Brief Anthology of Asian Horror (1964-2013)

This is the anthology of Asian horror cinema that I made back in 2008, with a few new additions.


2LDK, Yukihiko Tsutsumi (Japan, 2003)
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Two wanna-be-actresses who share an apartment begin to have conviviality issues.


A Chinese Ghost Story (Sien nui yau wan), Siu-Tung Ching (Hong Kong, 1987)
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A cult movie, that was copied the following years without stop (I would even bet that it inspired Search Results Web results Eddie Murphy's The Golden Boy). Beautiful entertainment with a little comedy and horror, deliciously photographed.

A Tale of Two Sisters (Janghwa, Hongryeon), Ji-woon Kim (Korea, 2003)
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Advisable korean horror flick. It brings some really good horror moments, but also a great art direction, photography and atmosphere.






Ab-normal Beauty (Sei Mong Se Jun), Oxide Pang Chun (Hong Kong, 2004)
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A movie about photography and horror, but in opposition to Shutter (which we will comment afterwards), with which they share the aim to analyze the horror possibilities of photography, Ab-normal Beauty focuses on a different aspect: while Shutter looks for ghosts, Ab-normal Beauty talks about the fascination of picturing pain and suffering. From the Pang Brothers (The Eye) and despite some weak points (specially the score) quite advisable.

Another Heaven (Anazahevun), Jôji Iida (Japan, 2000)
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Entertainment.


Apartment 1303, Ataru Oikawa (Japan, 2007)
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Not too bad but it can get boring.


Audition (Ôdishon), Takashi Miike (Japan, 1999)
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Probably the most famous and controversial work from always controversial director Takashi Miike. A widowed man tries to find a woman to share the rest of his life. With that goal in mind, a friend suggests him organizing a casting. The chosen girl seems to be just perfect...

Shocking; won't leave you indifferent.


Battle Royal (Batoru rowaiaru), Kinji Fukasaku (Japan, 2000)
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In a near future, a class of students is randomly chosen to be left in an island, where only of them can survive. Doesn't sound so original nowadays, but its violence made a lot of noise at its moment of release.


Cult (Karuto), Kôji Shiraishi (Japan, 2013)
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Found footage from Kôji Shiraishi (who had previously directed Occult (2013). Karuto shares both genre and style, but it is quite better than Occult. Really interesting, like Noroi, to notice the differences with american found footage movies.

Dark Water (Honogurai mizu no soko kara), Hideo Nakata (Japan, 2002)
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Based on a novel by Kôji Suzuki, author also of Ringu, and directed also by Hideo Nakata, but without being as successful and influential as Ringu, Dark Water stands as one of the best japanese horror movies of the last decades.

Even the american remake is really watchable, thanks probably to Jennifer Connelly and the direction of brazilian Walter Salles (Central do Brasil).

Double vision (Shuang tong), Kuo-fu Chen (Taiwan, Hong Kong, 2002)
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Watchable, thriller, starred by David Morse.

Evil Dead Trap (Shiryo no wana), Toshiharu Ikeda (Japan, 1998)
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Worst movie of the list. Allegedly a cult movie, seem to lack any screenplay at all, and becomes extremely boring. For fans of slasher movies only.


Face, Sang-Gon Yoo (Korea, 2004)
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Quite correct movie about an specialist in face reconstruction who works for the police.


Ghost Actress/Don’t Look Up (Joyû-rei), Hideo Nakata (Japan, 1996)
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First movie by Hideo Nakata, who later directed de Ringu and Dark Water. Not worth the time.


Ghost System (Gosuto shisutemu), Toshikazu Nagae (Japan, 2002)
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Cheap and boring, has some interesting moment.


Hausu, Nobuhiko Obayashi (Japan, 1977)
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The definitive mix of camp and horror, with a bigger color palette than any Douglas Sirk movie.

Inner senses (Yee do hung gaan), Chi-Leung Law (Hong Kong, 2002)
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Entertainment.


Into the Mirror (Geoul sokeuro), Sung-ho Kim (Korea, 2003)
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Another entertainment.


Ju-On (The Grudge), Takashi Shimizu (Japan, 2003)
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The story of the Ju-On series is really interesting, or at least surprising. In 2000 Takashi Shimizu shots the telemovie Ju-On. The Curse. The great success achieved, made that the same year was shot, also for television, Ju-On 2. The Curse 2. But in 2003 the producers decided to bring it to the big screen, with the name, Ju-On. The Grudge, and again the same year they shoot the Ju-On 2. The Grudge 2. 

Still not tired with the story, in 2004, the same director, Takashi Shimuzu, was chosen to make the american adaptation, called just The Grudge, with Sarah Michelle Gellar (aka Buffy), and two years later, he directed the second part of the american remake.

I have only seen the first two japanese movies shoot for the big screen. Ju-On created the quintaessential image of the pale face child of japanese horror. Beyond that, Ju-On is an effective scary movie without much of a plot, but still advisable to understand the J-horror wave and to spend an unpleasent time.

Ju-On 2 (The Grudge 2), Takashi Shimizu (Japan, 2003)




Ju-Rei (The Uncanny), Kôji Shiraishi (Japan, 2004)
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A copy (and not only the name) of Ju-On. Not worth the time.


Kairo (Pulse), Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Japan, 2001)
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One of the best movies (if not the best with Ringu and Audition) of this list. And also one of the best horror movies of the last two decades around the world.

Following Paragraph may be considered a Spoiler: the idea of the film is great, what would happen if the after-life was full and the souls of the dead would begin to pour on our side? The screenplay may be slow for some tastes, but it is absolutely unsettling, specially thanks to Kiyoshi Kurosawa's direction..

Any similarity between this movie and its american remake is just plain coincidence.

Kakashi, Norio Tsuruta (Japan, 2001)
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Another movie (like Uzumaki) from a Junji Ito comic. Correct.


Kôrei (Seance), Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Japan, 2000)
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Another one from Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Its television origin is too obvious.


Kwaidan, Masaki Kobayashi (Japan, 1964)
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One of the most beautiful movies ever shot (as you can see in the stills under this text). Based on the stories by Lafcadio Hearn, who compiled japanese horror stories.

Its influence can be found in almost every japanese horror movie that came after it.




Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams, Akira Kurosawa (Japan, 1990)
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Clearly inspired by Kwaidan, but more irregular than that, the maestro Kurosawa creates an irregular anthology of fantastic tales.




Loft (Rofuto), Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Japan, 2007)
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Another movie from Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Loft shows Kurosawa's hability despite not being one of his best works.








Love Ghost/Lovesick Dead (Shibito no koiwazurai), Kazuyuki Shibuya (Japan, 2001)
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Weak and boring.


Marebito, Takashi Shimizu (Japan, 2004)
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Disappointing work from Takeshi Shimizu (Ju-On).



Nagai Yume (Long Dream), Higuchinsky (Japan, 2000) (TV)
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Really disappointing telemovie from Higuchinsky (Uzumaki).


Nang Nak, Nonzee Nimibutr (Thailand, 1999)
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This is a different kind of horror, even from its asian cousins.


Noroi, Kôji Shiraishi (Japan, 2005).
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Japanese mockumentary/found footage horror flick. Quite good, explores some tricks (use of tv shows) that have been burnt afterwards in american found footage movies.

If you love mockumentaries you have to check our Anthology of mockumentaries (and found footage).

Occult (Okaruto), Kôji Shiraishi (Japan, 2009)
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Watchable mockumentary about the survivor of an attack in a touristic spot, and the mysterious facts around it.


One Missed Call (Chakushin ari), Takashi Miike (Japan, 2003)
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This is a perfect example of one sub-genre inside asian horror: the dangers of technology. Or more precissely, how old ghosts can use the new technology to survive. In western cinema, except movies like Poltergeist, not so many movies had explored the possibilities of technology and traditional horror. But, thanks to some asian horror movies, we discovered the dangers of mobile phones, television, cctv, internet..

One missed Call would be a perfect example of this sub-genre, and surprisingly it was directed by the enfant terrible of japanese cinema Takashi Miike.

Especially remarkable the moment at the live television show.

It suffered from an infamous american remake in 2008.




One Missed Call 2 (Chakushin Ari 2), (Japan, 2005)



Weaker than the first part.

Onibaba, de Kaneto Shindô (Japan, 1964)
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Another japanese horror classic. Personally, I stick with Kwaidan.


Paradise Murdered, Kim Han-min (Korea, 2007)
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A small island. Mysterious events.

Korean cinema has also given some remarkable thrillers and horror movies like Memories of murder, The Host, Oldboy...or the more recent Train to Busan (2016) or Parasite (2019) and this is a good example of their good work.


Phone (Pon), de Byeong-ki Ahn (Korea, 2002)
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Another mobile-inspired horror flick. Acceptable.


Rasen (The Spiral), Jôji Iida (Japan, 1998)
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First Ringu sequel. Completely unremarkable.




Rinne (Reincarnation), Takashi Shimizu (Japan, 2005)
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A movie about reincarnation from the director of Ju-On. The best: the hotel.






Ringu, Hideo Nakata (Japan, 1998)
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The most famours movie of the list. The movie that introduced modern japanese horror (and asian too) to the world. A modern classic. It is especially important considering that, after the revival of slasher movies by Kevin Williamson, horror cinema was again suffering the epidemic of crazy serial killers. Ringu proved that another horror cinema was possible.

In my opinion, Ringu has been victim of its own success, and of the overdose of asian horror that we suffered on the following years, but this is completely undeserved, because it stands as a solid, quite classic, perfectly paced movie.

Ringu opened new ways to horror, helping to escape the equation teenager+serial killer, that so succesful had been in the 80s but had brought horror cinema to the basement of cinematographical art.

Ringu 0: Bâsudei, Norio Tsuruta (Japan, 2000)



Prequel of Ringu. Avoid it.


Ringu 2, Hideo Nakata (Japan, 1999)

Second Ringu sequel, after Rasen. Only interesting point is to see how two different stories (Rasen and this one) can be created starting at the same point (the Ringu ending).


Rule Number One, Kelvin Tong, (Hong Kong, Singapur, 2008)

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Hong Kong-Singapur corproduction  that seems to imitate Kiyoshi Kurosawa's style. Although it doesn't achieve the levels of Kurosawa's films, it is still interesting.




Sakebi (Retribution), Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Japan, 2006)
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Another great thriller from Kiyoshi Kurosawa.










Shikoku (Ghost Land), Shunichi Nagasaki (Japan, 1999)
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Acceptable entertainment.


Shutter, Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom (Thailand, 2004)
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We already discussed when we talked about Abnormal Beauty some of the dangers of photography, and in One missed call the dangers of technology, and in Shutter they come both together.

Solid classic ghost story. One of my favorites from the list.

Suicide Club/Suicide Circle (Jisatsu saakuru), Sion Sono (Japan, 2002)
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One of the most interesting movies of the list; that we commented here.


Tell Me Something (Telmisseomding), Yoon-Hyun Chang (Korea, 1999)



Really interesting korean thriller.


The Booth, Nakamura Yoshihiro (Japan, 2005)
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This is an interesting movie, where a small space (a radio booth) gives a lot of enterntainment.


The Doll Master (Inhyeongsa), Yong-ki Jeong (Korea, 2004)



Boring.


The Eye (Gin gwai), Pang Brothers (Hong Kong, UK, Singapur, 2002)
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Another of the most popular asian horror movies, this one about the sub-genre of transplants. It can divided in two parts: a more classic urban horror, and a more boring second half that takes place in Thailand when the main character tries to find out the source of the course.

There is an american version with Jessica Alba.


The Eye 2 (Gin gwai 2), Pang Brothers (Hong Kong, Thailand, 2004)
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The Heirloom (Zhaibian), Leste Chen (Taiwan, 2005)
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Boring mix of haunted houses and family curses.


The Host (Gwoemul), Joon-Ho Bong (Korea, 2006)
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The Host was one of the first popular korean movies, probably because of how it mixes horror, comedy, drama, and with the pessimistic view so common in koren cinema. From the director of Memories of murder, who would later write and direct Snowpiercer and Parasite.

The sisters (Pee chong air), Tiwa Moeithaisong (Thailand, 2004)
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Weak.


Tokyo 10+01 , Higuchinsky (Japan, 2003)
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Disappointing movie from Higuchinsky, director of Uzumaki.


Uzumaki, Higuchinsky (Japan, 2000)
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Uzumaki is one the most surprising, disturbing and unsettling movies of this list. El seu argument és senzill, un poble obsessionat en les espirals. Basat en el còmic del mateix nom de Junji Ito, Uzumaki barreja el món de David Lynch amb el millor del terror japones, donant com a resultat una pel·lícula no apta per a tots els públics, però que si us deixeu portar, us submergirà en un món delirant i surrealista.

Sadly, other adaptations of Junji Ito comics haven't achieved capturing the atmosphere of the original (Kakashi, Tomie, Long dream, Lovesick Dead...).

Surprising movie. A must-see.


Yeogo goedam (Whispering Corridors), Ki-hyeong Park (Korea, 1998)
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Yeogo Goedam is better than it would originally seem: another high-school horror movies. But at least the first two movies are much better than expected.

Yeogo goedam II (Memento Mori), de Tae-Yong Kim i Kyu-Dong Min (Corea, 1999)
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Yeogo goedam 3: Yeowoo gyedan (Wishing Stairs), de Jae-yeon Yun (Corea, 2003)

Yeogo goedam 4: Moksori (Ghost Voice/The Voice), de Ik-hwan Choe (Corea, 2005)

Weakest of the series.

Yogen (Premonition), de Norio Tsuruta (Japó, 2004)
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Acceptable.

Other movies sometimes listed in fantastic or horror lists not included here are Inugami, Memoirs of Murder (wonderful criminal movie from the director of Parasite), Shiri, JSA, 9 Souls, Oldboy…