BLIND WOMAN’S CURSE
Director: Teruo Ishii Run Time: 85 min. Release Year: 1970 Language: Japanese
Starring: Hideo Sunazuka, Hoki Tokuda, Makoto Satō, Meiko Kaji, Nobuko Aoki
“Equal parts classic yakuza drama and psychedelic gore flick.”
— mpberdan, LETTERBOXD
From Teruo Ishii, BLIND WOMAN’S CURSE is a thrilling yakuza film featuring eye-popping visuals, sensational fight sequences and the iconic Meiko Kaji (LADY SNOWBLOOD) in her first major role. Akemi (Kaji) is a tattooed leader of the Tachibana Yakuza clan. In a duel with a rival gang, Akemi slashes the eyes of an opponent and a black cat appears, to lap the blood from the gushing wound. The cat, along with the eye-victim, pursue Akemi’s gang in revenge, leaving a trail of dead yakuza girls. A bizarre blend of the female yakuza film and traditional Japanese ghost story with a strong dash of grotesque erotica, BLIND WOMAN’S CURSE is a delirious mash-up of classic genre tropes — of which Ishii was no stranger, having directed everything from Super Giant films to biker movies.
Courtesy of Arrow Films and the American Genre Film Archive.