Browsing by Genre

Horror

Borei Kaibyo Yashiki (1958)
A classic tale of horror and the supernatural as a man and his wife are terrorized by otherworldly beings after they move into a new house.
Charisma (1999)
A disgraced veteran detective from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police retreats to the countryside to find himself face with a bizarre conundrum concerning a possibly toxic tree called 'charisma'. Caught in a struggle between those who wish to save it and those who wish to destroy it, he must look deep inside himself to find the answer to what he must do.
DOWN TO HELL
A 45-minute precursor to VERSUS. A zombie, the deep woods and friends trying to escape.
House (1977)
A group of naive college friends known only by their odd "pet names" take a weekend trip to a remote mansion in the woods where they soon find themselves assaulted by a strange and evil mystical force that has taken over the "house". While comparisons to Tim Burton's 1988 film "Beetlejuice" are understandable (Obayashi incorporates a lot of the same type of gothic imagery and campy visuals as Burton), a more closer match would be to Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" series (which it surprisingly predates by more than a couple of years). Like Raimi, Obayashi infuses "House" with an abundance of over-the-top visuals and clever SFX effects. It is amazing how Obayashi is able to do all this using 1977 visual effects techniques as opposed to the current trend of CGI. While a lot of the effects may seem pretty crude to today's generation of viewers, "House" none-the-less is fairly enjoyable on a visual level.
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.
Kourei
A woman with psychic powers and her sound engineer husband are haunted by the ghost of a young kidnap victim who myseteriously dies in their "care".
Onmyouji 2
Return to the old capital of Heian with a new adventure of magic and friendship. A curse set upon the country of Yamato (the name of old Japan) by a wizard of Izumo sets Abe No Seimei and his companions in motion. It is a race against time as they realize that gods are involved.
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.
Tetsuo II (1992)
Tetsuo, who is transforming his body into a weapon, seeks out the men who have kidnapped his son (in order to experiment on him). Black and white. Note: There is also a super remix version that has been released.
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.
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.
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?
Yokai Hunter - Hiruko (1990)
After discovering that a now abandoned school has been built on the gates of Hell, an archeologist sets out to stop Hiruko, a demon, from releasing more demons into the world via beheadings.
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.