!

By Eric Walkuski

Posted 16 years ago

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

Good news for lovers of forgotten horror movies and great news for those of you who will be attending this year’s FantasiaFest: Kaneto Shindo’s 1968 ghost story KURONEKO will be presented in an all-new 35 mm exclusive print from Janus Films, nowhere else to be found in North America. Screenings are set for JULY 9th, 14h and 15th.

From the press release:

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This year, Fantasia and Panorama-cinéma will co-present the film KURONEKO (1968) from Kaneto Shindo (author of The Naked Island (1960) and Onibaba (1964)). Live the intimate experience of a magnificent 35 mm print from Janus Films (distributor affiliated with Criterion Collection), nowhere to be found in North America! This Japanese ghost movie is the inspiration behind the recent “j-horror” trend led by filmmakers such as Hideo Nakata (Ringu, Dark Water) and Takashi Shimizu (Ju-On). A perfect blend for a night worthy of Fantasia: ghosts, curses, bold special effects and captivating music make KURONEKO a magic potion for those who crave the best of
fantastical cinema!

Here is the film synopsis, via Allmove.com: Set in feudal Japan, this atmospheric and violent ghost story (whose title literally translates as The Black Cat in the Bush) begins with the brutal murder of two women by a band of mercenary samurai, whose leader is subsequently tracked down, seduced, and murdered by a young woman possessed by the shape-shifting specter of his victim. Called upon to avenge the warrior’s death is none other than the woman’s former husband, who has been ordered by his superiors to assassinate the guilty party. Plot twists abound as the older, vengeful spirit seeks to exact poetic justice despite the younger ghost’s reluctance to destroy the man who once loved her.

I personally have neither seen nor heard of the flick, so this announcement changes the latter part of that injustice. Perhaps with this new print we’ll see a remastered version of Shindo’s film on DVD/Blu-ray sometime soon. Shindo also directed the spooky horror tale ONIBABA, which I HAVE seen; you should try to seek that one out when you can.

Source: FantasiaFest

About the Author

Eric Walkuski

Film Critic

10,340 Articles Published

Favorite Movies: Jaws, Star Wars Trilogy, Aliens, Citizen Kane, The Third Man, Dawn read more of the Dead ('78), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ('74), Fargo, Miller's Crossing, Reservoir Dogs, The Manchurian Candidate ('62), Taxi Driver, Back to the Future, Stand by Me, Shaun of the Dead, Boogie Nights, La Dolce Vita, 12 Angry Men, The Birds, Touch of Evil

Likes: Film, Beer (who the hell DOESN'T around here?!), writing, NY Mets, read more The Jets, Girls who love film AND beer (at the same time), Jazz, Deadwood, The Wire, The Office, The Twilight Zone, Cormac McCarthy, Graham Greene, Stephen King, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Scorsese, Spielberg, Halloween season, Marvel movies, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Ash vs Evil Dead, Game of Thrones, Edgar Allen Poe, Mother Nature

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