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Horror movies

Must See Japanese Horror Movies for Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner and there’s no better time than to check out some of the must-see Japanese horror flicks. Many Japanese horror movies have been adapted into English versions that have garnered popularity such as Gore Verbinski’s Hollywood remake of  Hideo Nakata’s  1998 original, Ringu (The Ring, 2002).

Here are more spine-chilling Japanese horror movies to check out:

Dark Water (2002)

Dark Water (仄暗い水の底からHonogurai Mizu no soko kara), literally meaning, “From the Depths of Dark Water” was adapted from the novel written by Yoshihiro Nakamura and Kenichi Suzuki based on the short story collection by Koji Suzuki.

It’s about a divorced mother who moves into a dilapidated apartment with her daughter. They soon experience supernatural incidents as well as mysterious water leaking from the floor above. A Hollywood remake of the film was released in 2005, starring Jennifer Connelly and Tim Roth, directed by Walter Salles.

House (1977)

House (ハウス Hausu) is a horror comedy film directed and produced by Nobuhiko Obayashi. The film has become a cult classic and received favorable reviews when it was released in 2009 and 2010 in North America.

The film is about a schoolgirl travelling with six other classmates, to her sick aunt’s home in the countryside. Soon they experience supernatural occurrences and the girls are eaten one by one by the house. The film is somewhat ridiculous and comical at times but the scenes remain memorable for its gory and classic special effects that are notable for a 70’s flick.

Cure (1997)

Cure or Kyua (キュア), is a 1997 Japanese film written and directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa and was his first collaboration with his favorite actor, Kôji Yakusho.  The film garnered positive critical acclaim internationally and locally upon its release. The story explores the nature of evil in this psychological thriller. Cure is about a detective who investigates a series of murders by different killer’s but each victim has the same exact X scar carved onto their necks. The closer the detective comes to solving the mystery, the more deranged he gets.

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Confessions (2010)

Confessions (告白 Kokuhaku), directed by Tetsuya Nakashima, based on Kanae Minato’s 2008 debut mystery novel that claimed the prize for the 2009 Honya Taisho award, (Japan Booksellers Award).  The film was also a commercial and critical success and was shortlisted at the 83rd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.

The story begins with a high school teacher narrating to an attentive class about her elaborate plan to avenge the death of her daughter who she claims was killed by two of her students. The film boasts of many shocking twists that makes for an ideal psychological thriller. A tantalizing tale of murder and revenge that would surely make you Halloween more horrific!

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Read all about Japanese immersion learning and studying abroad. Check out our eZasshi archives for more articles!