Best Japanese Horror Movies
by terrya64 | created - 21 Nov 2020 | updated - 16 Aug 2021 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Noriko's Dinner Table (2005)
Not Rated | 159 min | Drama, Horror
A teenager called Noriko Shimabara runs away from her family in Tokoyama, to meet Kumiko, the leader of an Internet BBS, Haikyo.com. She becomes involved with Kumiko's "family circle", ... See full summary »
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Kazue Fukiishi, Tsugumi, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Shirô Namiki
Votes: 4,993
2. Versus (II) (2000)
R | 119 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
There are 666 portals that connect this world to the other side. These are concealed from all human beings. Somewhere in Japan exists the 444th portal.... The forest of resurrection.
Director: Ryûhei Kitamura | Stars: Tak Sakaguchi, Hideo Sakaki, Chieko Misaka, Kenji Matsuda
Votes: 13,730
3. Gozu (2003)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A yakuza enforcer is ordered to secretly drive his beloved colleague to be assassinated. But when the colleague unceremoniously disappears en route, the trip that follows is a twisted, surreal and horrifying experience.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Yûta Sone, Kimika Yoshino, Shohei Hino, Keiko Tomita
Votes: 12,737 | Gross: $0.05M
4. Cold Fish (2010)
Not Rated | 146 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
The lives of a bored suburban couple are changed forever when a seemingly nice old man gives their daughter a job at his fish store, and soon his gruesome hobbies are brought to light.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Denden, Asuka Kurosawa, Megumi Kagurazaka
Votes: 14,530
5. Death Note (2006)
Not Rated | 126 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
A battle between the world's two greatest minds begins when Light Yagami finds the Death Note, a notebook with the power to kill, and decides to rid the world of criminals.
Director: Shûsuke Kaneko | Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Asaka Seto, Yû Kashii
Votes: 31,873
6. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
Not Rated | 67 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A businessman accidentally kills The Metal Fetishist, who gets his revenge by slowly turning the man into a grotesque hybrid of flesh and rusty metal.
Director: Shin'ya Tsukamoto | Stars: Tomorô Taguchi, Kei Fujiwara, Nobu Kanaoka, Shin'ya Tsukamoto
Votes: 25,940
7. Dark Water (2002)
PG-13 | 101 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A mother and her 6-year-old daughter move into a creepy apartment whose every surface is permeated by water.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi, Asami Mizukawa
Votes: 34,939
8. Tokyo Ghoul (2017)
TV-MA | 119 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
A Tokyo college student is attacked by a ghoul, a superpowered human who feeds on human flesh. He survives, but has become part ghoul and becomes a fugitive on the run.
Director: Kentarô Hagiwara | Stars: Masataka Kubota, Fumika Shimizu, Nobuyuki Suzuki, Hiyori Sakurada
Votes: 3,909
9. Confessions (2010)
Not Rated | 106 min | Drama, Thriller
A psychological thriller of a grieving mother turned cold-blooded avenger with a twisty master plan to pay back those who were responsible for her daughter's death.
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima | Stars: Takako Matsu, Yoshino Kimura, Masaki Okada, Yukito Nishii
Votes: 42,081
10. Tokyo Gore Police (2008)
Not Rated | 110 min | Action, Comedy, Horror
In future Tokyo, a young woman in the privatized police force tracks down her father's killer while battling against mutant rebels known as engineers.
Director: Yoshihiro Nishimura | Stars: Eihi Shiina, Itsuji Itao, Yukihide Benny, Jiji Bû
Votes: 12,739
11. Audition (1999)
R | 115 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura
Votes: 89,278
12. Onibaba (1964)
Not Rated | 103 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Two women kill samurai and sell their belongings for a living. While one of them is having an affair with their neighbor, the other woman meets a mysterious samurai wearing a bizarre mask.
Director: Kaneto Shindô | Stars: Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Satô, Jûkichi Uno
Votes: 21,876
13. Three... Extremes (2004)
R | 125 min | Horror
An Asian cross-cultural trilogy of horror films from accomplished indie directors.
Directors: Fruit Chan, Park Chan-wook, Takashi Miike | Stars: Bai Ling, Lee Byung-hun, Kyoko Hasegawa, Pauline Lau
Votes: 20,874 | Gross: $0.08M
14. Kwaidan (1964)
Not Rated | 183 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A collection of four Japanese folk tales with supernatural themes.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Rentarô Mikuni, Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Kenjirô Ishiyama
Votes: 20,001
15. House (1977)
Not Rated | 88 min | Comedy, Horror
A schoolgirl and six of her classmates travel to her aunt's country home, which turns out to be haunted.
Director: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi | Stars: Kimiko Ikegami, Miki Jinbo, Kumiko Ôba, Ai Matsubara
Votes: 33,746
16. Tag (2015)
85 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
A girl's life cascades into chaos as everyone around her suffers a gruesome fate while she becomes less certain of who she is and her once-once normal.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Reina Triendl, Mariko Shinoda, Erina Mano, Yuki Sakurai
Votes: 8,103
17. Cure (1997)
Not Rated | 111 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
A frustrated detective deals with the case of several gruesome murders committed by people who have no recollection of what they've done.
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Stars: Masato Hagiwara, Koji Yakusho, Tsuyoshi Ujiki, Anna Nakagawa
Votes: 23,093 | Gross: $0.09M
18. Godzilla (1954)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
American nuclear weapons testing results in the creation of a seemingly unstoppable dinosaur-like beast.
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Takashi Shimura, Akihiko Hirata, Akira Takarada, Momoko Kôchi
Votes: 39,706 | Gross: $2.42M
19. Black Cat (1968)
Not Rated | 99 min | Drama, Horror
Two women are raped and killed by samurai soldiers. Soon they reappear as vengeful ghosts who seduce and brutally murder the passing samurai.
Director: Kaneto Shindô | Stars: Kichiemon Nakamura, Nobuko Otowa, Kei Satô, Rokkô Toura
Votes: 8,584
20. Ringu (1998)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Mystery
A reporter and her ex-husband investigate a cursed video tape that is rumored to kill the viewer seven days after watching it.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani, Yûko Takeuchi, Hitomi Satô
Votes: 77,525
21. Wild Zero (1999)
Not Rated | 98 min | Comedy, Horror, Music
Only legendary Japanese garage rock band Guitar Wolf can stand between a race of aliens from destroying earth with an army of zombies.
Director: Tetsuro Takeuchi | Stars: Guitar Wolf, Drum Wolf, Bass Wolf, Masashi Endô
Votes: 3,800
22. Horrors of Malformed Men (1969)
Not Rated | 99 min | Horror
After escaping from an insane asylum, a medical student assumes the identity of a mysterious dead man, who appeared to be his doppelganger, and gets lured to a sinister island ruled by a mad scientist and his malformed men.
Director: Teruo Ishii | Stars: Teruo Yoshida, Yukie Kagawa, Teruko Yumi, Mitsuko Aoi
Votes: 1,884
23. Ugetsu (1953)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Fantasy, War
A tale of ambition, family, love, and war set in the midst of the Japanese Civil Wars of the sixteenth century.
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi | Stars: Masayuki Mori, Machiko Kyô, Kinuyo Tanaka, Mitsuko Mito
Votes: 25,827 | Gross: $0.01M
24. One Cut of the Dead (2017)
Not Rated | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Horror
Things go badly for a hack director and film crew shooting a low budget zombie movie in an abandoned WWII Japanese facility, when they are attacked by real zombies.
Director: Shin'ichirô Ueda | Stars: Takayuki Hamatsu, Yuzuki Akiyama, Harumi Shuhama, Kazuaki Nagaya
Votes: 29,755
25. Battle Royale (2000)
Not Rated | 114 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill one another under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
Director: Kinji Fukasaku | Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Tarô Yamamoto, Chiaki Kuriyama
Votes: 194,493
26. Suicide Club (2001)
R | 99 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A detective is trying to find the cause of a string of suicides.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Ryo Ishibashi, Masatoshi Nagase, Mai Hosho, Tamao Satô
Votes: 22,227
27. Ichi the Killer (2001)
R | 129 min | Action, Crime, Drama
As sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of achieving.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Nao Ômori, Shin'ya Tsukamoto, Paulyn Sun
Votes: 60,063 | Gross: $0.02M
28. Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)
R | 92 min | Horror
A mysterious and vengeful spirit marks and pursues anybody who dares enter the house in which it resides.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Megumi Okina, Misaki Itô, Misa Uehara, Yui Ichikawa
Votes: 48,097 | Gross: $0.33M
29. Marebito (2004)
R | 92 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A fear-obsessed freelance cameraman (Shinya Tsukamoto) investigates an urban legend involving mysterious spirits that haunt the subways of Tokyo.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Shin'ya Tsukamoto, Tomomi Miyashita, Kazuhiro Nakahara, Miho Ninagawa
Votes: 5,700 | Gross: $0.01M
30. Spiral (2000)
90 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
The inhabitants of a small Japanese town become increasingly obsessed with and tormented by spirals.
Director: Higuchinsky | Stars: Eriko Hatsune, Fhi Fan, Hinako Saeki, Shin Eun-kyung
Votes: 8,992
31. Exte: Hair Extensions (2007)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Horror
About hair extensions that attack the women that wear them.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Chiaki Kuriyama, Megumi Satô, Tsugumi, Eri Machimoto
Votes: 3,355
32. Pulse (2001)
R | 119 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Two groups of people discover evidence that suggests spirits may be trying to invade the human world through the Internet.
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Stars: Haruhiko Katô, Kumiko Asô, Koyuki, Kurume Arisaka
Votes: 25,613 | Gross: $0.05M
33. Yogen (2004)
R | 95 min | Horror
A newspaper predicts the deaths of a man's (Hiroshi Mikami) family members and friends.
Director: Norio Tsuruta | Stars: Hiroshi Mikami, Noriko Sakai, Maki Horikita, Mayumi Ono
Votes: 4,604
34. Unholy Women (2006)
107 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
When Val is released from prison, she's determined to make a new life for herself. But the criminal underworld won't let her go that easily, and her former boss won't stop until she's paid her debt - with blood.
Directors: Keita Amemiya, Takuji Suzuki, Keisuke Toyoshima | Stars: Noriko Nakagoshi, Yûko Kobayashi, Riko Suzuki, Miharu Morina
Votes: 720
35. The Sinners of Hell (1960)
Not Rated | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A group of sinners involved in interconnected tales of murder, revenge, deceit and adultery all meet at the Gates of Hell.
Director: Nobuo Nakagawa | Stars: Shigeru Amachi, Utako Mitsuya, Yôichi Numata, Hiroshi Hayashi
Votes: 4,575
36. A Page of Madness (1926)
Not Rated | 70 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A man takes a job at an asylum with hopes of freeing his imprisoned wife.
Director: Teinosuke Kinugasa | Stars: Masuo Inoue, Ayako Iijima, Yoshie Nakagawa, Hiroshi Nemoto
Votes: 4,575
37. Sadako vs. Kayako (2016)
Not Rated | 98 min | Horror
The vengeful spirits of the Ring and Grudge series face off.
Director: Kôji Shiraishi | Stars: Mizuki Yamamoto, Tina Tamashiro, Aimi Satsukawa, Misato Tanaka
Votes: 3,990
38. One Missed Call (2003)
R | 112 min | Horror, Mystery
People mysteriously start receiving voicemail messages from their future selves, foretelling their deaths.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Kô Shibasaki, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Kazue Fukiishi, Anna Nagata
Votes: 19,320
39. Retribution (2006)
R | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An experienced police detective has to investigate the murder of an unknown woman dressed in a scarlet dress.
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Stars: Koji Yakusho, Manami Konishi, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Hiroyuki Hirayama
Votes: 3,263
40. Helter Skelter (2012)
Unrated | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
Top star Lilico undergoes multiple cosmetic surgeries to her entire body. As her surgeries show side effect.
Director: Mika Ninagawa | Stars: Erika Sawajiri, Nao Ômori, Shinobu Terajima, Gô Ayano
Votes: 3,329
41. Bilocation (2013)
119 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
"Bilocation" is a supernatural phenomenon in which an individual appears in two different places at the same time, which has been reported historically worldwide. What if your alter ego ... See full summary »
Director: Mari Asato | Stars: Asami Mizukawa, Yôsuke Asari, Chûkichi Kubo, Maiko
Votes: 605
42. It Comes (I) (2018)
135 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
One day, a visitor leaves Hideki a memo of his unborn daughter's name "Chisa". Two years later, Hideki's house is attacked by a sinister presence. To protect his family, Hideki asks for help to perform a ritual to break an unknown spell.
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima | Stars: Jun'ichi Okada, Nana Komatsu, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Haru Kuroki
Votes: 1,400
43. The Forest of Love (2019)
TV-MA | 151 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A small group of student filmmakers and a shy young girl with strict parents are simultaneously manipulated, seduced and abused by an older man. They follow his bidding, even when murder is involved.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Kippei Shîna, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Kyoko Hinami, Eri Kamataki
Votes: 2,959
44. I Am a Hero (2015)
TV-MA | 126 min | Action, Comedy, Horror
A manga artist assistant is surprised by a zombie apocalypse.
Director: Shinsuke Sato | Stars: Yô Ôizumi, Kasumi Arimura, Masami Nagasawa, Hisashi Yoshizawa
Votes: 7,784
45. Reincarnation (2005)
R | 96 min | Horror, Mystery
A Japanese actress begins having strange visions and experiences after landing a role in a horror film about a real-life murder spree that took place over forty years ago.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Yûka, Karina, Kippei Shîna, Tetta Sugimoto
Votes: 6,767
46. As the Gods Will (2014)
TV-MA | 117 min | Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi
A group of high school students are forced to play a game of death without knowing who, why or how.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Shôta Sometani, Nijirô Murakami, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Nao Ômori
Votes: 8,066
47. Memories (1995)
PG-13 | 113 min | Animation, Sci-Fi, Thriller
An animated science fiction anthology from the visionary anime director, Katsuhiro Otomo.
Directors: Kôji Morimoto, Tensai Okamura, Katsuhiro Ôtomo | Stars: Marc Swint, Robbie Daymond, Frank Todaro, Laura Post
Votes: 21,397
48. The Face of Another (1966)
Not Rated | 124 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A businessman with a disfigured face obtains a lifelike mask from his doctor, but the mask starts altering his personality.
Director: Hiroshi Teshigahara | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Mikijirô Hira, Kyôko Kishida, Miki Irie
Votes: 10,425
49. Demons (1971)
134 min | Drama, Horror
After being robbed by a geisha, a ronin warrior carves a bloody path to seek revenge.
Director: Toshio Matsumoto | Stars: Katsuo Nakamura, Jûrô Kara, Yasuko Sanjo, Masao Imafuku
Votes: 2,862
50. Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees (1975)
Not Rated | 95 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A mountain man captures a beautiful, but a manipulative city woman and goes to excessive lengths to please her every whim.
Director: Masahiro Shinoda | Stars: Tomisaburô Wakayama, Shima Iwashita, Hiroko Isayama, Kô Nishimura
Votes: 1,102
51. Chronicle of the After-School Wars (2018)
127 min | Horror
It is not Tag. It is not Battle Royale. It is Battle Royale Tag. Sena walks up to the school rooftop to return Yudachi's handkerchief. Yudachi is not there and Sena falls asleep waiting. It... See full summary »
Director: Junpei Tsuchida | Stars: Narumi Akizuki, Kokoro Aoshima, Nina Endô, Miori Ichikawa
Votes: 105
52. The Viper's Hex (2018)
92 min | Horror
Kiyo, a cursed hostess falls pregnant to Anchin. After learning the news, he flees Tokyo leaving her heartbroken. Kiyo, now alone turns to someone who has been with her since birth - A vengeful spirit known only as "The Viper"
Directors: Addison Heath, Jasmine Jakupi | Stars: Kaori Kawabuchi, Yasunari Kondo, Saya Minami, Nozomi de Lencquesaing
Votes: 119
53. Kaidan Kasane-ga-fuchi (1970)
82 min | Horror, Thriller
A blind masseur sleeps with the wife of a samurai, who catches them in the act and kills them. The murdered couple return as vengeful ghosts. This film is a remake of a 1957 film. It was the final picture made by Daiei Studios.
Director: Kimiyoshi Yasuda | Stars: Saburô Date, Kenjirô Ishiyama, Teruo Ishiyama, Reiko Kasahara
Votes: 13
54. Kaidan Saga yashiki (1953)
97 min | Horror
A woman loses her son through an evil conspiracy and commits suicide. Shortly afterwards a ghost cat begins haunting the conspirators.
Director: Ryôhei Arai | Stars: Shinobu Araki, Kôtarô Bandô, Takaji Fukui, Kazuko Fushimi
Votes: 21
55. Abunômaru taiken: Dai-roku no seikan (2001)
60 min | Horror
Yuki is a sought-after hooker, who also has a special ability: she can see ghosts. Yuki is very distraught by the ghost images, and it starts affecting her performance at work. One of the ... See full summary »
Director: Takaaki Hashiguchi | Stars: Seiki Chiba, Hotaru Hazuki, Setchin Kawaya, Takamasa Kidachi
Votes: 21
56. The Depths (1957)
66 min | Horror
A blind masseur visits a samurai to request the return of a loan. The samurai kills him in anger, then has his servant dump the body in the Kasane swamp. However, the ghost of the masseur ... See full summary »
Director: Nobuo Nakagawa | Stars: Katsuko Wakasugi, Takashi Wada, Noriko Kitazawa, Tetsurô Tanba
Votes: 297
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