Ghost Stories, the horror genres, psychological horror, or films with disturbing imagery might not amuse all people, but it arouses fear among them, and most people do love it. Horror movies are one of the most watched and loved movies, and people are mad over them. Once you start loving this genre, you will watch horror cinema back-to-back. Refer to the below article to know about some of the best Japanese horror movies.
Horror movies mainly deal with vengeful spirits, but several subplots are sure to make anyone goosebumps. Every nation knows what their people will love and have developed horror movies as required. Japanese horror films are becoming highly famous nowadays.
The inclusion of ghost stories, body horror, Japanese folklore, Japanese folktales, Japanese culture, western horror or depiction of blood, human flesh, vengeful ghosts, vengeful spirits, violent deaths, and the help of modern technology, these supernatural events or creatures are depicted as if they are real.
Japanese horrors became so popular that American remakes also came into being, and that is why there is so much hype about Japanese horror films. Japanese cinema has indeed come a long way, making Japanese horror one of the most favorite of all.
It is impossible to tell which Japanese horror films you must stream or list the best horror films, so we are giving some of the most favorite Japanese horrors ever watched. Here goes the list:
36 Best Japanese Horror Movies:
36. Cold Fish
- Director: Sion Sono
- Writer: Sion Sono, Yoshiki Takahashi
- Cast: Denden, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Asuka Kurosawa
- IMDb: 7.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 74%
It is loosely based on Tokyo serial killer couple Sekine Gen and Hiroko Kazama who together killed at least four people. This Sion Sono directed Japanese horror received many awards and nominations including the best screenplay award at Fantastic Fest 2010 in the Fantastic Features section.
Cold Fish Plot:
Nobuyuki and his wife are perturbed about their rebellious daughter. They meet Yukio Murata; a middle-aged kind man and he offers their daughter a worker’s position in his tropical fish shop. But soon enough Nobuyuki discovers the truth behind the kind mask-faced Yukio and his wife, Aiko.
35. Kwaidan
- Director: Masaki Kobayashi
- Writer: Yoko Mizuki
- Cast: Tatsuya Nakadai as Minokichi, Misako Watanabe as Second Wife, Michiyo Aratama as First wife, Katsuo Nakamura as Hoichi, Nakamura Ganjiro II as Pblisher.
- IMDb: 8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 91%
Kwaidan Plot:
The title itself means a ghost story. This film is about a man who faces tragic results after marrying for money. This movie comes in four parts and is full of mystery and thrills. It starts with a man who left his love and married another woman to get money but soon returns to his first wife.
Throughout the film, you will witness mysterious events taking place, and many supernatural elements come into being. If you truly love horror movies with some Japanese folklore involved, this film is a must-watch.
34. Tag
- Director: Sion Sono
- Writer: Sion Sono
- Cast: Reina Triendl as Mitsuko, Mariko Shinoda as Keiko, Erina Mano as Izumi, Yuki Sakurai as Aki, Maryjun Takahashi as Jun, Sayaka Isoyama as Mutsuko
- IMDb: 6.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 92%
Tag Plot:
This horror movie focuses on Mitsuko, a teenage girl, the only person who survived a mysterious incident. Mitsuko is now running from a dangerous supernatural force. Unaware of the enemy, she witnesses piles of dead bodies, bullets, shells, and rivulets of young blood.
This film is sure to give you chills. Without knowing who is the enemy, how to fight? Stream this film and share your thoughts about it.
33. Tokyo Gore Police
- Director: Yoshihiro Nishimura
- Writer: Kengo Kaji, Sayako Nakoshi, Yoshihiro Nishimura
- Cast: Eihi Shiina as Ruka, a young woman, Itsuji Itao as Akino Miyama, Yukihide Benny as Tokyo Police Chief Officer, Jiju Bu as Barbara-Man, Tak Sakaguchi as Koji Tenaka.
- IMDb: 5.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 82%
Tokyo Gore Police Plot:
This film is full of horror, thrills, and actions, and no one knows what will happen next. Ruka, a young woman, is on the quest to find her father’s killer and a scientist called “Key Man” who created an army of mutants called “engineers” whose injuries create a harmful weapon.
32. Sweet Home
- Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- Writer: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- Cast: Nobuko Miyamoto as Akiko Hayakawa, Shingo Yamashiro as Kazuo Hoshino, Nokko Emi Hoshino, Fukumi Kuroda as Asuka, Ichiro Furutachi as Akira Taguchi, Toru Masuoka as Young Housekeeper.
- IMDb: 6.6/10
Sweet Home Plot:
The movie revolves around a film crew planning to design a documentary about Mamiya Ichiro, a popular painter. The group visited his house to collect relevant things regarding this project and witnessed some unnatural activities.
Sometime after, the audience knows that the painter’s wife does all these supernatural activities. The film is thoroughly thrilling, making it one of the most popular Japanese horrors.
31. Battle Royale
- Director: Kinji Fukasaku
- Writer: Kenta Fukasaku
- Cast: Tatsuya Fujiwara as Shuya Nanahara, Aki Maeda as Noriko Nakagawa, Taro Yamamoto as Shogo Kawada, Takeshi Kitano as Kitano, Masanobu Ando as Kazuo Kiriyama.
- IMDb: 7.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 88%
Battle Royale Plot:
If you are looking for some thrillers, this film is a great choice that focuses on forty-two 9th-standard students left on a deserted island. They are provided with food, a map, several weapons, and a collar attached to their neck.
The students must kill one another, and there will be only one alive. If there remains more than one, the collar will explode, killing every one of them.
30. Ju-On: The Grudge
- Director: Takashi Shimizu
- Writer: Takashi Shimizu
- Cast: Megumi Okina as Rika Nishina, Misa Uehara as Izumi Toyama, Misaki Ito as Hitomi Tokunaga, Yui Ichikawa as Chiharu, Takako Fuji as Kayako Saeki, Takashi Matsuyama as Takeo Saeki.
- IMDb: 6.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 62%
Do you believe in curses? If yes, then this is a must-watch.
Ju-On: The Grudge Plot:
The film focuses on Rika, a young woman in Japan charged to look after an old lady named Sachie. Soon some mysterious things start happening in the house, and it gets revealed that the house is under a curse. The curse is that Kayako will soon kill anyone who enters the house.
Will Rika be able to save her life? Stream the film and know what happened.
29. Cure
- Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- Writer: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- Cast: Koji Yakusho as Takabe, Masato Hagiwara as Mamiya, Tsuyoshi Ujiki as Sakuma, Anna Nakagawa as Takabe’s wife, Yoriko Doguchi as Dr Akiko Miyajami, Denden as Oida
- IMDb: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 93%
This psychological horror movie is indeed a great movie to watch.
Cure Plot:
Several murders occur, and detective Kenichi Takabe can catch them all, but not a single killer knows why he has killed the person. After a time, it is known that all the killers have one thing in common, they all met a stranger just before they committed the murder, and therein starts the climax of the film.
28. Guinea Pig 2: Flower of Flesh and Blood
- Director: Hideshi Hino
- Writer: Hideshi Hino
- Cast: Hiroshi Tamura as Samurai, Kiara Yugao as Victim, Mio Takaki, Tomorowo Taguchi, Toshihiko Hino, Anja Blagojevic
- IMDb: 4.9/10
This film is way grosser and more haunted to watch than thrilling.
Guinea Pig 2: Flower of Flesh and Blood Plot:
A man disguised as a samurai kidnaps a woman and carries her to his home. He there dismembers her and takes her body parts to a collection. The violence is too much to take in, so do not forget to stream this if you really can watch horror films.
27. Godzilla
- Director: Ishiro Honda
- Writer: Takeo Murata, Ishiro Honda
- Cast: Akira Takarada as Hideto Ogata, Momoko Kochi as Emiko Yamane, Akihiko Hirata as Dr. Daisuke Serizawa, Takashi Shimura as Dr. Kyohei Yamane, Sachio Sakai as Hagiwara.
- IMDb: 7.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 93%
Godzilla Plot:
Godzilla is about a giant monster Gojiro who is spreading havoc and frightening the citizens to a great extent. Dr. Kyohei Yamane and his daughter goes to check what is even this creature and are astonished to see it. Serizawa is the only one who can save the city, but will he be doing it?
Watch this thrilling film to know what happens in the end.
26. The Ring
- Director: Gore Verbinski
- Writer: Ehren Kruger
- Cast: Naomi Watts as Rachel Keller, David Dorfman as Aidan Keller, Martin Henderson as Noah Clay, Daveigh Chase as Samara Morgan, Brian Cox as Richard Morgan, Shannon Cochran as Anna Morgan.
- IMDb: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 98%
The Ring Plot:
Director Hideo Nakata successfully upholds a thrilling horror movie named The Ring. The film shows how a cursed VHS tape or supposedly cursed videotape brought about a mysterious force and killed 4 teenagers.
The protagonist Rachel Keller, a newspaper reporter by profession, comes forth and takes charge to find out the truth behind the death of these young children. She has only a week to unravel the truth. Will she be able to do so? Stream it and find out.
#TheRing (98%) is the highest rated horror movie of the 1990s.
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) October 25, 2022
25. The Cursed
- Director: Sean Ellis
- Writer: Sean Ellis
- Cast: Boyd Holbrook as John McBride, Kelly Reilly as Isabella Laurent, Alistair Petrie as Seamus Laurent, Roxane Duran as Anais, Aline Rose Daly as Anne-Marie
- IMDb: 6.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 74%
The Cursed Plot:
The story is all frightening and intriguing. The film focuses on the journey of a man and his quest to find out which wild animal is responsible for attacking humans.
Still, he soon realizes some supernatural events are happening, and an evil force is also present. He must find out the truth very soon and help the people to get away from its grip.
This is a famous horror movie so do not forget to watch it and share your views about it.
24. Reincarnation
- Director: Takashi Shimizu
- Writer: Takashi Shimizu, Masaki Adachi
- Cast: Yuka as Nagisa Sugiura, Karina Nose as yayoi Kinoshita, Kippeo Shiina as Ikuo Matsumura, Tetta Sugimoto as Tadashi Murakawa, Marika Matsumoto as Yuka Morita
- IMDb: 6.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 62%
Reincarnation Plot:
This film is a thrilling one that narrates the story of Nagisa Sugiura, who is an actress by profession and comes across several restless spirits as soon as she signs a new film regarding how a professor killed 11 people forty years ago. The killer killed not only the guests but also his son and wife.
23. Marebito
- Director: Takashi Shimizu
- Writer: Takashi Shimizu, Chiaki Konaka
- Cast: Shinya Tsukamoto as Masuoka, Tomomi Miyashita as F, Miho Ninagawa as Aya Fukumoto, Kazuhiro Nakahara as Arei Furoki, Shun Sugata as MIB, Katsuya
- IMDb: 6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 40%
If you love a ghost story, stream Marebito as soon as possible!
Marebito Plot:
The story revolves around a freelance cameraman Takayoshi Masuoka who once captures a photo of a man stabbing himself in the eye. He then tries to find out the possible reason behind it and finds a passage to the Tokyo underground. There he comes across an undressed woman who feeds on blood.
Takayoshi, from then onwards, becomes a serial killer so that he can feed the naked woman. This is a thrilling horror movie so do not miss watching it.
22. Tokyo Ghoul
- Director: Kentaro Hagiwara
- Writer: Ichiro Kusano
- Cast: Masataka Kubota as Ken Kaneki, Fumika Shimizu as Toka Kirishima, Kai Ogasawara as Hideyoshi Nagachika, Nobuyuki Suzuki as Kotaro Amon, Hiyori Sakurada as Hinami Fueguchi.
- IMDb: 5.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 82%
Tokyo Ghoul Plot:
Kaneki Ken is with his beloved Kamishiro Rize, who attacks him as she is a ghoul, flesh-eater. Kaneki can save his life but realizes that he has become one of the flesh eaters and tries to make friends with some other peace-loving ghouls until they are chased by some police officers who want to erase all ghouls and let humans live happily.
21. Hausu
- Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi
- Writer: Chiho Katsura
- Cast: Kimiko Ikegami as Gorgeous, Miki Jinbo as Kung Fu, Ai Matsubara as Prof, Kumiko Oba as Fantasy, Mieko Sato as Mac, Masayo Miyako as Sweet, Eriko Tanaka as Melody
- IMDb: 7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 91%
Hausu Plot:
The film depicts how Oshare and her friends decide to spend the vacation at Oshare’s aunt’s house. As they started spending some time in the house, they realized that the house was haunted, and crazy things started happening all around. The girls also go missing one by one after they start discovering the secret behind this mystery.
20. One Cut of the Dead
- Director: Shin’ichiro Ueda
- Writer: Shin’ichiro Ueda
- Cast: Takayuki Hamatsu as Higurashi, Yuzuki Akiyama as Chinatsu, Kazuaki Nagaya as Ko, Harumi Shuhama as Nao, Manabu Hosoi as Hosoda.
- IMDb: 7.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 100%
One Cut of the Dead Plot:
This film is all about a film crew on a low budget yet are all set to shoot in an abandoned WW II Japanese facility where they get attacked by real zombies. Everyone starts knowing the importance of bonds and family and starts thinking about how to save themselves from getting turned into zombies.
As a horror and zombie movie aficionado, I cannot recommend Japanese movie "One Cut of the Dead" enough. The freshest, most fantastic take on the genre out there. Totally floored by the brilliance. #onecutofthedead
— Yrsa Sigurdardottir (@YrsaSig) March 7, 2021
This is a must-watch movie, so do not forget to stream it and share your views about it.
19. Confessions
- Director: Tetsuya Nakashima
- Writer: Tetsuya Nakashima
- Cast: Takako Matsu as Yuko Moriguchi, Masaki Okada as Yoshiteru Terada, Yoshino Kimura as Yuko Shimomura, Yukito Nishii as Shuya Watanabe.
- IMDb: 7.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 81%
Confessions Plot:
Confessions is a popular Japanese horror film that revolves around Yuko Moriguchi, who is full of grief after her daughter’s death. Her daughter’s death was an accident, as it seems, due to the drowning in a swimming pool, but there is something beyond it. Yuko believes her daughter has been murdered and tries to find out the truth.
18. Infection
- Director: Flavio Pedota
- Writer: Flavio Pedota
- Cast: Ruben Guevara as Dr. Adam Vargas, Leonidas Urbina as Johnny, Magdiel Gonzalez, Genna Chanelle Hayes as Dr. Lucy Blakes, Luca de Lima as Miguel Miguelito Vargas.
- IMDb: 5.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 94%
In the covid crisis, this horror can easily be related to and hence a must-watch.
Infection Plot:
The film shows how a new variant of rabies creates havoc in the world and turns humans into zombies. It mainly focuses on the desperate attempts of a father to save his son from turning into a zombie. It is full of thrill, suspense, and drama so do not miss watching it.
17. Ichi the Killer
- Director: Takashi Miike
- Writer: Sakichi Sato
- Cast: Tadanobu Asano as Kakihara, Nao Omori as Ichi, Shinya Tsukamoto as Jijii, Alien Sun as Karen, Sabu as Kaneko, Susumu Terajima, Shun Sugata as Takayama, Toru Tezuka as Fujiwara.
- IMDb: 7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 64%
Ichi the Killer Plot:
The film starts with the quest of Anjo to find his chief Kakihara. Kakihara comes across a psychotic killer named Ichi, who has excellent martial art abilities. Ichi takes out people of Yakuza one by one, and Kakihara is now more concerned about Ichi and Ichi’s controller Jijii.
This thrilling horror film has lots of excitement throughout, so do not miss watching it.
16. Dark Water
- Director: Walter Salles
- Writer: Rafael Yglesias
- Cast: Jennifer Connelly as Dahlia Williams, Dougray Scott as Kyle Williams, John C. Reilly as Mr. Cory Murray, Ariel Gade as Cecilia Ceci Williams, Perla Haney-Jardine as Natasha Rimsky.
- IMDb: 5.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 47%
Dark Water Plot:
Dark Water is based on a short story named Floating Water by Koji Suzuki. The film focuses on Dahlia and her daughter Ceci who has just moved away from her husband into a new apartment marked by eerie incidents.
Dahlia tries to convince the supervisor to check why water is leaking from the ceiling, but he pays no heed, so she decides to find out the reason behind this herself. Dark Water is a famous movie that will never let you bore, so stream it as soon as possible.
15. Tetsuo: The Iron Man
- Director: Shinya Tsukamoto
- Writer: Shinya Tsukamoto
- Cast: Tomorowo Taguchi as Man, Kei Fujiwara as Woman, Nobu Kanaoka as Woman, Shinya Tsukamoto as Guy, Naomasa Musaka as Doctor, Renji Ishibashi as Tramp.
- IMDb: 6.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 80%
Tetsuo: The Iron Man Plot:
This thrilling horror cinema is about the revenge of a man, The Metal fetishist, who gets killed by a businessman but not on purpose. He is, however, not dead and seeks revenge and starts turning this man into a hybrid of flesh and rusty metal slowly. This film’s thrills, suspense, and grotesque nature with body horror make it a must-watch cinema.
14. Pulse
- Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- Writer: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- Cast: Koyuki, Kumiko Aso, Haruhiko Kato, Kurume Arisaka
- IMDb: 6.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 76%
Pulse Plot:
The plot revolves around ghosts entering the living world with the help of internet.
This film has been thoroughly exciting, and no one gets to know what awaits them at the end of the story, so do watch it soon if you have not done it yet.
13. Gemini
- Director: Shinya Tsukamoto
- Writer: Shinya Tsukamoto
- Cast: Masahiro Motoki as Yukio Daitokuji, Ryo as Rin, Yasutaka Tsutsui as Yukio’s father, Shiho Fujimura as Yukio’s mother, Akaji Maro as Kakube, Masako Motai as Shige
- IMDb: 6.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 100%
Gemini Plot:
The story of this film focuses on Yukio, whose life is gradually turning upside down as soon as his parents die, and his wife is also suffering from amnesia. He believes someone is trying to harm him and his wife. He also comes to know about a stranger whose identity astonishes him greatly and brings forth memories of his past life.
12. Uzumaki
- Director: Higuchinsky
- Writer: Takao Niita
- Cast: Eriko Hatsune as Kirie Goshima, Fhi Fan as Shuichi Saito, Hinako Saeki as Kyoko Sekino, Keiko Takahashi as Yukie Saito, Ren Osugi as Toshio Saito, Denden as Officer Futada.
- IMDb: 6.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 58%
Uzumaki Plot:
The film starts with Kirie and Shuichi, true friends living in a small town. Both, after some time, witness that Shuichi’s father has become too engrossed with snails and is even videotaping them and collecting things that look like the spiral patterns on their shells. Kirie also sees spirals everywhere, and when Shuichi tells of leaving Tokyo, Kirie decides to stay back and find out what is going on.
11. Exte: Hair Extensions
- Director: Sion Sono
- Writer: Sion Sono, Masaki Adachi
- Cast: Chiaki Kuriyama as Yuko Mizushima, Ren Osugi as Gunji Yamazaki, Megumi Sato as Yuki Morita, Tsugumi as Kiyomi Mizushima, Eri Machimoto as Sachi Koda, Yuna Natsuo as Kondo
- IMDb: 6.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 52%
Exte: Hair Extensions Plot:
This Japanese horror movie is a frightening one that shows how the hair of a dead girl has a life of its own. One day Yamazaki comes across a girl’s body at a dock and realizes that her hair grows incredibly. He brings the body to his home and sells her hair as extensions to different salons and later realizes that the hair has a life of its own.
10. Kuroneko
- Director: Kaneto Shindo
- Writer: Kaneto Shindo
- Cast: Kichiemon Nakamura as Gintoki, Nobuko Otowa as the Mother, Kiwako Taichi as Shige, Kei Sato as Raiko, Hideo Kanze as the Mikado, Taiji Tonoyama as the farmer.
- IMDb: 7.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 96%
Kuroneko Plot:
This is a ghost story based on one of the folk tales of Feudal Japan and focuses upon a group of samurai whose chief is Raiko Minamoto, but they soon fall under the torture of vengeful vampire-like ghosts, and it is now time for a warrior named Gintoki to come and rescue them. This is an exciting horror film full of fantasy and drama so do not miss watching it.
9. Premonition
- Director: Norio Tsuruta
- Writer: Norio Tsuruta, Noboru Takgi
- Cast: Hiroshi Mikami as Hideki Satomi, Noriko Sakai as Ayaka Satomi, Hana Inoue as Nana Satomi, Maki Horikita as Sayuri Wakakubo, Mayumi Ono as Misato Miyamoto.
- IMDb: 6.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 50%
Premonition Plot:
This film shows how a newspaper predicts who will be dead soon. Hideki stops at a roadside due to some work and sees a piece of the newspaper showing Nana, his daughter, in the obituary section. He looks at his car only to see how Ayaka, his wife is desperate to save their child Nana but when a truck hits them, Nana gets killed.
Ayaka, after much research, gets to know that some people can foresee the future but possess no power to stop them. Hideki, however, becomes successful in saving Ayaka but soon gets trapped in hell and now has to make a crucial decision regarding his future.
8. Audition
- Director: Takashi Miike
- Writer: Daisuke Tengan
- Cast: Eihi Shiina as Asami Yamazaki, Ryo Ishibashi as Shigeharu Aoyama, Jun Kunimura as Yasuhisa Yoshikawa, Tetsu Sawaki as Shigehiko Aoyama, Miyuki Matsuda as Ryoko Aoyama.
- IMDb: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 82%
Audition Plot:
This disturbing horror movie focuses on a widower named Aoyama, who starts dating again. He uses an audition for a fake production with the help of Jun Kunimura and uses the audition function as a dating service.
He gets interested in Asami only to realize that Asami is not what she pretends to be, and therein begins the actual story that increases tension and a harrowing climax.
7. Visitor Q
- Director: Takashi Miike
- Writer: Itaru Era
- Cast: Kenichi Endo as Kiyoshi Yamazaki, Shungicu Uchida as Keiko Yamazaki, Fujiko as Miki Yamazaki, Jun Muto as Takuya Yamazaki, Kazushi Watanabe as Visitor Q, Shoko Nakahara as Asako Murata
- IMDb: 6.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 60%
Visitor Q Plot:
This horror movie by Takashi Miike is a unique film that revolves around a family of father, son, and daughter who all have faults. The father is a perverted man, the son gets bullied every time, and the daughter is a prostitute.
They all come across an outsider who shows them the path to get themselves better and redeem. The actors have worked extremely well in this film so do stream it.
6. Gozu
- Director: Takashi Miike
- Writer: Sakichi Sato
- Cast: Hideki Aikawa as Ozaki, Kimika Yoshino as Female Ozaki, Shohei Hino as Nose, Keiko Tomita as Innkeeper, Harumi Sone as Innkeeper’s Brother, Renji Ishibashi as Boss.
- IMDb: 6.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 72%
Gozu Plot:
This movie is about a brother’s struggle to choose whether to kill his insane brother or not. Minami respects his brother Ozaki who is gradually seen to be going insane. The chief of a gang, Azamawari, wants Minami to kill Ozaki since he dislikes the latter, but will Minami be able to do so? This is a horror comedy, so do stream it.
5. The Woman of the Snow (Snow Woman: 1968)
- Director: Tokuzo Tanaka
- Writer: Fuji Yahiro
- Cast: Shiho Fujimura as Yuki, Machiko Hasegawa as wife, Akira Ishihama as Yosaku, Taketoshi Naito as Mino Gonmori, Yoshiro Kitahara as Jojin, Sachiko Murase as Soyo.
- IMDb: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 100%
The Woman of the Snow Plot:
This is one of the most famous horror movies that revolves around a master sculptor and his young apprentice who falls under some mysterious force which isn’t a good one but an evil one and does start affecting their lives to a great extent. The witch, a beautiful woman, and the evil force come across them during a snowstorm, thereby the title.
4. Onibaba
- Director: Kaneto Shindo
- Writer: Kaneto Shindo
- Cast: Nobuko Otowa as Older Woman, Jitsuko Yoshimura as Younger Woman, Kei Sato as Hachi, Taiji Tonoyama as Ushi, Jukichi as Uno as The Masked Warrior
- IMDb: 7.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 89%
Onibaba Plot:
The story shows how a woman and her daughter-in-law live by killing samurai and then selling their belongings. Both are disheartened after knowing Kichi has died, but his wife soon has an affair with their neighbor Hachi. The mother is not happy and starts scaring her daughter-in-law by wearing a mask from a dead samurai.
3. One Missed Call
- Director: Eric Valette
- Writer: Andrew Klavan
- Cast: Shannyn Sossamon as Beth Raymond, Edward Burns as Detective Jack Andrews, Ana Claudia Talancon as Taylor Anthony, Ray Wise as Ted Summers, Azura Skye as Leann Cole, Johnny Lewis as Brian Sousa.
- IMDb: 4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 29%
One Missed Call Plot:
This horror movie One Missed Call shows how there happens to be a sudden of people. There is only one connection among all, each of them gets a call from an unknown number, and at the next moment, they are dead. The call is actually from the victims’ future selves who tell them how they are going to die and when.
2. The Grudge
- Director: Nicolas Pesce
- Writer: Nicolas Pesce
- Cast: Andrea Riseborough as Detective Muldoon, Demian Bichir as Detective Goodman, John Cho as Peter Spencer, Betty Gilpin as Nina Spencer, Lin Shaye as Faith Matheson.
- IMDb: 4.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 20%
The Grudge Plot:
Horror film mainly shows how a curse can become life-threatening. This movie depicts how a lady kills her family in her own home, and a detective gets charged to know why.
She discovers that a ghost curses the house. She also knows that whoever enters this house gets killed and runs to save her own life.
1. Suicide Club
- Director: Sion Sono
- Writer: Sion Sono
- Cast: Ryo Ishibashi as Detective Kuroda, Masatoshi Nagase as Detective Shibusawa, Akaji Maro as Detective Murata, Saya Hagiwara as Mitsuko, Rolly as Muneo, Hideo Sako as Detective Hagitani.
- IMDb: 6.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 57%
Suicide Club Plot:
This film is indeed a thrilling horror film ever produced. Fifty-four school students let themselves be thrown in front of a subway train. This is the first mass suicide but not the last one.
Several such other string suicides take place, and no one can find the answer to why. Detective Kuroda is charged to find the reason behind such mishaps, but will he be able to find out? Stream this film and know what happened.
Horror movies are bound to make you frightened at least for a week and if it is unable to do so, be sure it is not up to the mark. One never gets bored of watching horror films, which is why horror films are being created in large numbers. These are some great Japanese horror movies. If you want more such lists or updates, stay tuned with us.
