Claudio Carvalho A group of samurai breaks in the house of the peasants Yone (Nobuko Otowa) and her daughter-in-law Shige (Kiwako Taichi) to loot their food and they rape and kill the women. The burn their house to the ground and a black cat licks their corpses. Soon the women returns as ghosts posing as geisha and Shige lures samurais late night at Rajômon asking for protection through a bamboo grove. She brings the samurai to a fancy house that is indeed her burnt-out house; introduces her mother; seduces the samurai and kill him tearing his neck apart. Meanwhile the warrior Hachi kills a powerful enemy and severs his head. He is summoned to Rajômon by the samurai Raiko (Kei Satô) that makes him samurai and he tells that his name is Gintoki (Kichiemon Nakamura). Then he finds his house destructed and looks for Yone and Shige and he learns that they are missing. Gintoki is assigned by Raiko to destroy the ghosts that are killing samurais. What will happen when Gintoki discovers that the ghosts are Yone and Shige?"Yabu no naka no kuroneko" is a Japanese ghost story of love and revenge. The plot is well developed despite the confused conclusion and supported by great performances and wonderful cinematography in black- and-white. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Gato Preto" ("The Black Cat")

gavin6942 Two women are raped and killed by samurai soldiers. Soon they reappear as vengeful ghosts who seduce and brutally murder the passing samurai.Manohla Dargis describes the film as "a ghost story that's more eerie than unnerving, and often hauntingly lovely". Maitland McDonagh writes that it is "darkly seductive" and "sleek, hair-raisingly graceful, and ready to take its place alongside the other landmarks of Japanese horror history". I appreciate that the phrase is "take its place", implying it is not already there. Despite being released by no less an authority than the Criterion Collection, I don't think this is a very well-known Japanese horror film.What is really striking for me is the use of the eyebrows. A simple use of makeup, but it makes for a very creepy and offsetting feeling. The women become somehow other than human.

Chung Mo Shot in black and white, this film has some unique imagery to accompany the creepy haunting. Very much in the style of Kwaidan and other Japanese supernatural films of the 1960's. And very much a traditional Japanese ghost story where ghosts and evil spirits inhabit a world of logic alien to the real world. Western ghosts stories usually have the spirits think as living people do. Japanese spirits behave in bizarre ways that are much more disturbing.The film follows the two spirits of a murdered wife and mother-in-law as they proceed to kill and drink the blood of any samurai that passes their neighborhood. The film, while very well made, is slightly routine at this point. When the husband returns a war hero, the film becomes poetic as he is assigned the task of eliminating the "monster" that is killing samurai. His encounters with his now demonic wife and mother comprise the rest of the film.A truly excellent film. Any fan of the new Japanese horror films should see where they come from.

bryan315 Shindo's Kuroneko is an absolute classic of the genre. The film is full of imagery an atmosphere that will haunt the viewer forever. The plot is basically about the revenge of two women who are raped by samurai warriors and then killed.They come back from the grave as cat vampire ghosts who suck the blood of samurai warriors.The parts with the vampires floating through the air are awesome and when they climb trees like cats are very memorable also. One of my favorite moments is when a warrior is walking through the woods and notices something on the back of his horse while he is pulling it.(I don't want to give it away). There are so many things I could say about the film but the bottom line is if you are a vampire or horror movie fan(especially old school) this film is a MUST! You may have to search around for a copy of the film because it is extremely rare but it would be worth the effort. TRUST ME! You will wonder how you ever lived without seeing it!