For years, there was something dreadful haunting social media: the “Jonsas” — fans who shipped Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) as a couple on Game of Thrones, even though they were siblings (well, half-siblings). The frenzy only got worse when it was revealed they were “just” cousins. But incest was always a given in Westeros — we had to tolerate it. Still, I NEVER imagined we’d actually see the two together on screen again, and yet here we are: The Dreadful is making it happen.

EDITED: At the filmmakers’ request, the image has been removed from the blog.

That’s right — Kit Harington and Sophie Turner are paired in The Dreadful, a remake of the 1960s Japanese horror masterpiece Onibaba.

Originally released in 1964, Onibaba by Kaneto Shindō is a dark gem of Japanese cinema that defies easy categorization. Part horror, part social commentary, part erotic fable, the film is set in 14th-century Japan, during the ravaging Ōnin War. It follows two women — an older mother-in-law and her young daughter-in-law — who survive in the marshlands by killing stray soldiers and looting their bodies. Isolated and reduced to a near-feral existence, their dynamic changes when a man, also a deserter, arrives, awakening desire in the younger woman and fierce jealousy in the elder.

That’s when the film’s most iconic element appears: a demonic mask, inspired by the hannya mask of Noh theatre, symbolizing a woman consumed by jealousy, which the older woman uses to frighten the girl and drive her away from the newcomer. But the scheme turns against her when the cursed mask becomes permanently fused to her face. The horror becomes literal, but also symbolic: Onibaba is a study of desire, repression, and the terror that arises not from the supernatural, but from human degradation in times of war and abandonment.

The black-and-white cinematography is hauntingly beautiful, with the constant sway of reeds, the ever-blowing wind, and shadows that inject tension into every frame. The atonal score and repetitive rhythms create a near-ritualistic unease. Nobuko Otowa, actress and artistic partner to Shindō, gives a visceral performance as the older woman, who gradually transforms into a tragic, monstrous figure. At its core, Onibaba is about women forced to live on the margins, fighting not to disappear — and in doing so, becoming ghosts themselves.

Despite its cult status, Onibaba had never been directly remade — until now. In 2025, the story returns to the big screen with The Dreadful, an American production directed by Natasha Kermani and directly inspired by Shindō’s classic. Premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival and slated for commercial release later this year, the film reimagines the story with a gothic tone and Western setting, while retaining its core: two women isolated during wartime, a triangle of desire and fear, and a mask that reveals more than it conceals. According to the director, the film aims to capture the essence of Onibaba, preserving its moral ambiguity and subtle horror.

The cast of The Dreadful features Turner as the young wife, in her first foray into psychological horror, and Harington as the outsider who shatters the fragile balance between the two women — a role that demands both physical intensity and moral ambiguity. Marcia Gay Harden plays the mother-in-law, a casting choice that hints at a more restrained yet ruthless interpretation of the character, originally played as both grotesque and tragic.

The expectation is that The Dreadful will not only introduce a classic to new audiences but also redefine what a Western adaptation of a tale deeply rooted in Japanese folklore and cultural trauma can be. With high-profile actors and a director known for her sensitivity to female-driven, atmospheric narratives, the film promises to be one of the season’s most talked-about releases — and a provocative bridge between horror cinema’s past and present.
Just don’t expect the internet to survive another wave of Jonsas!