Demons

Demons (Shura, 1971) is a black-and-white Japanese drama laced with horror that you can watch online on iFILM. Disgraced over unpaid debts, the ronin Gengobe is barred from joining his clan's famous vendetta of the 47 samurai until he clears what he owes. His one comfort is Koman, a geisha who has tattooed a vow of loyalty into her own skin.

Then peasants quietly pool a hundred ryo to buy him back his honor — and that small mercy becomes the trap. A teahouse master whispers that Koman is dying without him, that a wealthy patron means to purchase her freedom. What follows is a cold piece of theater staged around the samurai, the geisha and her accomplices working him for every last coin. When the deception finally splits open, the film slides from domestic intrigue into a slow waking nightmare.

Director Toshio Matsumoto, who made Funeral Parade of Roses, adapts a kabuki play by Tsuruya Nanboku into something far from heroic chanbara. The camera holds long pools of darkness; the violence lands abruptly, almost matter-of-factly. This is bleak, demanding arthouse about revenge, jealousy and self-ruin — meant for viewers who want their samurai cinema severe. Stream Demons online on iFILM.