Kuroneko (1968)

The Kaiju Transmissions Podcast

With Matt on an extended hiatus, Byrd brings in Lux, Tom and Kevin to ring in our annual October horror series of podcasts by talking about Kaneto Shindo's folk-horror classic, Kuroneko! Set in feudal Japan, it tells the story of a mother and her daughter in law who are raped and murdered by a troop of samurai. The two come back as ferocious bakeneko (ghost cat) yokai by making a deal with the underworld to kill all samurai. Things get complicated when the husband/son-in law of the pair returns home as a samurai. Combining atmospheric black and white photography and influences from Japanese theater, Kuroneko has become one of the celebrated horror films of its time. So how does it hold up? Listen and find out!