Rent Irezumi (1966)

A beautiful spider woman wreaks revenge on all those who mistreated her in pre-modern Japan - Irezumi review by Philip in Paradiso

The film takes place in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). Tattooing - an ancient practice known as 'irezumi' in Japanese, hence the title of the film - is central to the story. Otsuya (Ayako Wakao) is the beautiful and seductive daughter of a wealthy merchant. She falls in love with Shinsuke (Akio Hasegawa), her father’s apprentice, who is of a much lower social status. The couple decide to elope in order to escape the anger of Otsuya's father. The two lovers, however, are in a vulnerable position and various individuals try to take advantage of them - more particularly of the beautiful Otsuya.

The merchant's daughter finds herself destined to become a geisha - presented as a form of prostitution in the movie - and her body is violated when the image of a bloodthirsty spider is tattooed on her back without her consent. That spider, known as 'jorogumo', is a supernatural entity in the Japanese tradition, which can shape-shift between the form of a golden orb-weaver spider and a beautiful woman. Somehow, in the film, the spider and Otsuya become one, and the spider is a curse on all those involved. Otsuya is strong-willed and bold, and she decides she will take revenge on all those who have tormented her, more particularly the men who have taken advantage of her.

The film develops from that point onwards into a dark and gory tale of lust, love, blood, violence and murder. The movie is fascinating in a morbid kind of way, as the curse of the spider tattoo comes to dominate the entire narrative. It is an interesting and captivating film, which also represents a reflection on various broad themes, such as the nature of love and power. It is very good at showing the amount of power that lust and beauty can give to a seemingly helpless woman like Otsuya, at the expense of the men who would do anything to possess her.