Good Japanese Horror Movies

List of good Japanese horror films, the Japanese have made some great scary movies that have inspired Hollywood to create many remakes.

This page will be continually updated with films and details I find, plus new releases and upcoming Japanese movies.

I haven't currently watched any of these films listed on this page, when I have I will post reviews and recommend the best ones. Anybody viewing this page that is an expert on Japanese horror and would like to submit a review or add new films to the list, feel free to send me a message and I can publish your submissions.

Good Japanese Horror Movies

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Ring 1998

Director Hideo Nakata

Writers Hiroshi Takahashi - Koji Suzuki

Stars Nanako Matsushima - Miki Nakatani - Y�ko Takeuchi

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Cyclops 1987

Director Joji Iida

Writers

Stars

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Grotesque 2009

Director Koji Shiraishi

Writers Koji Shiraishi.

Stars Tsugumi Nagasawa - Hiroaki Kawatsure

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Kairo 2001

Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Writers

Stars Haruhiko Kato � Kumiko Aso � Koyuki

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Audition 1999

Director Takashi Miike

Writers Ryu Murakami

Stars Ryo Ishibashi - Eihi Shiina

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Uzumaki 2000

Director Higuchinsky

Writers Takao Nitta - Chika Yasuo - Kengo Kaji

Stars Eriko Hatsune - Fhi Fan

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Infection 2004

Director Masayuki Ochiai

Writers Ryoichi Kimizuka

Stars Koichi Sato - Michiko Hada - Yoko Maki

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Onibaba 1964

Director Kaneto Shindo

Writers

Stars Nobuko Otowa - Jitsuko Yoshimura

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Ghost Train 2006

Director Takeshi Furusawa

Writers Takeshi Furusawa - Erika Tanaka

Stars Erika Sawajiri Shun Oguri Aya Sugimoto

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Reincarnation 2005

Director Takashi Shimizu

Writers Takashi Shimizu - Masaki Adachi

Stars Yuka - Karina - Keppei Shiina

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Jigoku 1960

Director Nobuo Nakagawa

Writers Nobuo Nakagawa - Ichiro Miyagawa

Stars Utako Mitsuya

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Marebito 2004

Director Takashi Shimizu

Writers

Stars Shinya Tsukamoto - Tomomi Miyashita

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Kuroneko

Director Kaneto Shindo

Writers Kaneto Shindo

Stars Kichiemon Nakamura - Nobuko Otowa - Kiwako Taichi - Kei Sato - Hideo Kanze

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Pulse 2006

Director Jim Sonzero

Writers Wes Craven - Ray Wright

Stars Kristen Bell - Ian Somerhalder - Christina Milian

Comments - This is actually a remake of the Japanese film Kairo.

Insidious Chapter 2 Review

Taking place immediately after the first insidious, is Josh possessed by the women that haunted him as a child.

Director James Wan

Writer James Wan - Leigh Whannell

Cast

Patrick Wilson - Josh Lambert
Rose Byrne - Renai Lambert
Ty Simpkins - Dalton Lambert
Steve Coulter - Carl
Barbara Hershey - Lorraine Lambert
Lin Shaye - Elise Rainier

FilmDistrict - Runtime 106 minutes

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The Lambert family are looking to discover the truth about the haunting and why the family seem connected to the afterlife and to discover whether their nightmare is really over.

Taking place immediately after the first installment with Josh possibly being possessed by the women spirit who haunted him as a child and with Elise mysteriously dying.

As you would expect Insidious Chapter 2 has a very similar look and feel to the first instalment and it's probably best watched immediately after watching the first movie. Insidious chapter 2 continues with the same creepy atmosphere as the first, there is some nice shock scares throughout which managed to be effective even when I was expecting them, all the scary moments were executed well with good timing, many of them were memorable and likely to stick with you for awhile. There is a decent amount of humour which breaks up the tension nicely giving us a break from the terror.

The acting is decent, Patrick Wilson does a great job and so does the rest of the cast, the story is a little more complex than the first movie which requires a bit more concentration from the viewer to keep up with events. It's definitely worth the effort if you give it a chance, however you could easily lose track of the story if you don't concentrate.

While I did enjoy this second instalment, I didn't think it was as scary or as creepy as the first movie. I didn't find the main entity in this anywhere near as terrifying as the demon from the first movie, or the scenes as memorable.

Overall a very good horror movie which should definitely be enjoyed by most people and fans of the original. However I was just a little bit disappointed it wasn't scarier and the main villain wasn't creeper.

6.5 out of 10

I Am Legend Review

I Am Legend review, a virus is turning the population into zombie like creatures, a scientist remains in the infected area to try and find a cure.

Director Francis Lawrence

Writer Mark Protosevich - Akiva Goldsman

Cast

Will Smith - Dr. Robert Neville
Alice Braga - Anna
Charlie Tahan - Ethan
Dash Mihok - Infected alpha male
Salli Richardson - Zoe Neville
Willow Smith - Marley Neville
Abbey & Kona - Sam, the dog
Emma Thompson - Dr. Alice Krippin

Warner Bros, Running time 101 minutes

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Dr. Alice Krippin (Emma Thompson) creates a cure for cancer, but the cure has a terrible side effect, a virus is born that turns those that are infected into vicious fresh eating creatures. Dr. Robert Neville (Will Smith) is immune to the virus and remains in New York which is infested with these creatures, he stays behind to try and find a cure.

I Am Legend creates a great sense of isolation, atmosphere and survival, this is partly due to the very good cinematography. The deserted city looks great, the visuals are impressive which really help set the mood. We also get to see wild animals roaming the city, including lions hunting dear, however the CG on the lions is not the best.

The acting by Will Smith is solid, he does a very believable job of a man spending years in isolation and going slowly insane. The creatures themselves are fast, strong and scary, they're CG creations rather than actors. Using CG seems to work well in this case, it makes them seem less human and also more terrifying.

I became very immersed in the whole experience, this is definitely one of my favorite movies of 2007, and possibly my favourite Will Smith movie to date. I Am Legend may not be a true Zombie movie but it creates the same kind of feel as some of the best Zombie movies, it should be enjoyed by most zombie and horror movie fans.

6.9 out of 10