The premise
Akemi is a dragon 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 go on to pursue Akemi’s gang in revenge, leaving a trail of dead Yakuza girls, their dragon tattoos skinned from their bodies.
Horror Vault's take
Set in the shadowy world of Japanese yakuza clans, this 1970 cult film follows Akemi, a fierce female gang leader whose act of violence in a rival duel sets a curse in motion she cannot outrun. A mysterious black cat becomes the harbinger of a creeping, supernatural retribution that begins picking apart her clan one by one. Director Teruo Ishii delivers a fever-dream blend of samurai action, gothic horror, and lurid style that is unlike almost anything else from the era. Meiko Kaji commands the screen in a role that cements her status as one of Japanese genre cinema's most iconic presences.
Content: Graphic Violence, Gore, Torture, Eye Trauma, Depictions Of Drug Use (Opium), Skinning Of Bodies
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