Best Japanese Horror: From 150 Features
A lover of all things Japanese, I’m ashamed that I have only watched 150 films from the stellar island nation.
Besides so many movies and so little time, Japanese horror films are not afraid to bring the bizarre and uncomfortable to the screen.
And when considering Japanese horror, these are the best of the best for me.
Perfect Blue 1998 – 5 stars
An animate thriller/horror with a noir twist, Sadayuki Murai, Yoshikazu Takeuchi, Rika Takahashi wrote something special that rivals any live action film. Enjoy, how the late, great Satoshi Kon brings Mimi’s (Junko Iwao) post pop-fame nightmare to life.
Ôdishon (Audition) 1999 – 5 stars
Takashi Miike delivers a dark and disturbing tale of love gone horribly wrong. Shigeharu (Ryo Ishibashi) learns the hard way about what disrepect can do. And at the gloved hands of Asami (Eihi Shiina), you may not look at accupuncture the same way again.
Blood: The Last Vampire 2000 – 5 stars
Forget the third-rate and utterly insipid live action film. This is the incredibly animated original story of anti-hero Saya (Yûki Kudô) as she hunts down her own vampiric kind. Director Hiroyuki Kitakubo unleashes a dark, heavy, and creepy atmosphere live action films seem to miss.
Bijita Q (Visitor Q) 2001– 5 stars
Once again, the renowned Takashi Miike delves into horror – this time at the heart of a family with a lame duck husband, a frustrated wife, and a kid that needs a beatdown. Surreal as well as unsettling, imagine if director Terry Gilliam had been infected with the rage virus while making a film.
Gozu 2003 – 4.5 stars
This is Takashi Miike’s homage to David Lynch. Complete with wild and disturbed characters, this is an epic journey yakuza film like few others. After all, what can one expect when you have to bring your most cherished friend to his own execution.
Yogen (Premonition) 2004 – 4.5 stars
Often overlooked and certainly under-appreciated, this horror entry explores what happens when people discover a newspaper that foretells death. In the hands of a hack director, the story may come off as cheesy and sub-par, but director Norio Tsuruta revels in the darkness.
Kawaki (The World of Kanako) 2014 – 4.5 stars
When former detective Akikazu (Kôji Yakusho) searches for his missing daughter, he enters her secret world – and that is definitely not a good thing. Dark and suspenseful, and in the noir vein, the film should satisfy those a bit of mystery with their horror.
Best Co-productions
Naked Lunch1991 – (Canada/UK/Japan) 5 stars
Director David Cronenberg captures the twisted amazement of William S. Burrough’s magnificent “anti-novel.” And in this horror film drug-induced dreamhouse, you’ll see a stellar performance by Roy Scheider in one of the genre’s best shot enterprises, thanks to cinematogropher Peter Sushitzky.
The Ring 2002 – (Japan/USA) 5 stars
The original Japanese film put me to sleep, but this Gore Verbinski remake rocked my world. With a foreboding mystery enhanced with solid acting from Naomi Watts and Brian Cox, the special effects and cinematography make this is tough film to top.
Dawn of the Dead 2004 – (USA/Canada/Japan/France) 4.5 stars
The great Sarah Polley leads the way in this dramatic retelling of the George A. Romero film. Yes, a group of survivors during the zombie apocalypse take refuge in a mall, but there are no laughs this time around. And the venture has one of the most potent end credit sequences of all time.
4 Star Runner’s Up
Kwaidan (1964), Tetsuo (1988), Pulse (2001), Marebito (2004), Neighbor No. 13 (2005), Reincarnation (2005), Detective Story (2007), Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016, Japan/USA), and Shin Godzilla (2016).
Television series-wise, Attack on Titan (2013 to present) packs a giant double-fisted punch of action and horror. Though it should have been called “Pure Fucking Rage” (not a bad band name), the United States’ version features acclaimed voice-over actress, Jessica Calvello as Hange.
And there exists a big soft spot for Tag, Wild Zero, and all Godzilla films!
Feel free to share your list of best Japanese horror films with me…
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Billy Crash
Also known as William D. Prystauk, he loves great, in-depth characters and storytelling in horror, and likes to see heads roll, but if you kill a dog on screen he’ll cry like a baby. Crash, an award-winning screenwriter and novelist, co-hosts THE LAST KNOCK horror podcast on iTunes, and can also be found on Twitter, LinkedIn, IMDb, Amazon, Behance, YouTube, and Instagram. He’s currently in pre-production on a dramatic thriller feature while working on the third novel in his #KinkNoir crime thriller series.
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(Visitor Q still from Alphaville.)