When it comes to horror, the Japanese have given us an AMAZING supply of both anime and manga that are just downright terrifying – some kept me awake, and some still give me the shudders when I think about them. But what we don’t give them enough credit for are their equally-frightening horror films. There’s just something about the way they portray fear which makes it so unique and especially scary.
So, the next time you’re in the mood for a fright or wanna put on a good horror movie when you’re with friends, consider these 10 flicks (we are not responsible for your nightmares):
Pulse (Kairo)
Following the suicide of college student Taguchi, several young adults in Tokyo experience terrible visions that spread across the Internet. The city’s disappearance rate rises, and the Internet turns into a haven for evil spirits. Following Michi, Ryosuke, and Harue; three seemingly unrelated stories strive to piece together the mystery of the ghostly visions that are seeping beyond their computer screen.
Where To Watch: YouTube
Dark Water
Yoshimi battles to create a new life for herself and her kid while going through a difficult divorce. They unfortunately move into a flat plagued by enigmatic water leaks and tormented by the ghost of a young girl, which unfortunately makes the difficulties of single parenting and an ongoing custody dispute even more difficult.
Where To Watch: YouTube
Exte: Hair Extensions
A coroner, Yamazaki, notices that a girl’s hair is still growing at an extraordinary rate – after she is found dead at a pier. Yamazaki makes the decision to take the body home with him and starts offering the girl’s hair extensions to nearby hair salons. It quickly becomes clear, though, that the hair has a life of its own with fatal repercussions.
Where To Watch: YouTube
Audition
A widower accepts his friend’s invitation to interview women in order to find a new wife. But it doesn’t seem like the girl he likes is the one she claims to be.
Where To Watch: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, Apple TV
Uzumaki
In a tiny village, friends Kirie and Shuichi see that Toshio (Shuichi’s father), has developed an obsession with snails, filming them in his garden and collecting objects that mirror the spiral patterns on their shells. Kirie notices spirals everywhere else, including in how people carry themselves and how they dress. Shuichi wants to flee to Tokyo as the tragedies start to happen, but Kirie is determined to stay and investigate what is going on.
Where To Watch: YouTube
Noroi: The Curse
Kobayashi, a well-known paranormal journalist, disappears immediately after finishing a film. What starts out as an inquiry into weird noises quickly turns into the terrifying mystery of a demonic being by the name of Kagutaba.
Where To Watch: AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, Shudder, History Vault, Shudder Amazon Channel
One Missed Call
Many people report hearing weird voicemails – in their own voices – that are from the future. They include the precise time and date of their deaths, as well as audio of them reacting to their own horrific demise.
Where To Watch: YouTube
Ju-On: The Grudge
The idea is that if a structure has experienced an individual terror, it absorbs it and gives it back to all who enter. Police looking into bizarre happenings gradually piece together a number of seemingly unrelated vignettes, all with a gratifying jolt.
Where To Watch: Amazon Video, Apple TV
Ring (Ringu)
A woman and her ex-husband look into a string of young people’s deaths that were allegedly brought on by a strange videotape. When their own kid is a victim, their investigation takes a disturbing turn.
Where To Watch: YouTube
Kwaidan
This anthology, whose name is derived from an ancient Japanese phrase meaning “ghost story,” adapts four folktales. An impoverished samurai marries for money, with disastrous effects. Yuki the Snow Maiden rescues a guy who is trapped in a storm, but it costs her. Hoichi, a blind musician, is made to perform in front of a ghostly audience, and the story of a samurai who notices another warrior’s reflection in his teacup.
Where To Watch: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, Apple TV
