To make matters worse, Kikuyo decides to abandon her kids during an argument in the middle of the night, leaving the youngsters in the care of a couple obviously incapable of caring for them. Oume turns into an abusive beast, verbally berating the children and even dumping detergent in a little girl's hair, while the desperate and alcoholic Sokichi tries his best to be a good father under the most dire of circumstances. Not surprisingly, things do not turn out well.
Buoyed by an impressive performance from the always top-notch Ogata, The Demon (whose title is figurative in this case) offers a convincing roster of characters showing how badly parenting can turn out under socially oppressive conditions. In today's climate of headline-grabbing domestic violence, the film might not be quite the shocker it was intended to be; however, the quality of the presentation still makes it a spare, riveting experience that transcends its cultural boundaries. The child abuse theme will make this tough going for many viewers; fortunately the childrens' performances are erratic enough to assure the audience that, yes, it's only a movie. The second of the director's Matsumoto adaptations (after the very difficult crime thriller Castle of Sand), this film only enters suspense thriller territory during the third act in which the protagonist is shoved so far into a deadly corner that his moral compass becomes entirely useless. At least the film offers something of a flicker of redemption at the end as the police procedural aspects take over, bringing the audience slowly down from what would have otherwise been a bleak endurance test.
Home Vision's DVD of this rarely screened title features a striking cover design and a beautifully saturated, colorful transfer. Some viewers have complained of excessive edge enhancement in the transfer, though it looked naturally film-like on the two monitors audited for this review. The film element is in excellent shape, and it's worth noting that this is a rare 1970s Japanese film that isn't in scope. The 1.85:1 framing looks fine and features anamorphic enhancement.
Extras are fairly sparse here; you get a theatrical trailer emphasizing the children in the story, as well as filmographies for Nomura and Ogata and Home Vision's ubiquitous Zatoichi promo trailer.
For more information about The Demon, visit Home Vision Entertainment. To order The Demon, go to TCM Shopping.
by Nathaniel Thompson
