Japanese Horror Movies (J-Horror)
The ultimate J-Horror collection by someone who's way too obsessed with Japanese horror movies.
Contains NO spoilers but trigger warnings for movies that I feel need them
*only contains movies I've seen along with small personal comments whether or not I recommend them
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1. One Missed Call
Japanese Movie - 2004
YES YES YES! Japanese flip phones, a creepy ghost and a dramatic backstory? Count me in! Already rewatched this movie like 10 times and it still doesn't get boring. Definitely recommended!
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2. Grasshopper
Japanese Movie - 2015
I LOVE THIS! 蝉 Semi and 鯨 Kujira have very different villain energy and a backstory that makes them likable. I'm team Kujira, though ♡ The story was also very interesting and realistic. Would rewatch it a hundred times
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3. O Chamado
Japanese Movie - 1998
The perfect horror movie for horror movie beginners and one of my all-time faves! I loved the novel, the catching plot, good and relatable characters and good pacing. Skip the other sequels like spiral and continue with Ringu 2 and 0 for more story, and let me just add that the american remake doesn't even come close to this one.
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4. Ichi the Killer
Japanese Movie - 2001
TW: a lot of very triggering things :')
I was a little worried hearing about this movie but the story is actually quite interesting (although the manga really shows the disturbing nature of the characters, especially Ichi). Would not recommend to people who get easily traumatized cuz BOI this movie has it all. I stan Kakihara (and yes I'm a Asano Tadanobu simp don't judge me) -
5. Noroi: A Lenda de Kagutaba
Japanese Movie - 2005
One of the few movies that actually go well with the documentary/found-footage style. Very creepy and disturbing. The story gets creepier upon a second viewing, though, as there are many visual hints one doesn't notice the first time
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6. O Chamado 2
Japanese Movie - 1999
Wow, the first asian horror movie sequel that I love. Storylines from the original are continued in a good way, and we get closure for the ending of the first movie. I love everything about this sequel
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7. Reincarnation
Japanese Movie - 2006
This one definitely needs a second watch to appreciate the details! The story is a little confusing at the beginning, but gets so disturbing once you realize the entirety of it, and it's quite well-made.
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8. Água Negra
Japanese Movie - 2002
This movie didn't get a very high grading from me cuz it made me very sad to see the main characters' struggle. The ghost isn't that scary but the plot is sad and so relatable that it was hard to watch
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9. Ju-on: The Curse
Japanese Movie - 2000
very good and better than ANY remake or american adaptation. Simple, no confusing scene changes and connections between the time skips. Makes a lot more sense than some adaptations and the horror is pretty good too
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10. Battle Royale
Japanese Movie - 2000
Although the concept is similar to other movies done time and time again, this one is still interesting to watch, and some death scenes are very disturbing. It's hard to remember the characters, though, since there are so many and some of them have less personality than an Onigiri.
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11. Sadako
Japanese Movie - 2019
The storyline was interesting and the main character was actually quite likable although she didn't have much to do with Sadako. Can be enjoyed without knowing much about Ringu
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12. Aldeia Uivante
Japanese Movie - 2020
quite disturbing. I liked this a bit better than ox-head village, and the underlying curse/backstory of the village was really disturbing
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13. Cure
Japanese Movie - 1997
A very good movie that I didn't see on any recommendations, which is quite sad. It's really good for a 90s horror movie and has a catchy storyline
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14. Village of Horror
Japanese Movie - 2022
good movie, interesting storyline. Not quite as good as howling village
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15. Over Your Dead Body
Japanese Movie - 2014
The two parallel storylines go so well together that sometimes it's hard to recognize which one you're currently on. Can be disturbing at times
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16. Infection
Japanese Movie - 2004
The storyline is scarily realistic, and can be a little gory at times
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17. Kisaragi Station
Japanese Movie - 2022
very different from the 2chan urban legend I've come to know, but still well-made and interesting
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18. O Chamado vs O Grito
Japanese Movie - 2016
just wished there was more actual fighting of the two big bosses
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19. Hausu
Japanese Movie - 1977
very interesting and confusing concept, but desperately needs a 21st century remake in my opinion. I also didn't appreciate the nudity in this movie
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20. Cursed
Japanese Movie - 2004
a simple cursed supermarket horror movie, not too good but not too bad either
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21. Onibaba
Japanese Movie - 1964
a simple storyline, but it was still interesting to watch. It's not cringe to watch even tho it's an old movie
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22. One Missed Call 2
Japanese Movie - 2005
not a good sequel but acceptable storyline
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23. One Missed Call Final
Japanese Movie - 2006
a far FAR stretch from the original story and movie. The death scenes were illegally bad
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24. Ring 0: O Chamado
Japanese Movie - 2000
it's an interesting story, but I hated how Sadako is treated. Some storylines also strayed a little too far from the original
EDIT: After reading the novel I like this movie a lot more. It actually focuses on a part of Sadako's life that couldn't have been explained in the original novel, but even tho it's slightly inaccurate it's still good
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25. Kairo
Japanese Movie - 2001
not a fan of how the story was presented, didn't hook me although the concept is good
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26. As the Gods Will
Japanese Movie - 2014
the comedic-style games weren't really my thing, and the end was boring
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27. Three... Extremes
Hong Kong Movie - 2004
the japanese part wasn't really good compared to the other two, story-wise interesting but too complicated and not well executed imo
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28. Confissões
Japanese Movie - 2010
the first 30 mins were good, then the movie lost me cuz the story got more and more complicated
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29. Building N
Japanese Movie - 2022
just meh, kind of a flat and uninteresting storyline
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30. Audition
Japanese Movie - 1999
too little for the whole movie, too much at the end
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31. Cold Fish
Japanese Movie - 2011
TW: r*pe
it's not a good reflection of the original m*rder case -
32. Tetsuo: The Iron Man
Japanese Movie - 1989
just horrible in every way. Don't waste your time