Kasumi is captured and subjected to the “Rite of Seven Blades,” a ritual that slowly transforms her into a new guardian of the mirror. She escapes by severing her own left arm (a practical FX highlight) and learns from a half-damned hermit that the only way to break the curse is to shatter the mirror with a weapon forged from the original shrine maiden’s bones—which the hermit possesses.

| Outlet | Rating | Quote | |--------|--------|-------| | Eiga.com | 4.5/5 | “Grim, gorgeous, and gut-wrenching. The franchise’s Empire Strikes Back .” | | Variety | 7/10 | “Over-reliant on gore, but Takeda’s physical commitment is undeniable.” | | Screen Anarchy | 9/10 | “A masterpiece of cursed folk horror. The mirror scene will haunt you.” |

In a 25-minute climactic sequence, Kasumi fights through waves of damned villagers using ninjutsu, explosives, and the bone-dagger. She reaches the village’s heart—a pit of molten souls—and confronts the “Damned Daimyo” (the original bandit leader, now a fused mass of 47 bodies). She shatters the mirror, causing the village to collapse into a volcanic fissure. The final shot: Kasumi, one-armed, limping into a forest as cherry blossoms fall, revealing her eyes now faintly glowing—suggesting part of the curse remains within her. 3. Character Breakdown

Fictional Film Analysis Unit, Kyoto Cinematic Archives Date: April 18, 2026

Lady Ninja Kasumi 7: Damned Village is a brutal, artful reinvention that sacrifices franchise comfort for genuine dread. While not for casual viewers due to its extreme content, it stands as a landmark in Japanese horror-action fusion. The final image of Kasumi’s glowing eyes—neither hero nor monster—perfectly encapsulates the film’s thesis: in a cursed world, survival is its own damnation.

Budget: $8.5 million USD Box Office (Japan only): ¥2.1 billion (~$14 million USD) Rating: R18+ (extreme violence, nudity, body horror)

Lady Ninja Kasumi 7: Damned Village is the seventh installment in the long-running Japanese jidaigeki (period drama) / action-horror franchise Lady Ninja Kasumi . Directed by Takashi Shimizu (of Ju-On fame) in a surprising tonal shift, the film departs from the series’ usual political revenge plots to embrace full supernatural body horror and survival thriller elements. Set during the late Sengoku period (circa 1590), the film follows master kunoichi Kasumi (played by breakout star Rina Takeda) as she investigates a remote mountain village whose inhabitants have been transformed into grotesque, immortal “damned” by a cursed shogunate relic.