Exclusive Premiere: A Samurai Faces His Demons in Horror Short ONI Based on Classic Japanese
Josh Millican
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Oni is the latest from Anthony Pietromonaco, co-produced by Manifest Film LLC and Louvard Entertainment, and sponsored by Samuraiswords.store. Actors Toru Uchikado (Castlevania, Heroes Reborn, Westworld) and Masashi Odate (The Last Samurai, Letters from Iwo Jima) are the leads.
Original character designs are by Jaremy Aiello (Star Trek, Annabelle, Mortal Kombat) and Tanner White (Bone Tomahawk).
Today, Dread Central is thrilled to exclusively debut Oni! Give it a spin embedded at the top of the article; enjoy some incredible stills below.
Synopsis:
The film follows a young man, the real-life descendent of the hero “Momotaro” from the classic Japanese folktale, as he confronts a demon trapped within a cursed sword.
“We wanted to figure out a way to make a classic folktale (one known to nearly all Japanese people) present in modern-day western culture,” says Pietromonaco. “The basic premise is that the historical figure ‘Momotaro’ used an ancient sword to seal the gateway to a Japanese demon world. Thousands of years later, an American soldier finds the sword amidst the rubble of a temple during WW2, and brings it home to the states – not knowing what it really is. His grandson inherits the sword, and demons (Oni) within start to wreak havoc in an attempt to escape once again.”
The film was made as a proof of concept with an extremely limited budget, a cast/crew of less than 10 people, and was a labor of love for all involved. The film features some impressive visuals from the same team behind the starwarsdarklegacy.com fan film, and is well worth a watch with its 6-minute runtime.
What do you think of Oni? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also carry on the convo with me personally on Twitter @josh_millican.
