Japanese Horror Films

I recently saw a couple films that I enjoyed a lot: AUDITION and another called THE EYE. Soon after that I caught the original version of DARK WATER, which I also really loved.

I'm aware that there was a recent wave of really excellent Japanese Horror Films in the last 15 years or so, but I'm not well versed in the genre. I want to see more, even the films that might not be the absolute best. I'm sure that some of you out there are experts in this field, so I'm asking:

What Japanese Horror Films are worth searching out?

Are there any really good websites exclusively devoted to this topic?

This will get you started.

Tartan Asia Extreme.

Step into my office.

Seriously, there's a bunch of topics in there devoted to Japanese horror. I'm kind of a collector of them myself, so feel free to ask away.

Battle Royale.

Last year at the HP Lovecraft Film Festival I caught the film Marebito. I recommend it.

Ooh, I'd forgotten about The Eye. We went to see that. It was fucking great.

Ju-on and Ju-On 2.... but then after wating you'll start badmouthing the Grudge.

AFTER watching? I was probably 15 minutes into Ju-On before calling The Grudge a Hollywood-hacked piece of shit.

it's not really horror though, very good though it is.

try Uzamaki if you want a very strange Japanese horror film

I really don't. It was not in the least bit scary and it didn't really make much sense either. Besides being fundamentally predictable.

Ju-On (1, not so much 2, though 2 did still have its moments) remains my favorite in the category (and the same director did Marebito, so go figure.)

I also recommend Infection (madness and green goo in a hospital). And at least one of the Tomie films (I forget which) was nicely done as well, all of which are based on a (highly recommended) Japanese horror manga of the same name, involving a beautiful girl who causes men to fixate on her obsessively, eventually going into a psychotic rage and murdering her. Only...she doesn't quite seem to stay dead.

Also, it's not really correct to call it "Japanese horror" as many excellent films in that general stylistic category are actually from other Asian countries, particularly South Korea (The Eye is actually from China.), such as A Tale of Two Sisters (very brooding and creepy, though towards the end it becomes hard to distinguish what's really meant to be going on.) Also Sorum (the cover is egregiously false advertising, there is nothing supernatural in the entire movie), but it went somewhere I really, really did not expect. Someplace disturbing. Not sure if it was actually good, but I think I'm okay with having spent my time watching it.

That should keep you busy for a while.

the genre peaked with wild zero, obviously.

Thanks all! I added all the suggestions here to my 'must see' list!

Midnight Eye is a good site for Japanese cult films, not just horror.

Audition is one of my favorite movies.

You know, I tried to watch The Audition, but I couldn't get past the part where

It still turns my stomach just thinking about it. I had to avert my eyes and turn it off before I threw up .

I am a huge fan of Asian cinema.

Ju-On being my favorite.

Others I really like

Battle Royale, Ringu, Audition, The Eye and Shutter.

See... I was relatively uninterested until that point. That scene pretty much turned the whole movie around.

I thought The Eye was Thai? or am I thinking of something else.

I love Audition.

I laugh at

the

makes puke though

I'd have to agree with you there..

but it might have something to do with Wild Zero being one of my favourite movies of all time..

Ever played the Wild Zero Drinking Game?

No! details?