Scariest Asian Horror
Need to stay awake for whatever reason? No need to bother with caffeine or other stimulants-- simply watch one or more of these movies! You won't be able to fall asleep (or in many cases, relax) even if you want to.
Sure, you may hear people whine about how most of these movies may have some things in common... black hair that moves around by itself, curses, female ghosts on the ceiling, characters literally being scared to death ...they all also are so scary I literally can't watch them alone in the house unless it's light out. Most of them gave me bad dreams, some nightmares, and all of them gave me --and everyone I talk to who also saw them-- such a big jump (or more than one) during the movie that they swear their entire body lost contact with their seat. I've seen good ones, terrible ones, and ones that I still can't get out of my head...here's ten of the latter, in no order of importance.
Sure, you may hear people whine about how most of these movies may have some things in common... black hair that moves around by itself, curses, female ghosts on the ceiling, characters literally being scared to death ...they all also are so scary I literally can't watch them alone in the house unless it's light out. Most of them gave me bad dreams, some nightmares, and all of them gave me --and everyone I talk to who also saw them-- such a big jump (or more than one) during the movie that they swear their entire body lost contact with their seat. I've seen good ones, terrible ones, and ones that I still can't get out of my head...here's ten of the latter, in no order of importance.
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- DirectorBanjong PisanthanakunParkpoom WongpoomStarsAnanda EveringhamNatthaweeranuch ThongmeeAchita SikamanaWhen Jane and Tun run over a girl in a car accident, they speed away immediately from the crime scene. However, Tun, a photographer, soon discovers strange shadows in his photos, which unsettles them.Ignore the American remake (which you should do with all of them other the The Ring and The Grudge--Director's Cut, since Ghost House didn't try to mess with the director's vision, or cast) and see this one. In fact, if I list American remakes on here assume it's a mistake. If I think about the remake for this one, I actually start getting angry. Anyway, Shutter scared me so much that I performed a first with a horror movie- I stopped the DVD little more than halfway through and waited until the next day (notice I say 'day'- yes, I was dumb enough to decide to watch this in the middle of the night, until I realized I was in WAY over my head). In fact, I was too busy shaking I didn't even realize this movie was Thai horror rather than J or K-horror until I read a book on Asian horror that grouped movies together by country of origin. It also took me well over a year until I got up my nerve to re-watch it... and THAT was on my laptop, with the sound turned almost all the way down. Several images (and the final reveal) were still as sharp in my mind as if I'd watched them yesterday. I almost picked the DVD last week on Amazon, since the price was actually in my low-budget range ...but couldn't muster up the nerve.
I could make this already longass comment twice as lengthy, but the less you know about this movie going in, the better (that actually goes for the whole list, but especially this one). If this was re-released in the US, the level of violence/gore could easily make it a PG-13. My opinion is that Shutter should be shown in film classes around the world as an example of how to make a movie frightening without resorting to gore or throw-away jumps. Oh, it has jumps, you can bet your ass on that, but they're all well-earned. If you only see one horror import from Thailand (though it would be really stupid to limit yourself), make it Shutter. - DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsLim Soo-jungYum Jung-ahKim Kap-suAfter being institutionalized in a mental hospital, Su-mi reunites with her sister, Su-yeon, and they return to live at their country home. But strange events plague the house, leading to surprising revelations and a shocking conclusion.Everyone --and I mean EVERYONE I have talked to who has seen this movie brings up the fact this this movie has one specific 'jump scene' (if you've seen it, you know the one I mean) on a par with the last scene of Carrie. On my end, though, there's an additional jump in the movie that haunts me --'haunts' meaning scares the living **** out of me, at least in this case--just as much. I was deliberately watching this (as I did with almost all the other flicks on this list) movie during broad, sunny daylight. I'd already found out the hard way that watching most Asian horror movies alone after dark when you have a long history of chronic insomnia/anxiety issues is NOT a good mix. I still jumped so high I think my entire body left contact with the sofa. Seriously, if neither of the BIG jump scenes don't at least make you twitch a little involuntarily, check your pulse ...because you probably don't have one.
- DirectorHiguchinskyStarsEriko HatsuneFhi FanHinako SaekiThe inhabitants of a small Japanese town become increasingly obsessed with and tormented by spirals.This one I actually DID watch after dark, when I was the only one in the house still awake. As creepy and frightening as the manga of the same name that the movie is based on, and if you've read ANY of the three books that comprise the manga, you know that is no easy task. This one also has images I still can't quite get out of my head, and I watched the movie in 2008.
Oh, an update: I rented the movie again in Fall of 2011, this time making the genius decision to watch it on the flatscreen. All the images I recalled were every bit as scary--just as much bang for your buck (or yen). Not only that, but there was one shot, a VERY disturbing, brief set-piece (and arguably the most bloody), that I only recalled about two seconds before it happened. The entire movie is so increasingly unnerving --not a lot of rests between scares, and little comic relief --that I suppose my brain wiped the scene out because it was just too much for my central nervous system to take in all at once.
Also, in between viewings, I read the complete manga--not sure whether to recommend the movie or the graphic novels first. The series of graphic novels' tone is even darker-WAY darker, and the movie's not exactly happy-go-lucky to start with. I picked the manga (which has won an impressive and lengthy list of notable awards and honors that were absolutely earned) after I saw the movie--which at least warns you what you are in for--out of morbid curiosity. I was so blown away I went and rented the movie again to compare the two, and can report that other than excluding some storylines that would've made the movie very hard to be released and marketed for all but adult audiences, the movie captures the tone and spirit of the graphic novels dead-on. Many of the best-known scenes from the manga are recreated perfectly, even when the scenes in the manga in question would seem to be impossible to stay true to in a live-action format. if you do see the movie --and don't get so freaked out you have multiple borderline panic attacks like I did when I tried to sleep the next couple nights--and want more, buy or borrow the manga to get the full experience. If you do, that almost guarantees you'll want another viewing of the movie. - DirectorYong-gyun KimStarsKim Hye-suKim Seong-suYeon-ah ParkA woman stumbles upon a pair of pink high heels while walking down a subway platform. She picks them up and takes them home only to find out that they are cursed and can ruin her life.I'm honestly baffled by the mediocre, or in some cases, even negative, reviews and low amount of stars given. I read them all out of curiosity, and discovered 99% of the criticism falls into two categories: 1. That the shoes in question are hot pink rather than the titular "red" and 2. there's too many similarities with other movies in this genre. Yes, this movie did have a ghost that looked like quite a few others-pale face, black hair that gets out of hand, and a curse that turns out to be revenge for something blood-curdling. Yes, the 'curse' in the movie, when worked out by the characters, is due to an especially nasty back-story that led to a really pissed-off and dangerous ghost. Guess what? Still scary as hell, with original elements. You might end up sleeping with a light on like I did.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsKô ShibasakiShin'ichi TsutsumiKazue FukiishiYumi tries to assuage the fears of a friend, Yoko, who has received a disturbing voice mail from herself. In the message, Yoko screams while chatting with Yumi. Three days later, the exact call plays out, and Yoko dies.Here's a rare horror film: one I had to stop watching about 45 minutes in because it was too scary. After the scene in the TV studio's live broadcast, I thought 'OK, I think I'm done with One Missed Call this for now'. I also had a feeling that since Miike directed the movie, it was going to get way, WAY uglier.
- DirectorDanny PangOxide Chun PangStarsAngelica LeeChutcha RujinanonLawrence ChouA blind girl gets a cornea transplant so that she will be able to see again. She gets more than she bargained for upon realizing she can also see ghosts.Did the 'dead people' that the kid was able to see in "the Sixth Sense" freak you the hell out? This is very, very creepy in the same way. The Pang brothers could have gotten out of hand and added buckets of gore, but they didn't, because this movie doesn't need them to scare the living crap out of you. This is yet another I advise people to skip the (usually less scary and subtle) American remake and just see the original--it's not too hard to find and rent, and worth going to a little extra trouble for. The young boy looking for his report card will stick with you (along with other scenes, for instance, the ones taking place in an elevator) for quite some time. I saw it years ago and still remember the goosebumps running up my arms and back during certain scenes.
- 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.I dare you--no, I DOUBLE dare you--not to sleep with a light on after you see this. Now I'm a movie geek (mainly a horror movie geek with tons of trivia memorized, and who grew up in the 80s) but this series scared me so much I didn't know the original TV movie was available. This is it. There's even a scene in it so nasty and disturbing, it was never added to ANY remakes, not just the American ones, not in any sequels, just this. If you're familiar with the series, you will know it when you see it. This is only an hour or so long, but fine with me because another 20 mins or so of this horror film and I'd have to take a couple Xanax. Speaking of which, when I saw the 2004 American remake in the theater, I WAS on Xanax, which seemed to wear off all at once once Kayako showed up. By the way, I didn't realize the movie (2004 remake) was non-linear till at least a year after, because I was too busy screaming at the time to notice.
But back to this one. I hope to GOD that when this aired on TV back in the day, they warned it was not for kids. If you're into the series, you MUST watch this one ...it's the version least seen, and there's that jaw-droppingly nasty scene only in this one. A phone booth is involved, and it's not Yoko and her jaw (which I recall, don't show up until the 2002 version below) . You can find it at Netflix (look for the one with the short running time and year made) or watch it online(nota a bootleg, either). I have the 8x10 screen on my MacBook Pro, and I didn't even click to watch it full screen because I watched it after dark and knew better! Perhaps the scariest entry/version in the series, but of course, there's the actual movie below... read on. - DirectorTakashi ShimizuStarsMegumi OkinaMisaki ItôMisa UeharaA mysterious and vengeful spirit marks and pursues anybody who dares enter the house in which it resides.This is actually fairly different from the 2004 American remake (Ghost House Pictures, I love you for using the same director, set--at least for the cursed Sake residence, where most of the movie takes place anyway, and actors, especially Kayako and her family)! I do recommend that remake, but didn't add it since I have enough entries in the Grudge/Ju-On series on this list already, and even though Ghost House was smart enough to stay out of the creative team and director's way, and even though it was filmed in Japan, adding the 2004 American remake didn't quite sit right with me.
Then there's THIS. I recalled my reaction (written about above) and wisely watched the DVD in bright sunlight. Oh, I should note even in sunlight, I kept the volume down much more than I do with other movies. I wanted to hear dialogue, but not a loud musical sting during some horrifying scenes However, I watched the "Kayako" segment at night, figuring that hey, my husband was in the other room, and our kittens were asleep in the bed, so that'll cancel out any fear. Because of that bad judgement call, I can say that this is the only movie I've ever watched at home that made me scream. Not loud enough for my husband to hear across the house, but a high, girly yelp that definitely counts as a scream.
I don't want to talk it up too much, but I will say that for home viewing, pick the special edition (and I think the director's cut with his spoken Japanese commentary, English-captioned translation during the movie--well worth a listen) with an alternate/extended ending. It's not only MUCH more disturbing, but gives an explanation (a pretty hair-raising one) of the origin of Kayako's croak, also filling in a couple missing plot details. Well worth your time and trouble to get that edition ...you'll see. - DirectorFruit ChanPark Chan-wookTakashi MiikeStarsBai LingLee Byung-hunKyoko HasegawaAn Asian cross-cultural trilogy of horror films from accomplished indie directors.Straight up: do not watch this movie if you're pregnant (this may even be a bad movie for men whose wives/girlfriends are pregnant). In fact, if a list existed of very bad movies to watch when 'expecting', I'm pretty sure it'd be in the top 10. Don't eat while you're watching it unless you have a very strong stomach. Though if you DO decide to eat, just make sure you are not eating ...dumplings.
The Miike segment ("Box") managed to scare me the most -and there was barely any blood. Instead of gore, is a creeping dread that builds and builds until you get to the place where, if you're not covering your eyes, you'll want to. I've had to cover my eyes in two other features directed by Miike, but for different reasons. The torture scenes in Imprint and Audition (it is worth noting that Imprint's torture scene is definitely harder to watch than the notorious torture scene in Audition). I was covering my eyes out of squeamishness. In "Box," I was too scared of what I *might* see. - DirectorSophon SakdaphisitStarsVorakarn RojjanavatchraChantavit DhanaseviSarinrat ThomasWhat kind of scenes in a horror film scares you the most? When a ghost appears totally unexpectedly? When the main character does not see the ghost sneaking up behind him? When at the very end you find out that the main character was actually a ghost all along? But none of this compares to the feeling of arriving home alone and suddenly being stuck by a feeling of deja-vu that you are reenacting the very same scenes in the horror movie you just saw!I replaced "Cinderella" with this title--unfortunately, I hadn't stumbled across it yet at the time. I saw the trailer for "Coming Soon" (the English title of this little gem)and I ended up watching it online, at night, on my laptop. Funny coincidence, I didn't sleep too well that night! I almost did something I've only done with two other titles on this list, which was to reflect that perhaps I should quit while I still have a chance of calming down and watch the rest of the movie in daylight. This plot was so tight, though, and filled with surprises (not just giant jumps--it was excellent storytelling and a script with a simple, yet brilliant, idea. Thai horror movies do NOT *beep* around, and this is a perfect example. From the second the action starts (in this case, a movie-within-a-movie) to the last sudden GOTCHA! right when you thought the movie was about to fade to credits, the makers succeed in their goal--scaring the living sh!t out of you.