Demons

Matsumoto’s minimalist and relentlessly grim second feature marries elements of horror film, noir, and jidai-geki to present a dark vision of fate and the depths of human nature. Adapted from a 19th-century kabuki play and shot in inky monochrome, Demons unfolds the twisty tale of a wronged ronin who unleashes an infernal force of cruelty in his quest for vengeance. Grisly, shocking, and furiously nihilistic, the film is another example of the director’s reinvention of narrative genres through characteristically jagged montage and exhilarating experimental flourishes.