Japanese Horror Films

From Toshio Matsumoto, starring Katsuo Nakamura, Juro Kara, Yasuko Sanjo, Masao Imafuku

Demons (1971) is a psychedelic, surrealist film directed by Toshio Matsumoto. It follows a group of people who attend a dance performance featuring a troupe of avant-garde dancers. After the performance, the audience members become infected by a mysterious force, causing them to transform into monstrous creatures and embark on a bloody rampage. As the violence escalates, the group is forced to confront their own inner demons, while trying to survive an ever-worsening situation. The film is a strange and uncomfortable mix of horror, comedy, and social commentary, exploring themes of identity, conformity, and the power of art to transform and liberate.

From Satoshi Kon, starring Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji, Masaaki Ôkura
Rated R

Perfect Blue is a psychological thriller directed by Satoshi Kon and released in 1997. The film follows Mima Kirigoe, an ex-pop idol who decides to pursue an acting career and leave her band. As she adjusts to her new life, Mima finds herself stalked by a mysterious stranger who is constantly watching her every move. Mima begins to experience vivid hallucinations and paranoia as reality and fantasy start to blur. As the tension builds, Mima must uncover the identity of her stalker and confront the dark secrets of her past. Perfect Blue is a critically acclaimed film that is widely regarded as a landmark in the psychological genre and a major influence on later live-action and animated films, including Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan.

From Kaneto Shindô, starring Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Satô, Jûkichi Uno
Rated Not Rated

Onibaba is a 1964 Japanese horror film directed by Kaneto Shindô, set in feudal Japan during a civil war. The film follows two women, a mother and her daughter-in-law, who survive by murdering lost samurai and selling their possessions. They harbor a deep fear of the "demon" (Onibaba) that stalks the fields at night, and their lives take a turn when a young neighbor arrives. As the women grapple with temptation and resentment, they find themselves facing the consequences of their immoral actions. At its core, Onibaba is a meditation on the nature of evil and the human capacity for both good and bad.

From Masaki Kobayashi, starring Rentarô Mikuni, Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Kenjirô Ishiyama
Rated Not Rated

Kwaidan is a 1964 Japanese horror anthology film written and directed by Masaki Kobayashi. It is based on several stories from Lafcadio Hearn's collections of Japanese folk tales. The film is composed of four distinct and unrelated stories. The first tale "The Black Hair" follows an impoverished samurai who divorces his faithful wife to marry a wealthy woman. He soon regrets his decision and realizes the error of his ways when he encounters his former wife in a haunted and eerie setting. The second tale, "The Woman of the Snow", is about a woodcutter who is spared by a mysterious ghostly woman in the snow. In return, he promises never to tell anyone what happened, but soon finds himself unable to keep his promise. The third tale, "Hoichi the Earless", follows a blind monk who is granted the gift of being able to play the biwa (a Japanese stringed instrument) and sing tales of great battles. He is then approached by a group of ghosts who want him to perform for them, but the monk is unaware of their true nature. Finally, the fourth and final tale, "In a Cup of Tea", is about a samurai who sees a

From Tetsuya Nakashima, starring Takako Matsu, Yoshino Kimura, Masaki Okada, Yukito Nishii
Rated Not Rated

Confessions is a psychological thriller directed by Tetsuya Nakashima. It follows a young mother, Yuko Moriguchi (Takako Matsu), whose daughter Manami was murdered in a school bathroom. Yuko is determined to find the killer and seeks out revenge on her daughter's behalf. In the process, she reveals the secrets of her students and their parents, which leads to a devastating series of events. The film's themes are that of guilt and justice, as Yuko struggles with her guilt over her daughter's death and her need for justice. It also explores the idea of redemption, as Yuko's quest for vengeance leads her to discover a way to make up for her own sins. The film's suspenseful narrative and dark cinematography create an atmosphere of anxiety and tension, making it an intense and thought-provoking experience.

From Kinji Fukasaku, starring Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Tarô Yamamoto, Chiaki Kuriyama
Rated Not Rated

Battle Royale is a 2000 Japanese dystopian thriller film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. Adapted from the 1999 novel of the same name by Koushun Takami, it tells the story of a group of junior high school students who are forced by the Japanese government to compete in a deadly game of survival, in which the last one standing wins. The students are taken to a remote island, where they are given weapons and supplies and their mission is to kill each other until only one student is left alive. The film is filled with violence and dark themes, as the students attempt to survive the game and fight for their lives.

From Mamoru Oshii, starring Mako Hyôdô, Jinpachi Nezu, Keiichi Noda

Angel's Egg is a Japanese fantasy film from 1985 directed by Mamoru Oshii. The story follows a young girl living in a mysterious abandoned city. She is discovered by a man, who is on a quest to find a mysterious egg containing the secrets of the universe. Together, the two explore the city and its strange inhabitants. As their journey progresses, the man reveals more about himself and the reasons for his quest, while the girl discovers her own identity and the reality of the egg. Angel's Egg is a surreal exploration of faith, spirituality, and existentialism, and is considered a classic of anime cinema.

From Kiyoshi Kurosawa, starring Masato Hagiwara, Kôji Yakusho, Tsuyoshi Ujiki, Anna Nakagawa
Rated Not Rated

From Teinosuke Kinugasa, starring Masuo Inoue, Ayako Iijima, Yoshie Nakagawa, Hiroshi Nemoto

From Nobuhiko Ôbayashi, starring Kimiko Ikegami, Miki Jinbo, Kumiko Ôba, Ai Matsubara
Rated Not Rated

From Kon Ichikawa, starring Kôji Ishizaka, Yôko Shimada, Teruhiko Aoi, Mieko Takamine

From Tokuzô Tanaka, starring Shiho Fujimura, Akira Ishihama, Machiko Hasegawa, Taketoshi Naitô

From Takashi Miike, starring Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura
Rated R

From Sion Sono, starring Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Denden, Asuka Kurosawa, Megumi Kagurazaka
Rated Not Rated

From Sion Sono, starring Kazue Fukiishi, Tsugumi, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Shirô Namiki
Rated Not Rated

From Yasuzô Masumura, starring Eiji Funakoshi, Mako Midori, Noriko Sengoku

From Nagisa Ôshima, starring Tatsuya Fuji, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Takahiro Tamura, Takuzô Kawatani
Rated R

From Takashi Miike, starring Kenji Sawada, Keiko Matsuzaka, Shinji Takeda, Naomi Nishida
Rated R

From Takashi Miike, starring Tadanobu Asano, Nao Ômori, Shin'ya Tsukamoto, Paulyn Sun
Rated R

From Seijun Suzuki, starring Yoshio Harada, Naoko Ôtani, Kisako Makishi, Akaji Maro
Rated Not Rated

From Nobuo Nakagawa, starring Shigeru Amachi, Noriko Kitazawa, Katsuko Wakasugi, Shuntarô Emi

From Sion Sono, starring Masumi Miyazaki, Issei Ishida, Rie Kuwana, Seiko Iwaidô
Rated Unrated

From Kôji Shiraishi, starring Jin Muraki, Rio Kanno, Tomono Kuga, Marika Matsumoto
Rated Not Rated

From Directors: Fruit Chan, Park Chan-wook, Takashi Miike, starring Bai Ling, Lee Byung-hun, Kyoko Hasegawa, Pauline Lau
Rated R

From Takashi Miike, starring Yûta Sone, Kimika Yoshino, Shôhei Hino, Keiko Tomita
Rated R