The Demon

A man named Sokichi and his domineering wife run a printing business together. Their lives are disrupted when Sokichi's former lover, Kikuyo, arrives and leaves their three young children in their care before disappearing. This act serves as a way to punish Sokichi for failing to provide financial support. The children are left in a hostile environment where the wife feels intense hatred toward them. Together, the couple begins to plot ways to get rid of the children.

This crime drama was produced by Shochiku and released in 1978. It was directed by Yoshitarō Nomura, who also served as the producer. In the chronological order of his work, this is film number 12 of 16, following The Perennial Weed and preceding Writhing Tongue. The screenplay was written by Masato Ide. The main cast features Ken Ogata as Sokichi Takeshita, Shima Iwashita as Oume, and Mayumi Ogawa as Kikuyo, with Hiroki Iwase, Miyuki Yoshizawa, and Jun Ishii playing the children.

The film has received generally positive feedback from viewers. On IMDb, it holds a rating of 7.4/10 based on 1,100 votes, while on TMDB, it has a score of 6.6/10 from 41 votes.