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If you think J-horror began with Sadako crawling out of a well, then Kaneto Shindō’s 1964 masterpiece of historical horror is a great introduction to Japan’s rich library of nightmares. In the middle of the roiling civil wars of the Nanboku-chō period, a woman (Nobuko Otowa) and her daughter (Jitsuko Yoshimura) lure unsuspecting soldiers fleeing combat to a gruesome death, then sell their armor for food. Yet a mask, supernatural forces, and the terrible bond between mother and daughter make for one of terror cinema’s most unforgettable nightmares. – Richard Whittaker
