Scary Japanese Movies

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

Perfect Blue is a psychological thriller by director Satoshi Kon. The film follows Mima Kirigoe, a member of a Japanese pop idol group who decides to quit the group in order to pursue an acting career. As she struggles to adjust to her newfound independence, she is stalked by an obsessive fan, and haunted by strange occurrences. As she slowly descends into paranoia, she must confront her own inner demons, as well as the mysterious forces that seem to be manipulating her life. While her career and personal life spiral out of control, she must decide whether to accept her new identity or to cling to the fame and security of her past.

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

Battle Royale is a Japanese action film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. It is set in a dystopian future, where the government forces a group of high school students to compete in a no-holds-barred game of survival. The students are sent to a remote island and are given weapons and supplies. They are then instructed to kill each other until only one student remains. The film follows the struggles of the various students to survive, while also exploring themes of morality and loyalty. It was controversial upon release, but is now considered a cult classic.

From Ishirô Honda, starring Takashi Shimura, Akihiko Hirata, Akira Takarada, Momoko Kôchi
Rated Not Rated

Godzilla (Gojira) is a 1954 Japanese science fiction-horror film directed by Ishirô Honda and produced by Toho Studios. The film follows a monstrous amphibious creature, referred to as Godzilla and unleashed by nuclear testing, as it wreaks havoc on Japan. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, and Takashi Shimura. The film follows scientists Dr. Kyohei Yamane and Daisuke Serizawa, and reporter Hideto Ogata, as they attempt to thwart Godzilla. They discover that Godzilla is an ancient creature mutated by nuclear radiation, and that the only way to stop him is to use Dr. Serizawa’s invention, the Oxygen Destroyer. They use the device, destroying Godzilla and saving Japan, but at the cost of Serizawa’s life. The film was a major success, becoming one of the greatest box office successes in Japanese history, and cementing Godzilla as one of the most recognizable and iconic movie monsters of all time.

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

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

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

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

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

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

From Directors: Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi, starring Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, Satomi Ishihara, Ren Ôsugi
Rated Not Rated

From Takashi Shimizu, starring Megumi Okina, Misaki Itô, Misa Uehara, Yui Ichikawa
Rated R

From Kiyoshi Kurosawa, starring Haruhiko Katô, Kumiko Asô, Koyuki, Kurume Arisaka
Rated R

From Takashi Miike, starring Ko Shibasaki, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Kazue Fukiishi, Anna Nagata
Rated R

From Yôjirô Takita, starring Mansai Nomura, Hideaki Itô, Hiroyuki Sanada, Eriko Imai
Rated R

From Takashi Shimizu, starring Shin'ya Tsukamoto, Tomomi Miyashita, Kazuhiro Nakahara, Miho Ninagawa
Rated R