Japanese Horror Full List
An extensive list of Japanese horror films including some more obscure titles! I would advise sorting my iMDB rating because some of these films may not be to your tastes.
List activity
8.1K views
• 146 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
226 titles
- DirectorHideo NakataStarsNanako MatsushimaMiki NakataniYûko TakeuchiA reporter and her ex-husband investigate a cursed video tape that is rumored to kill the viewer seven days after watching it.The one that started it all.. Based on the Koji Suzuki book, this fantastic film is a classic. Does not feel dated and feels real unlike the American remake, which does not compare.
- DirectorTakashi ShimizuStarsYûrei YanagiYueRyôta KoyamaA teacher visits the house of one of his students after the boy goes missing, only to have a horrifying excuse for his absence from school.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsRyo IshibashiEihi ShiinaTetsu SawakiA widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.A strange one, utilising atmosphere and strange imagery, not relying on shock value until the end, this is a really well directed and beautiful looking horror film, focusing on moving on from past tragedy.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsTadanobu AsanoNao ÔmoriShin'ya TsukamotoAs sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of achieving.A bizarre film that has aspects of horror mainly due to its extremely gory nature, this is a another great Miike flick, with a true sense of individuality that sets it aside from its manga counterpart.
- StarsRen ÔsugiNaoki HosakaTomoko NakajimaAfter his wife is murdered, a homicide detective develops multiple personalities and takes revenge on her killer. Years later the killer seems to reappear from the dead.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsYûta SoneKimika YoshinoShohei HinoA yakuza enforcer is ordered to secretly drive his beloved colleague to be assassinated. But when the colleague unceremoniously disappears en route, the trip that follows is a twisted, surreal and horrifying experience.A film you need to watch twice. Essentially this is an anti-film that acts as a theatre display. The dialogue is absurdist, helping the horror aspect. It is however, a very funny film.
- DirectorHideo NakataStarsMiki NakataniHitomi SatôKyôko FukadaReiko takes Yôichi into hiding when her son begins to display frightening powers. Meanwhile, Mai Takano and the authorities begin a desperate search for them, as the mysterious Ring curse spreads.The better of the Ring sequels, watch this one before Rasen. (Discounting Birthday which I believe to be the second best in the series, the only serious contender with the original).
- DirectorJôji IidaStarsKôichi SatôMiki NakataniHinako SaekiA young pathologist seeks answers to the mysterious death of a friend and soon comes into contact with the same cursed videotape that caused the death of the friend's wife and son, which is haunted by the curse of Sadako, a relentless spirit.A terrible sequel to a classic movie. Makes no sense. The book this is based on is the one to check out, very intelligent and articulate, whilst this comes off as a very bad adaptation. There is a cool autopsy scene and that's essentially it..
- DirectorNorio TsurutaStarsHiroshi MikamiNoriko SakaiMaki HorikitaA newspaper predicts the deaths of a man's (Hiroshi Mikami) family members and friends.
- DirectorMasayuki OchiaiStarsMichiko HadaMari HoshinoTae KimuraINFECTION takes place in a dark, isolated hospital, where a doctor's mistake has led to dire consequences for a patient.
- DirectorTakashi ShimizuStarsYûkaKarinaKippei ShînaA Japanese actress begins having strange visions and experiences after landing a role in a horror film about a real-life murder spree that took place over forty years ago.
- DirectorTakashi ShimizuStarsShin'ya TsukamotoTomomi MiyashitaKazuhiro NakaharaA fear-obsessed freelance cameraman (Shinya Tsukamoto) investigates an urban legend involving mysterious spirits that haunt the subways of Tokyo.
- DirectorShin'ya TsukamotoStarsTomorô TaguchiKei FujiwaraNobu KanaokaA businessman accidentally kills The Metal Fetishist, who gets his revenge by slowly turning the man into a grotesque hybrid of flesh and rusty metal.The splatterpunk movie Tetsuo. A masterfully created film that is just awesome to watch. The film has this emphasis on speed and frantic movement that does not allow you to stop for a second. This is a great film.
- DirectorShin'ya TsukamotoStarsTomorô TaguchiShin'ya TsukamotoNobu KanaokaWhen metal-worshipping fanatics abduct his son, a father unleashes his dormant destructive power, as his naked rage transforms the once-feeble flesh into a grisly symbiosis of metal and tissue. Who dares to defy the ultimate body-hammer?A good sequel. A lot of charm is lost here, but if you enjoyed Tetsuo, you'll enjoy this too. I haven't added Tetsuo 3 for a reason..
- DirectorOsamu FukutaniStarsChisato MorishitaKenji MizuhashiYûko NakamuraAfter a group suicide, two journalists investigate the cycle of suicides caused by spirits bound by the Suicide Manual.A somewhat underrated film about a cursed videotape that makes the viewer want to kill themselves, this drew many parallels to the Suicide Club and Ring, however this was simply based on the Suicide Manual, a Japanese book that simply tells how to kill yourself. A very slow and depressing film, this is certainly not for everyone
- DirectorYûichi OnumaStarsNozomi AndôYûko DaikeKatsuya KobayashiThere has been a surge in the number of people killing themselves; a mysterious DVD is found on the bodies of the victims. Nozomi falls under the spell of a deadly cult. Yousuke, the policeman she is dating, soon realizes that the cult has something to do with the DVD. Then one day all trace of the group disappear along with NozomiEssentially the same film as The Suicide Manual with better visuals.
- DirectorKiyoshi KurosawaStarsKoji YakushoManami KonishiTsuyoshi IharaAn experienced police detective has to investigate the murder of an unknown woman dressed in a scarlet dress.
- DirectorAtaru OikawaStarsMiho KannoMami NakamuraYoriko DôguchiA traumatized young woman is trying to recover her memories with the help of a psychiatrist. During her hypnosis sessions, she repeats the name "Tomie" but is unable to recall where she knows it from.A favourite of mine, the film Tomie. Many despise this film, but because of my attachment to the manga this was based on, I couldn't help but enjoy this film. Spawned as many sequels as Tomie's clones but check it out. Make sure to find a good subtitle track if you can't read Japanese; if you can't check out the manga, you'll love it!
- DirectorShun NakaharaStarsNozomi AndôAoi MiyazakiJun KunimuraTomie terrorizes an artistically inclined young girl and her widowed father, slowly integrating herself into the family.
- DirectorTakashi ShimizuStarsMiki SakaiSatoshi TsumabukiKumiko EndôAn art student disappears after murdering his model. Now his friends and family are being haunted by the resurrected woman, Tomie.
- DirectorToshirô InomataStarsRuna NagaiAkira HiraiChie TanakaThe mysterious Tomie, the girl who cannot die, makes her way through three separate eposodic stories of terror.
- DirectorNoboru IguchiStarsMoe AraiMiu NakamuraAika OhtaA photography student's life takes a turn for the worse when her dead sister is welcomed back into the family home.The trashiest of the sequels. When one Tomie meets another they have a face off but unlike the John Woo film, there are no shootouts, this is a dry and unseasoned film. Only for the real devout Tomie fans out there.
- DirectorHiguchinskyStarsEriko HatsuneFhi FanHinako SaekiThe inhabitants of a small Japanese town become increasingly obsessed with and tormented by spirals.Titled Uzumaki and based on a Junji Ito manga, this film does not particularly stick to its source material but demonstrates an extremely eerie atmosphere unseen in many other Japanese horror films. The DVD is very expensive but it's worth it to watch this strange movie.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsKen'ichi EndôShungiku UchidaKazushi WatanabeA troubled and perverted family find their lives intruded by a mysterious stranger who seems to help find a balance in their disturbing natures.A cool movie, I don't care for it so much, but Visitor Q himself is a great character. This is a pretty gross film, not gory so check it out.
- DirectorKiyoshi KurosawaStarsMasato HagiwaraKoji YakushoTsuyoshi UjikiA frustrated detective deals with the case of several gruesome murders committed by people who have no recollection of what they've done.One of my favourite films ever, let alone Japanese horror cinema, a crime horror film about murders with no apparent motive. The murderers turn themselves in. Over the film you learn why and how this happens and the ending cements how dangerous power can manipulate.
- DirectorKiyoshi KurosawaStarsHaruhiko KatôKumiko AsôKoyukiTwo groups of people discover evidence that suggests spirits may be trying to invade the human world through the Internet.A very conscientious film about the meaning of life. A very sad horror film focusing on loneliness.
- DirectorKiyoshi KurosawaStarsHidetoshi NishijimaYûko TakeuchiToru BabaTakakura is a former detective. He receives a request from his ex-colleague, Nogami, to examine a missing family case that occurred six years earlier. Takakura follows Saki's memory. She is the only surviving family member from the case. Meanwhile, Takakura and his wife Yasuko recently moved into a new home. Their neighbor, Nishino, has a sick wife and a young teen daughter. One day, the daughter, Mio, tells him that the man is not her father and she doesn't know him at all.
- DirectorKôji ShiraishiStarsKotoha HiroyamaHiroaki KawatsureShigeo ÔsakoA doctor kidnaps a young couple and forces them into a game of torment that slowly extinguishes their hopes for survival.Marketed as one of the most evil films from Japan and banned in the UK, something that rarely happens, this is a very gory, very stupid splatter film. Definitely not for those with weak stomachs but I'm warning you, the most terrifying part of the film is the running time, this film is boooring.
- DirectorKôji ShiraishiStarsJin MurakiRio KannoTomono KugaA documentary filmmaker explores seemingly unrelated paranormal incidents connected by the legend of an ancient demon called the "kagutaba."A fantastic movie, made in the typical Japanese TV format. I won't spoil anything.
- DirectorKôji ShiraishiStarsMika AzumaHorikenKôen KondôKoji Shiraishi is interested in strange indiscriminate murder at a sightseeing resort. He goes behind the camera to investigate the circumstances surrounding strange occurrences and interview the survivors.
- DirectorKôji ShiraishiStarsEriko SatôHaruhiko KatôChiharu KawaiA suburban town in Japan is the victim of what is supposedly just an urban legend, a woman's spirit with a horribly disfigured face who is intent on kidnapping children for unknown reasons.
- DirectorKôji ShiraishiStarsKanako MomotaAkari HayamiShiori TamaiHorror mockumentary about a school haunted by a wish-granting ghost that drags people off into hell if it deems their wish to be impure.
- DirectorKôji ShiraishiStarsYû AbiruMayuko IwasaSayuri OyamadaFollows 3 actresses who play themselves as they appear on a paranormal television show to investigate the exorcism of the Kaneda family.
- DirectorKôji ShiraishiStarsMizuki YamamotoTina TamashiroAimi SatsukawaThe vengeful spirits of the Ring and Grudge series face off.A pretty tragic film. This is the one to sleep through.
- DirectorHideo NakataStarsElaiza IkedaTakashi TsukamotoHiroya ShimizuA group of people must find out how to stop the newborn deadly curse, which has born and gone viral after a Youtuber accidentally captured a vengeful ghost on camera.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsKô ShibasakiShin'ichi TsutsumiKazue FukiishiPeople mysteriously start receiving voicemail messages from their future selves, foretelling their deaths.Not to everyone's taste, but a film that made a large impact on the early 2000's horror scene and weirdly directed by Miike, this is a fairly well made horror film following suit of the success of Juon and Ringu.
- DirectorRenpei TsukamotoStarsRie MimuraHisashi YoshizawaChisunA Japanese restaurant cook/owner dies after answering his daughter's cellphone. Other people are getting strange, same ringtone calls as well and dying painfully. It happened in Taiwan as well. Can the police stop it if it's a ghost?A bad sequel.
- DirectorManabu AsôStarsMaki HorikitaMeisa KurokiJang Keun-sukThe timid, young Asuka is bullied by her classmates. When they embark on a class field trip to Korea, Asuka plans revenge by sending them a cursed phone message they can either pass on or die.A film even worse than the American remake of the original One Missed Call. Avoid
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsTatsuya FujiwaraAki MaedaTarô YamamotoIn the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill one another under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.One of the best modern Japanese films of all time. Consider Fukasaku's sentiments on adults when he was a child and you will understand the underlying themes of this film and its attitudes to society, war and the youth. His last movie, how he made this and Battles without Honor or Humanity is truly amazing.
- DirectorKenta FukasakuKinji FukasakuStarsTatsuya FujiwaraAi MaedaShûgo OshinariThree years after the failure of the last BR program, a second act is forged and a class of students is sent to an island with one objective: kill international terrorist Shuya Nanahara.Slightly underrated but a bad film. Funnily Kenta - Fukasaku's son - who directed this film only went down and down from here.
- DirectorHideo NakataStarsHitomi KurokiRio KannoMirei OguchiA mother and her 6-year-old daughter move into a creepy apartment whose every surface is permeated by water.A very touching but terrifying film. When I first watched this film I was deeply moved at the ending. A very very sad horror film.
- DirectorTakashi ShimizuStarsNoriko SakaiChiharu NiiyamaKei HorieAs their curse spreads on, the ghosts find their chance to live once again through the pregnancy of a cursed woman.
- DirectorEisuke NaitôStarsAnna YamadaHiroya ShimizuRinka ÔtaniAs if bullied by her classmates everyday is not enough, Nozaki finds her house burnt to the ground and her parents dead. Knowing that the fire is not an accident, she sneaks off to punish those responsible one by one.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsKô ShibasakiHideaki ItôEbizô IchikawaFiction begins to bleed into reality for actors (Ebizo Ichikawa, Ko Shibasaki, Hideaki Ito) as they rehearse a stage production of a classic Japanese ghost story.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsKenji SawadaKeiko MatsuzakaShinji TakedaA family moves to the country to run a rustic mountain inn when, to their horror, the customers begin befalling sudden and unlikely fates.One of the weirdest Miike films but probably the only musical I actually enjoy! This is a very wholesome horror film that either you enjoy or you love. Check it out.
- DirectorTetsuya NakashimaStarsJun'ichi OkadaNana KomatsuSatoshi TsumabukiOne day, a visitor leaves Hideki a memo of his unborn daughter's name "Chisa". Two years later, Hideki's house is attacked by a sinister presence. To protect his family, Hideki asks for help to perform a ritual to break an unknown spell.
- DirectorNobuhiko ÔbayashiStarsKimiko IkegamiMiki JinboKumiko ÔbaA schoolgirl and six of her classmates travel to her aunt's country home, which turns out to be haunted.An absurdist horror film from the late 70's but very well shot and using amazing cinematography, this is a classic. Make sure to watch the Eureka OR Criterion versions, they are how this film should be presented and they only.
- DirectorSatoshi KonStarsJunko IwaoRica MatsumotoShinpachi TsujiA pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past.One of the best animated films ever and also one of the best Japanese horror films. Supposedly the inspiration for Black Swan but I hate Black Swan, its boring - check this out instead!
- DirectorYoshihiro NishimuraStarsEihi ShiinaItsuji ItaoYukihide BennyIn future Tokyo, a young woman in the privatized police force tracks down her father's killer while battling against mutant rebels known as engineers.One of the most gory films of all time, complete with ridiculous skits commenting on society and more blood than the end of the Evil Dead remake, most gore heads will love this movie.
- DirectorAkio JissôjiAtsushi KanekoHisayasu SatôStarsTadanobu AsanoYûko DaikeChisako HaraThis four-part anthology takes its cue from the short fiction of legendary horror writer Edogawa Rampo.
- DirectorMinoru KawasakiStars'Hurricane Ryu' HarikenLee HoEiichi KikuchiTamura is an average divorced salary-man in Japan - and also a man-sized, suit-and-tie wearing, bipedal koala bear.
- DirectorKiyoshi KurosawaStarsKoji YakushoJun FubukiTsuyoshi KusanagiA psychic housewife and her husband become burdened with a kidnapped girl who escaped her assailant. Junko will not let her husband call the hospital or the police for purely selfish reasons. The girl dies while still in their house and her ghost begins to haunt not only Junko but also her husband, Sato (Koji Yakusho).
- DirectorSion SonoStarsMasumi MiyazakiIssei IshidaRie KuwanaThe erotic novelist Taeko is writing a morbid story of a family destroyed by incest, murder and abuse. Her assistant, Yuji, sets on a mission to uncover the reality of this story, but the reality might be too much to bear.
- DirectorSion SonoStarsRyo IshibashiMasatoshi NagaseMai HoshoA detective is trying to find the cause of a string of suicides.Underrated horror film. It's a bit dated and hard to take seriously for obvious reasons but it has some really memorable scenes.
- DirectorSion SonoStarsKazue FukiishiTsugumiYuriko YoshitakaA teenager called Noriko Shimabara runs away from her family in Tokoyama, to meet Kumiko, the leader of an Internet BBS, Haikyo.com. She becomes involved with Kumiko's "family circle", which grows darker after the mass suicide of 54 high school girls.A fantastic movie, check this out. I consider this to be the second best Sono film after Love Exposure (the best film of the 2000's imo).
- DirectorSion SonoStarsMitsuru FukikoshiDendenAsuka KurosawaThe lives of a bored suburban couple are changed forever when a seemingly nice old man gives their daughter a job at his fish store, and soon his gruesome hobbies are brought to light.
- DirectorSion SonoStarsMiki MizunoMakoto TogashiMegumi KagurazakaA grisly murder occurs in Maruyama-cho, Shibuya, Tokyo - a love hotel district - a woman was found dead in a derelict apartment. Kazuko (Miki Mizuno) is a police officer called to investigate on this case, she will discover the story of two women who, despite appearing respectable on the outside have all manner of darkness hidden away.I found this pretty dull but it's entertaining to an extent.
- DirectorSion SonoStarsChiaki KuriyamaMegumi SatôTsugumiAbout hair extensions that attack the women that wear them.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsAyana SakaiTakashi NagayamaChiaki IchibaA group of schoolgirls find out that a local modeling agency is run by vampires.One of the most obscure Miike films, this is a very long film but its very funny. Its about vampires!
- DirectorFruit ChanPark Chan-wookTakashi MiikeStarsBai LingLee Byung-hunKyoko HasegawaAn Asian cross-cultural trilogy of horror films from accomplished indie directors.Miike has a segment in this. These three stories are all very fun. 'Dumplings' was made into a great HK Chinese film so check that out too.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsShôta SometaniNijirô MurakamiRyunosuke KamikiA group of high school students are forced to play a game of death without knowing who, why or how.A decent flic.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsFumi NikaidôTakehiro HiraHideaki ItôA popular high school teacher concocts an extreme plan to deal with the rise of bullying and bad behavior among the student body.Another decent flic. Prefer this slightly to As the Gods Will.
- DirectorAkira KobayashiStarsYuriko AnjhoMiyako CojimaMizuki HikaruFrom producer Junji Ito (UZUMAKI, TOMIE) and writer/director Hideyuki Kobayashi comes a new kind of horror. Marino loves her Marronnier doll that was unfortunately made by a demented genius who uses a diabolical machine to turn human beings into wax dolls. Marronnier's assistant, Numai, is even more insane and takes a fancy to Marino. He begins to stalk her, and when that isn't enough, he takes Marino and her friends prisoner, plunging them into a dreamworld of living dolls and satin wedding gowns, hacked body parts and bondage! In his underground lair, Numai's girl-dolls come to life and start killing everyone!This movie sucks ass
- DirectorYûdai YamaguchiStarsNako MizusawaGoro NoguchiTakumi SaitôAs a teenager, Yoko discovers that she is not really an orphan when her wealthy but very strange family welcomes her home to a mansion that many claim is haunted.
- DirectorTetsuya NakashimaStarsTakako MatsuYoshino KimuraMasaki OkadaA psychological thriller of a grieving mother turned cold-blooded avenger with a twisty master plan to pay back those who were responsible for her daughter's death.Hard to debate this as a thriller or a horror but check it out regardless. One of the best Japanese revenge movies up there with the masterful Korean works such as I saw the Devil and the Vengeance Trilogy.
- DirectorKei'ichi SatoStarsMasako NozawaTesshô GendaMegumi HayashibaraAbandoned in the barren wasteland of Kyoto, a savage, enraged orphan does whatever it takes to survive in the wild. When he crosses paths with civilization, he must learn to tame the beast within.
- DirectorShin'ya TsukamotoStarsShin'ya TsukamotoYûko NakamuraCoccoWhen a single mother suffers a nervous breakdown, she is suspected of child abuse and her child is taken away. Her mental suffering escalates as she succumbs to her darkest fantasies.Very difficult for me to watch. The themes of self-harm and extensive paranoia are portrayed very realistically in this Tsukamoto film.
- DirectorShin'ya TsukamotoStarsRyûhei MatsudaHitomiMasanobu AndôThree people in Tokyo take a surreal voyage of self-discovery through memory and nightmares. "O" intends suicide while talking on a cell-phone with a stranger he meets on line who plans a simultaneous suicide. Events take a horrifying turn. Keiko Kirishima is a cool, seemingly emotionless police detective, brilliant but off-putting. She's faced with two mutilated corpses who appear to have killed themselves, but she's not sure. A cell-phone number links the deaths. She calls on Akumu Tantei, a poor and suicidal young man who has the ability to enter people's dreams. He's reluctant to help. His past haunts him. A subconscious duel of terror and blood awaits the three.A fun movie.
- DirectorShin'ya TsukamotoStarsRyûhei MatsudaYui MiuraHanae KanStill haunted by his unwanted abilities, which allow him to enter other people's dreams, and memories of his mother dying when he was a child, Kyoichi Kagenuma (Ryuhei Matsuda) contemplates suicide while slowly drowning in his world of misery. Yukie Mashiro (Yui Miura), having heard rumors about Kagenuma's extraordinary abilities, visits his home to beg for his help. She tells him she suffers from nightly nightmares that are getting scarier. The murderous ghost in the dreams has already killed two of her friends. She's afraid she's the next to die and believes only Kagenuma can save her. Kagenuma ignores her pleas for help, but Yukie, refusing to give up, returns every day to change his mind. Kagenuma finally decides to take on Yukie's case to understand the circumstances of his mother's death. It, however, demands from Kagenuma more than he expected to give while it leads him into the darkest corners of dream scape.If you really enjoyed the first, you'll like this too. Sticks to the same formula.
- DirectorShin'ya TsukamotoStarsShin'ya TsukamotoTakahiro MuraseTakahiro KandakaA man wakes up to find himself locked in a cramped concrete maze of corridors, in which he can barely move. He doesn't remember why he is there or how he got there. He has a terrible stomach injury and is slowly bleeding to death.
- DirectorShin'ya TsukamotoStarsTadanobu AsanoNami TsukamotoKikiAfter a tragic car accident where his girlfriend Ryôko Ooyama (Nami Tsukamoto) died, Hiroshi Takagi (Tadanobu Asano) suffers amnesia with his memories completely blanked. When he sees a book about dissection, he decides to join the medical school with the support of his parents. In the dissection class, his group participates of the autopsy of a young woman, and while cutting apart the tissue, he partially recalls his accident. Later, when he sees a tattoo in the arm of the corpse, he discloses that she was his girlfriend and becomes obsessed to go further in the examination of the body.Weird and original. Very strong lead by the great Tadanobu Asano.
- DirectorShin'ya TsukamotoStarsAsuka KurosawaYûji KôtariShin'ya TsukamotoA woman is being stalked by a stranger. His stalking turns to blackmail when he sends her copies of photos of her in an embarrassing position. Now he controls her and she has to do anything he says. Anything.
- DirectorShin'ya TsukamotoStarsMasahiro MotokiRyôYasutaka TsutsuiA successful doctor, Yukio's picture perfect life is gradually wrecked, and taken over by his avenging twin brother, who bumps off his family members one by one and reclaims his lover who is now Yukio's wife.
- DirectorShin'ya TsukamotoStarsKenji SawadaMasaki KudouHideo MurotaA goblin is sent to Earth to behead students and turn their bodies into demons.
- DirectorShin'ya TsukamotoStarsKaori FujiiShin'ya TsukamotoKôji TsukamotoSuspecting that his childhood friend, a professional boxer, is having a love affair with his fiancée, a businessman starts training rigorously in order to take him down.Not really a horror film, but the best Tsukamoto film imo. This is a good entrance to watch the examples of his above because you get used to his cinematic traits.
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsRentarô MikuniMichiyo AratamaMisako WatanabeA collection of four Japanese folk tales with supernatural themes.Beautiful movie, incredible in many ways. Why this doesn't have a higher score is shocking. Many of Kobayashi's works are severely underrated and really his films are just as good as Kurosawa's! Please check them out.
- DirectorKaneto ShindôStarsNobuko OtowaJitsuko YoshimuraKei SatôTwo women kill samurai and sell their belongings for a living. While one of them is having an affair with their neighbor, the other woman meets a mysterious samurai wearing a bizarre mask.Fantastic movie that came out the same year as Kwaidan. Retrospectively they are just about as well known as each other which is great.
- DirectorKaneto ShindôStarsKichiemon NakamuraNobuko OtowaKei SatôTwo women are raped and killed by samurai soldiers. Soon they reappear as vengeful ghosts who seduce and brutally murder the passing samurai.Another great move. Literal translation is 'black cat'. Amazing imagery and photography.
- DirectorShozin FukuiStarsHaji SuzukiOnn-chanKôji ÔtsuboPinocchio 964, lobotomised cyborg sex slave, is thrown out onto the street by his owners because of his inability to maintain an erection. He is befriended by a criminally insane, memory-wiped, homeless girl. Meanwhile, the corporate entity who manufactured and sold him plots to kill him because of his malfunction.A cult favourite, this film is completely bonkers. So so strange, very cool though, has the kinetic feel of Tetsuo, inspiration is visible.
- DirectorShigeru IzumiyaStarsShigeru IzumiyaTakichi InukaiRikako MurakamiTwo people, a man and a woman enters a warehouse that will change their life and minds forever.
- DirectorShozin FukuiStarsNaoNorimizu AmeyaYôta KawaseScientists use a brain-altering drug to conduct experiments, after one such project goes astray, they need to find another test subject in this Japanese splatter-punk film.Awesome splatter-punk film check it out!
- DirectorYasuzô MasumuraStarsEiji FunakoshiMako MidoriNoriko SengokuA blind sculpter and his mother kidnap a young model.Sleazy but enjoyable. More sexual than violent themes.
- DirectorYasuharu HasebeStarsTamaki KatsuraYuri YamashinaNatsuko YashiroTwo restaurant employees begin a torturous and sexual killing spree after they accidentally kill a hitch hiker and find that murder and mutilation is their mutual aphrodisiac.
- DirectorYoshihiro NishimuraStarsYumiko HaraEihi ShiinaKazuki NamiokaStill reeling from the events of a zombie apocalypse, a young woman, along with a group of allies, makes her way across a dystopian Japan in search of her mother, the Zombie Queen.
- DirectorShin'ichirô UedaStarsTakayuki HamatsuYuzuki AkiyamaHarumi ShuhamaThings go badly for a hack director and film crew shooting a low budget zombie movie in an abandoned WWII Japanese facility, when they are attacked by real zombies.The best Asian zombie film ever made. The second part of this film is just so wholesome and lovely. This is a fantastic movie!
- DirectorToshiharu IkedaStarsMiyuki OnoAya KatsuragiHitomi KobayashiA late night TV presenter receives a snuff tape, in which a woman is brutally killed. She decides to take a crew out to a location indicated in the tape, but only death and despair await them.
- DirectorIzô HashimotoStarsShoko NakajimaRie KondohShirô SanoA female projectionist suddenly comes to the self-realization that she just in fact may be a serial killer responsible for brutally murdering everyone around her.Bad..
- DirectorMichio YamamotoStarsChôei TakahashiSanae EmiMidori FujitaA doctor investigates the murders of several women at a lakeside resort. His investigation leads him to believe that a vampire is responsible for the murders. He sets out to track the vampire down.Campy classic.
- DirectorHideshi HinoStarsHiroshi TamuraKirara YûgaoAnja BlagojevicLate at night, a woman is kidnapped by an unknown assailant and taken back to his blood-spattered dungeon, where he turns her into a "flower of blood and flesh" through a series of dismemberment and evisceration.Pointless. Just a fake snuff movie. Some people may comment on its importance but no it is not historically relevant. It is simply not a nice movie to watch and it therefore unenjoyable. However if you get access to the behind the scenes, they're great and show how these b-movies are made. Spawned a few sequels all much worse with the exception of one. If you like this movie good for you.
- DirectorSatoru OguraA duo of guys capture and brutally torture a young girl to the point of piercing her retina.
- DirectorHideshi HinoStarsShigeru SaikiMari SomeiMasami HisamotoAn artist rescues a mermaid in a sewer who develops bleeding sores all over her body, paints a portrait with her oozes and eventually disjoints her.
- DirectorMasayuki KusumiStarsShinsuke ArakiIvuMasahiro SatôAfter being dumped by his girlfriend for a friend, he attempts suicide - which turns up pain-free - and decides to scare the guy by literally throwing his own guts at him.A bit funny. This is the exception. Comedy orientated this is a funny laugh.
- DirectorKazuhito KuramotoStarsToshihiko HinoMio TakakiTomorô TaguchiA dwarf scientist has his dreams frustrated when his sister becomes seriously ill. Determined to find a way to preserve the essence of his sister after the death, the scientist begins to use humans as guinea pigs in a bizarre experiment.
- DirectorHajime TabeStarsMitsuru FukikoshiKobuhei HayashiyaMasami HisamotoA drag queen doctor named Peter conducts experiments on patients which end up in anguish!
- DirectorHisayasu SatôStarsMisa AikaYumika HayashiMika KiriharaA scientist taints his mother's scientific experiment with his own drug that transforms pain into a pleasurable experience. Unfortunately for the three women involved in the experiment, the drug works a little bit too well.
- DirectorHideshi HinoStarsIsamiAyaka Tomoda
- DirectorKazuyuki SakamotoStarsAjaKôki KaiNarumi KonnoAll set to enjoy their day off, three high school friends, Yukino, Asako, and Natsu, board a seemingly normal train... when suddenly, a deafening sound and a flash of light envelop them!....But the three arrive at school the next day as if nothing happened. And yet, something is not right....They see oddly familiar faces, their families are out of sync and they are chased by strange men in black. Plagued by these nightmarish sensations, Yukino flees, only to find herself in front of the amusement park they were heading to on that fateful train ride. Slumping to the ground, Yukino comes to a strange realization....They are stuck between nightmare and reality, between the walls of two worlds that are closing in on them. But which world is real...?!"
- DirectorMari AsatoStarsMirai YamamotoMitsuru AkaboshiBaku NumataA mysterious old woman appears before Setsu, who has recently lost her only child in a tragic accident. She says she can bring Setsu's son, Daio back to life. After agreeing to this sinister proposal, Daio returns to his mother, but to Setsu's horror, he is half decomposed and inhuman. To make him human again, he needs fresh human organs. Setsu does everything she can to reincarnate her son, but Daio just turns into a different kind of monster. No one can stop him as he continues to feed his hunger, claiming victim after victim.
- DirectorKazuyoshi KumakiriStarsMarie KawaguchiMasaki MiuraSatoshi MorishitaIn a rural village, a boy named Zoroku suddenly becomes infected with an unknown disease that causes him to rot away slowly.
- DirectorHideo NakataStarsYûrei YanagiYasuyo ShirashimaKei IshibashiA filmmaker and crew slowly go insane after being continually haunted by the ghost of a dead actress.Very underrated Nakata flic. Absolutely terrifying. One of my favourite horror films of all time. Had to be given the no. 100 spot!