Browsing by Genre

Thriller/Suspense

Another Heaven (2000)
Several horrific murders and the disappearance of a university student trigger the investigation by a hard-boiled cop and his young partner, who believes there may be a supernatural connection.
Brother
Ousted yakuza boss goes to L.A. where he meets his half-brother and sets up shop against everyone else in town. Bullet casings and corpses liter the streets as an ensuing war breaks out. A no-holds barred action flick directed and written by 'Beat' Takeshi himself.
Bullet Ballet (1998)
When a man watches his fiancee commit suicide by shooting herself in the head, he begins a relentless search to obtain a gun as well that leads him into a violent world of criminals and revenge. Shot in black and white. Stars Tsukamoto himself, and his brother Koji. Gritty.
Distance (2001)
The surviving family members of a cult-driven mass-suicide gather at the forest lake where their family members died. Forced to spend the night in the cabin once used by the cult, each person faces what has happened and how their life has changed as a result.
DOWN TO HELL
A 45-minute precursor to VERSUS. A zombie, the deep woods and friends trying to escape.
Gohatto (1999)
The story of a young samurai warrior of extraordinary skill and "beauty" is the mark of several samurai who wish to posess him, as well as destroy him. A look at homosexuality in Japan, set in Kyoto during the Bakumatsu Period, which turns into a murder mystery.
Jam Films (2002)
Showcasing the talents of several major directors, this is a collection of seven short films, ranging in genre from dark action to light-hearted comedy and sci-fi.
Jigoku (2000)
Look into the heart of Japanese fear with this vision of Hell.
Jungle Spririt (2006)
Sixty years after the end of World War Two, an aging former officer of the Japanese Imperial Army journeys to Malaysia to exorcize horrible memories that have troubled him for the past six decades. It was in Malaysia at the close of the war that this man, as a member of a military command, participated in the execution of five young, beautiful local girls. He has been troubled ever since the event, tormented by recurring nightmares of the beheadings of the young women. In his troubled sleep, he dreams of opening a bag to find the severed head of one girl but can not see her face or remember distinctly the sequence of events that resulted in her execution. The dream has followed him from place to place during the post-war years but is never completed in the full details of what happend that fateful day so long ago. He needs to remember. He returns the place where it happened with unexpected consequences.
Kairo (2001)
All over Tokyo people are connected to a strange website that asks them if they would like to see a ghost. Strange suicides and dead bodies of friends lead the protagonists to seek out the source of this eerie site.
Koroshiya Ichi
A young killer named Ichi is sought out by other killers. Based on a manga by the same title.
Koukaku Kidoutai (1995)
The year is 2029. Much of the world has cybernetic implants. Japan's Section 9 (a cybercrimes division), takes on whom they assume is a hacker named The Puppet Master, who is hacking the 'ghosts' of ordinary citizens as well as political leaders in an attempt to control them. What they discover instead has heavy ramifications for the entire world, and especially Major Kusanagi of Section 9. Heavy cyberpunk, police, and girls & guns action by famed mangaka Shirow Masamune.
Mayonaka Made (2002)
When Moriyama, a jazz player learns that his jazz master idol is coming to see him perform, he is completely psyched. Unfortunately, he runs into trouble and must go on the lamb to save himself.
Onmyouji
A demon's curse had the ancient capital of Heian (old Kyoto) in the grips of fear that it may be destroyed. Abe No Seimei (a Ying-Yang master) is called upon to dispell and reveal the forces of evil.
Rokugatsu No Hebi (2002)
A woman working a phone counselling center is being stalked by a former caller who says he is trying to repay her for the good deed she did in saving his life. Though his method is questionable... blackmail. Directed by cult director Shinya Tsukamoto. Shot in black and white. Surreal.
Soseji (1999)
Director Shinya Tsukamoto brings to life a variation of an Edogawa Rampo tale of a rich doctor whose life is ripped from him by a violent and unknown visitor. Set during the Meiji Era.
Tokaido Yotsuya Kaidan (1959)
A classic tale of horror and woe as a man who allowed his wife to die a miserable death is haunted by her.
Totsunyuuse Yo! Asama Sansou Jiken
Based on the events of an actual hostage situation at a small Mt. Asama (Karuizawa) resort in the early 70s. The story of a police official who must make the decision whether to risk the lives of his men and the hostage in the resort by storming armed, radical indivisuals of the Japanese Red Army on the run. Police action/drama.
TOYD: TOY DOLOID SYSTEM
When a new cell phone remote-controlled robot hits the market, young kids snap it up. However several unexplainable murders mar the early success. One career cop must face some hard truths about his daughter and their life together since the death of his wife several years ago. A horror/thriller for teens without tons of gore. Spooky. Telling. A deep look into Japanese society on some levels.
Turn
A young woman is hospitalized in a coma after a car accident. She awakens in a world where she is totally alone. She begins a journey to find out what has happened to the rest of the city, when suddenly... the phone rings.
Umizaru (2005)
The story of men training to become members of the Coast Guard's elite team of salvage and rescue divers. 50 days of intense and gruelling training under a veteran diver with his own past.
Versus
A criminal escapes incarceration, only to wind up in the woods around Mt. Fuji with a pack of angry mafia types on his heels, a girl in tow, and an overwhelming feeling that something odd is going on. To top it off, the dead are coming back to life. Directed by cult-horror-violence film director Ryuhei Kitamura.
Wild Zero (1999)
A meteor lands in the countryside turning the entire population into zombies (definite homage to George Romero). A rock-star wannabe and extreme fan of the legendary band Guitar Wolf, happens upon a beautiful girl and falls in love. However, can his love save her from the zombies and an enraged (and flaming) club manager who is out to gun down Guitar Wolf?
You Ni Mo Myouna Monogatari (movie version)
Caught in a sudden downpour at a train station, a group of unrelated people are treated to stories by an enigmatic man. Hosted by Tamori, this Twilight Zone-like movie features four short stories in one. Horror, fantasy, love, and other themes all mesh to create a suspenseful thriller. Based on the popular TV show from the 90s of the same title.