Onibaba (1964): Cast, Box Office & Plot
Onibaba is a 1964 horror film directed by Kaneto Shindô, starring Kei Satô as Hachi, Taiji Tonoyama and Nobuko Otowa. It runs 1 hour 45 minutes and earned $689 worldwide.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 45m (105 min)
- Director
- Kaneto Shindô
- Genre
- Horror
- Original language
-
Japanese - Studio
- Kindai Eiga Kyokai
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Onibaba About?
The premise of Onibaba without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
While her son Kichi fights abroad, a mother and her daughter‑in‑law survive in a swamp by ambushing stray samurai and selling the loot. The news of Kichi’s death devastates them, and the daughter‑in‑law begins an affair with the surviving neighbor Hachi. The mother, jealous and angry, tries to frighten her with a mask from a dead samurai.
Onibaba Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- mask
- folk horror
- grass
- female serial killer
- female protagonist
- demonic mask
- masked man
- demon mask
- japanese new wave
- robbing the dead
- dumping a body in a pit
- living in a hut
+38 more Show fewer
- sneaking out at night
- tall grass
- mystery man
- mysterious stranger
- running through grass
- hole
- disfigured face
- morality
- feudal japan
- running
- folktale
- death of husband
- death of son
- 14th century
- mother in law daughter in law relationship
- female full frontal nudity
- nudity
- mother son relationship
- yard
- ambiguous ending
- masked woman
- pretending to be a demon
- freudian
- crow
- swimming across a river
- fetching water
- katana
- human skeleton
- cut hand
- villain as protagonist
- killing an animal
- abrupt ending
- deserter
- stabbed with a spear
- killed with a spear
- loss of son
- loss of husband
- lustful man
Onibaba Cast & Characters
Kei Satô leads the cast as Hachi, with Taiji Tonoyama as Ushi and Nobuko Otowa as Woman. Directed by Kaneto Shindô; 14 actors are credited in all.
- Director Kaneto Shindô
-
Kei Satô as Hachi -
Taiji Tonoyama as Ushi - Nobuko Otowa as Woman
- Jitsuko Yoshimura as Young Woman
Also Starring in Onibaba
· 10 more- Jūkichi Uno The Samurai
- Hiroshi Tanaka Horse Riding Samurai
- Michinori Yoshida Samurai with Blood
- Fudeko Tanaka Old Woman
- Someshō Matsumoto Runaway Warrior
- Kentarô Kaji Runaway Warrior
- Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi Horse Riding Samurai
- Kanzō Uni Horse Riding Samurai
- Hosui Araya Ushi's Follower
- Nobuko Shimakage Child
More from Kaneto Shindô
More films directed by Kaneto Shindô, best-rated first: Children of Hiroshima, Postcard, Kuroneko (1968) and Owl.
Onibaba Plot Summary
What happens in Onibaba from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 5-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
In a rugged landscape near Kyoto, Japan, during the mid‑14th century and at the dawn of the Nanboku-chō period, the film threads a stark, somber tale rooted in war, hunger, and fragile human ties. It opens with two fleeing soldiers being ambushed in a vast field of tall reeds, where an older woman and her young daughter‑in‑law murder them and toss their bodies into a deep, hidden pit. The next day, the two women haul the fallen armor and weapons to a local merchant named Ushi, trading their loot for food. The encounter with Ushi unfurls a microcosm of the era’s desperation—news of ongoing conflict, disrupted livelihoods, and a society that keeps marching forward, even as individuals falter under its pressures.
Full summary
The whole story of Onibaba, scene by scene
Onibaba Box Office
Onibaba grossed $689 worldwide.
Worldwide gross
$689
Onibaba Trailers & Videos
2 videos: 1 trailer and 1 featurette.
- Featurette Shooting Onibaba with Kaneto Shindo
How Well Do You Know Onibaba?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Who is the older woman in the film?
Onibaba Also Known As
19 alternative titles, including “Devil Woman” and “Онибаба”.
- Also known as
-
- Devil Woman
- Онибаба
- Onibaba - tappajat
- La femme diabolique
- Onibaba, les tueuses
- The Hole
- おにばば
- The Demon
- The Demoness
- A Mulher Demónio
- Onibaba - Die Töterinnen
- Onibaba - Le assassine
+7 more Show fewer
- Ονιμπάμπα
- Gropen
- Kobieta-diabeł
- 오니바바
- Женщина-демон
- Onibaba - A Mulher Demônio
- Şeytan Kadın
Seen Onibaba?
Movies Like Onibaba
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Kuroneko, Inugami and Marebito.
Onibaba FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, post-credit scenes and language of Onibaba, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Onibaba?
Onibaba runs 1 hour 45 minutes (105 minutes).
When was Onibaba released?
Onibaba was released on November 21, 1964.
Who directed Onibaba?
Onibaba was directed by Kaneto Shindô.
More films by Kaneto Shindô Who is in the cast of Onibaba?
Onibaba stars Kei Satô as Hachi, Taiji Tonoyama as Ushi and Nobuko Otowa as Woman, among 14 credited actors.
How much did Onibaba make at the box office?
Onibaba grossed $689 worldwide.
Does Onibaba have a post-credit scene?
No. Onibaba has no extra scene during or after the credits.
What language is Onibaba in?
The original language of Onibaba is Japanese.
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