m. As this particular subject matter (ghosts/demons) deals with the atmosphere, films such as Onibaba ( Shinto, 1964), Kuroneko (Shinto, 1968), Kwaidan ( Kobayashi, 1964), and Yume a.k.a Akira Kurosawa's Dreams ( Kurosawa, 1990) are able to create a simple but also an impressive atmosphere either by the help of misé-en-scene or the use of light and colour.
             'Oni' which means demon with horns, are mostly women who are transfered into this supernatural creatures because of jeolusy and violent grief .
             In the film Onibaba there is a woman and her mother-in-law who kills samurai and sells their armors in order to survive under the circumstances of a civil war. One day the woman fells in love with one of the samurai and refuses to kill him. The mother would not bear this situation and tries to scare her with a mask which she steals from a bad samurai.When she puts the mask on she would not take off again and becomes a demon. The usage of the mask is a reference to the japanese traditional art form which is called No Theatre. In addition to that the construction of the conclusion is inspired from another traditional art form, Kabuki.
             In Kabuki, traditional theatre of Japan, it is essential to reward the good and punish the evil although its purpose is entertainment. It is a part of their duities according to their beliefs. In addition to that, masks are one of the most important props of No Theatre which is also traditional art performance of Japan. In No performances the type and the color of the mask is important as each of them symbolizes different things. Although the film is b&w it is easy to perceive the mask as a symbol of the devilishness.
             In the film Kuroneko, once more director Kaneto Shinto deals with supernatural powers and the relationship of a passionate daughter and her mother-in-law. This time the center of the subject matter is a revengeful ghosts. In traditional ghost stories of Japan ...