Japanese Horror, Ranked
by solmaquina | created - 22 Jun 2013 | updated - 4 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Godzilla (1954)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
American nuclear weapons testing results in the creation of a seemingly unstoppable dinosaur-like beast.
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Takashi Shimura, Akihiko Hirata, Akira Takarada, Momoko Kôchi
Votes: 39,777 | Gross: $2.42M
8.5/10
2. Ringu (1998)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Mystery
A reporter and her ex-husband investigate a cursed video tape that is rumored to kill the viewer seven days after watching it.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani, Yûko Takeuchi, Hitomi Satô
Votes: 77,554
7/10
3. Dark Water (2002)
PG-13 | 101 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A mother and her 6-year-old daughter move into a creepy apartment whose every surface is permeated by water.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi, Asami Mizukawa
Votes: 34,951
7/10
4. Shin Godzilla (2016)
Not Rated | 120 min | Action, Drama, Horror
Japan is plunged into chaos upon the appearance of a giant monster.
Directors: Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi | Stars: Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, Satomi Ishihara, Ren Ôsugi
Votes: 36,522 | Gross: $1.92M
7/10
5. Noroi (2005)
Not Rated | 115 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A documentary filmmaker explores seemingly unrelated paranormal incidents connected by the legend of an ancient demon called the "kagutaba."
Director: Kôji Shiraishi | Stars: Jin Muraki, Rio Kanno, Tomono Kuga, Marika Matsumoto
Votes: 15,354
7/10
6. Ju-on: The Curse (2000 Video)
TV-PG | 70 min | Horror, Mystery
A teacher visits the house of one of his students after the boy goes missing, only to have a horrifying excuse for his absence from school.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Yûrei Yanagi, Yue, Ryôta Koyama, Hitomi Miwa
Votes: 8,987
7/10
7. Cure (1997)
Not Rated | 111 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
A frustrated detective deals with the case of several gruesome murders committed by people who have no recollection of what they've done.
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Stars: Masato Hagiwara, Koji Yakusho, Tsuyoshi Ujiki, Anna Nakagawa
Votes: 23,143 | Gross: $0.09M
6.5/10
8. Godzilla Minus One (2023)
PG-13 | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Post war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb.
Director: Takashi Yamazaki | Stars: Sakura Andô, Minami Hamabe, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Yuki Yamada
Votes: 59,140
7/10
9. One Missed Call (2003)
R | 112 min | Horror, Mystery
People mysteriously start receiving voicemail messages from their future selves, foretelling their deaths.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Kô Shibasaki, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Kazue Fukiishi, Anna Nagata
Votes: 19,328
7/10
10. Sadako vs. Kayako (2016)
Not Rated | 98 min | Horror
The vengeful spirits of the Ring and Grudge series face off.
Director: Kôji Shiraishi | Stars: Mizuki Yamamoto, Tina Tamashiro, Aimi Satsukawa, Misato Tanaka
Votes: 3,993
6/10
11. Spiral (1998)
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A young pathologist seeks answers to the mysterious death of a friend and soon comes into contact with the same cursed videotape that caused the death of the friend's wife and son, which is haunted by the curse of Sadako, a relentless spirit.
Director: Jôji Iida | Stars: Kôichi Satô, Miki Nakatani, Hinako Saeki, Shingo Tsurumi
Votes: 3,981
6/10
12. Ju-On: The Grudge 2 (2003)
R | 92 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
As their curse spreads on, the ghosts find their chance to live once again through the pregnancy of a cursed woman.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Noriko Sakai, Chiharu Niiyama, Kei Horie, Yui Ichikawa
Votes: 10,890
6/10
13. Pulse (2001)
R | 119 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Two groups of people discover evidence that suggests spirits may be trying to invade the human world through the Internet.
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Stars: Haruhiko Katô, Kumiko Asô, Koyuki, Kurume Arisaka
Votes: 25,630 | Gross: $0.05M
5/10
14. Ju-on: White Ghost (2009)
Not Rated | 61 min | Fantasy, Horror
Akane begins seeing visions of a female ghost wearing the same yellow hat and red satchel she wore as a school child.
Director: Ryûta Miyake | Stars: Hiroki Suzuki, Ichirôta Miyakawa, Natsuki Kasa, Akina Minami
Votes: 2,547
5.5/10
15. Ju-on: Black Ghost (2009)
Not Rated | 60 min | Fantasy, Horror
After losing her child at birth, the dark horror of the grudge begins growing within her.
Director: Mari Asato | Stars: Kôji Seto, Kuniteru Shigeyama, Kana Tsugihara, Ai Kago
Votes: 2,039
5.5/10
16. Audition (1999)
R | 115 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura
Votes: 89,312
5/10
17. Attack on Titan Part 1 (2015)
Not Rated | 98 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In a world where giant humanoid Titans prey on humans, Eren joins the scouting legion to get revenge on the monsters who killed everyone in his town.
Director: Shinji Higuchi | Stars: Haruma Miura, Kiko Mizuhara, Kanata Hongô, Satomi Ishihara
Votes: 15,498 | Gross: $0.45M
5/10
18. Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)
R | 92 min | Horror
A mysterious and vengeful spirit marks and pursues anybody who dares enter the house in which it resides.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Megumi Okina, Misaki Itô, Misa Uehara, Yui Ichikawa
Votes: 48,116 | Gross: $0.33M
4.5/10
19. Ring 0: Birthday (2000)
Not Rated | 99 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
In this prequel to Ring, a young Sadako becomes an actress in hopes of escaping her troubled past. But strange visions and terrifying powers begin to manifest...
Director: Norio Tsuruta | Stars: Yukie Nakama, Seiichi Tanabe, Kumiko Asô, Takeshi Wakamatsu
Votes: 9,923
4/10
20. Ju-on: The Beginning of the End (2014)
Not Rated | 91 min | Horror
A school teacher visits the home of a boy who's been absent from school for a long period of time, unaware of the horrific tragedy which occurred in the boy's household many years ago.
Director: Masayuki Ochiai | Stars: Shô Aoyagi, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Yasuhito Hida, Maki Ishikawa
Votes: 1,716
4.5/10
21. Ring 2 (1999)
Not Rated | 95 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Reiko takes Yôichi into hiding when her son begins to display frightening powers. Meanwhile, Mai Takano and the authorities begin a desperate search for them, as the mysterious Ring curse spreads.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Miki Nakatani, Hitomi Satô, Kyôko Fukada, Fumiyo Kohinata
Votes: 14,734
4/10
22. Sadako 3D (2012)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror
The spiteful ghost of Sadako, a murdered woman whose body was thrown down a well, reaches the Internet searching for a host in order to live once again.
Director: Tsutomu Hanabusa | Stars: Satomi Ishihara, Kôji Seto, Ai Hashimoto, Tsutomu Takahashi
Votes: 1,786
4/10
23. Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008)
R | 98 min | Animation, Action, Horror
Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield must battle a rogue warrior seeking revenge after unleashing the deadly G-Virus, whilst a mutated monster goes on a rampage.
Director: Makoto Kamiya | Stars: Paul Mercier, Alyson Court, Laura Bailey, Roger Craig Smith
Votes: 33,215
3/10
24. Ju-on: The Curse 2 (2000)
Not Rated | 76 min | Horror, Mystery
On his request, the sensitive sister of a real estate agent visits a house he intends to sell, only to cross paths with its resident curse.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Yûrei Yanagi, Takako Fuji, Takashi Matsuyama, Ryôta Koyama
Votes: 4,064
4/10
25. The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
A family moves to the country to run a rustic mountain inn when, to their horror, the customers begin befalling sudden and unlikely fates.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Kenji Sawada, Keiko Matsuzaka, Shinji Takeda, Naomi Nishida
Votes: 10,033
3/10
26. Sadako 2 3D (2013)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror
Fuko Ando (Miori Takimoto) is a 24-years-old graduate student in psychology. She is tasked to take care of her 4-year-old niece. Soon, mysterious events occur around her niece. She then ... See full summary »
Director: Tsutomu Hanabusa | Stars: Miori Takimoto, Kôji Seto, Itsumi Ôsawa, Kokoro Hirasawa
Votes: 891
3.5/10
27. Ju-on: The Final Curse (2015)
Not Rated | 90 min | Horror
Following the events of Ju-on: The Beginning of the End, Mai, the older sister of elementary schoolteacher Yui Shono, goes to look for her sister, who disappeared after a year while working... See full summary »
Director: Masayuki Ochiai | Stars: Airi Taira, Ren Kiriyama, Nonoka Ono, Yurina Yanagi
Votes: 1,056
2.5/10
28. Attack on Titan: Part 2 (2015)
Not Rated | 87 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A young boy name Eren Jaeger has to use his gift to know about the mystery of the Titans.
Director: Shinji Higuchi | Stars: Haruma Miura, Hiroki Hasegawa, Kanata Hongô, Kiko Mizuhara
Votes: 6,036 | Gross: $0.31M
3/10
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