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The Most Terrifying Japanese Horror Movies of All Time

Updated November 21, 2019 6.9k votes 1.7k voters 223.5k views65 items

List RulesJapanese movies in the horror genre only

Are you wondering which Japanese horror films are considered the best by voters like you? Whether you're a huge fan of the Japanese horror movie genre or just beginning to dive into these creepy foreign films, this list (ranked by fans) will let you know which scary flicks are the most popular.

If your particular favorite Japanese horror movie is not at the top of the list, vote it up! Or, if you don’t see your favorite listed, go ahead and add it so that other lovers of Japanese scary movies can enjoy it as well.

Looking for a new scary movie that you haven’t seen yet? With this extensive list you are sure to find something new. Or maybe you're an old pro who wants to relive some of the best horror movie moments. No matter what, this list will help you find what you are looking for (as long as you're looking for awesomely terrifying movies).

Don't be afraid! Check out the list below to find out which fan favorites are considered the best Japanese horror movies.

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1
Ringu
1998
368
94
Actors: Hiroyuki Sanada, Miki Nakatani, Yūko Takeuchi, Yutaka Matsushige, Nanako Matsushima
Directed by: Hideo Nakata
Ring is a 1998 Japanese mystery thriller film directed by Hideo Nakata, adapted from the novel Ring by Kôji Suzuki, which in turn draws on the Japanese folk tale Banchō Sarayashiki. The film stars... more
#65 of 178 The Best and Scariest Psychological Thrillers of All Time #75 of 177 The Best Classic Horror Movies #8 of 148 The Best Horror Movies Of The 1990s
2
Ju-on: The Grudge
2002
430
129
Actors: Itou Misaki, Megumi Okina, Takashi Matsuyama, Yui Ichikawa, Kanji Tsuda
Directed by: Takashi Shimizu
Ju-on: The Grudge is a 2002 Japanese horror film written and directed by Takashi Shimizu. This film is the third installment in the Ju-on series and the first film to be theatrically released. The... more
#6 of 22 Horror Movies You Can't Even Finish Watching #24 of 25 All The Brilliant Horror And Suspense Movie Homages In 'American Horror Story'#16 of 20 20 Of The Most Entertaining Haunted House Movies Ever Made
3
Audition
1999
290
88
Actors: Eihi Shiina, Renji Ishibashi, Ren Osugi, Jun Kunimura, Ryo Ishibashi
Directed by: Takashi Miike
Audition is a 1999 Japanese psychological horror-drama film, directed by Takashi Miike and starring Ryo Ishibashi and Eihi Shiina. It is based on a Ryu Murakami novel of the same title, from a... more
#132 of 440 The Best Movies Of The 1990s #39 of 139 The Best Movies You Never Want to Watch Again #15 of 17 Horror Movie Scenes That Traumatize Without Gore
4
Dark Water
2002
214
62
Actors: Asami Mizukawa, Fumiyo Kohinata, Hitomi Kuroki, Yu Tokui, Shigemitsu Ogi
Directed by: Hideo Nakata
Dark Water is a 2002 Japanese horror film directed by Hideo Nakata, the director of Ring and Ring 2. Dark Water is based on Floating Water, a short story by Koji Suzuki. The plot follows a divorced... more
5
Pulse
2001
171
45
Actors: Koyuki, Kōji Yakusho, Kumiko Aso, Haruhiko Katô
Directed by: Hiromi Kurosawa
Pulse, known in Japan as Kairo, is a 2001 Japanese horror film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. The film is based on his novel of the same name. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at... more
6
galenandrews added
Battle Royale
2000
233
81
Actors: Beat Kitano, Chiaki Kuriyama, Kou Shibasaki, Aki Maeda, Ai Maeda
Directed by: Kinji Fukasaku
Battle Royale is a 2000 Japanese action thriller film adapted from the 1999 novel of the same name by Koushun Takami. It is the final film directed by Kinji Fukasaku, the screenplay written by his... more
#1243 of 1,506 The Most Rewatchable Movies #251 of 277 The Top Tearjerker Movies That Make Men Cry #428 of 557 The Best Film Scores Of All Time
7
Ju-on: The Grudge 2
2003
190
73
Actors: Noriko Sakai, Yui Ichikawa, Ayumu Saito, Takako Fuji, Yuya Ozeki
Directed by: Takashi Shimizu
Ju-on: The Grudge 2 is a 2003 Japanese horror film and the fourth installment in the Ju-on series. The film was written and directed by Takashi Shimizu. It was released in Japan on August 23,... more
8
One Missed Call
2004
163
64
Actors: Kou Shibasaki, Anna Nagata, Renji Ishibashi, Yutaka Matsushige, Shinichi Tsutsumi
Directed by: Takashi Miike
One Missed Call is a 2003 Japanese horror film directed by Takashi Miike and written by Minako Daira. The film is based on the novel Chakushin Ari by Yasushi Akimoto. The plot revolves around Yumi... more
#94 of 113 The Best Horror Movie Franchises #101 of 202 The Best R-Rated World Cinema Movies
9
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Ichi the Killer
2001
106
32
Actors: Shinya Tsukamoto, Tadanobu Asano, Susumu Terajima, Jun Kunimura, Alien Sun
Directed by: Takashi Miike
This film is a 2001 Japanese film directed by Takashi Miike, written by Sakichi Sato, and based on Hideo Yamamoto's manga series of the same name. It portrays a story of feuding yakuza gangs... more
#65 of 88 The Goriest Movies Ever Made #99 of 100 The Best Movies On Shudder #212 of 475 The Greatest Movies in World Cinema History
10
Suicide Club
2001
129
52
Actors: Kimiko Yo, Ryo Ishibashi, Akaji Maro, Rolly Teranishi, Masatoshi Nagase
Directed by: Sion Sono
Suicide Club, known in Japan as Suicide Circle is a 2002 Japanese independent horror film that gained a considerable amount of notoriety in film festivals around the world for its controversial... more
11
galenandrews added
Matango
1963
60
10
Actors: Hideyo Amamoto, Kumi Mizuno, Kenji Sahara, Hiroshi Koizumi, Akira Kubo
Directed by: Ishirō Honda
Matango, also known as Fungus of Terror, Curse of the Mushroom People and Attack of the Mushroom People, is a 1963 Japanese tokusatsu movie. It was directed by Ishirō Honda, and written by Takeshi... more
12
Ring 2
1999
105
49
Actors: Hiroyuki Sanada, Kyoko Fukada, Miki Nakatani, Masahiro Motoki, Yasutaka Tsutsui
Directed by: Hideo Nakata
Ring 2, directed by Hideo Nakata, is the sequel to the Japanese horror film, Ring. Ring was originally a novel written by Koji Suzuki; its sequel, Rasen, was also adapted into a movie as the Ring... more
13
abyx added
Versus
2000
57
12
Actors: Hideo Sakaki, Tak Sakaguchi, Kenji Matsuda, Minoru Matsumoto, Chieko Misaka
Directed by: Ryuhei Kitamura
Versus is a 2000 Japanese independent zombie action film co-written, produced, and directed by Ryuhei Kitamura. The film is set somewhere in the deep forest of Japan, known as the Forest of... more
#51 of 117 The Best Zombie Comedies #281 of 336 The All-Time Greatest Martial Art Movies #63 of 187 The 100+ Best Action Movies For Horror Fans
14
Occult
2009
54
11
Actors: Hiromi Kurosawa, Kōji Shiraishi, Takuji Suzuki, Koen Kondo, Yumi Yoshiyuki
Directed by: Kōji Shiraishi
Occult is a 2009 J-Horror, "found footage" film in the form of a documentary. The movie was written and directed by Kôji Shiraishi.... more
15
galenandrews added
House
1977
70
29
Actors: Kimiko Ikegami, Haruko Wanibuchi, Yōko Minamida, Miki Jinbo, Kiyohiko Ozaki
Directed by: Nobuhiko Obayashi
House (Japanese: ハウス, Hepburn: Hausu) is a 1977 Japanese horror film directed and produced by Nobuhiko Obayashi. The film stars mostly amateur actors with only Kimiko Ikegami and Yōko Minamida having... more
#353 of 743 The Best Horror Movies Of All Time #38 of 102 The 100+ Best Movies Streaming On The Criterion Channel #14 of 15 Horror Movies That Keep You On The Edge Of Your Seat From Start To Finish, Ranked
16
Onibaba
1964
63
23
Actors: Nobuko Otowa, Taiji Tonoyama, Kei Sato, Jukichi Uno, Jitsuko Yoshimura
Directed by: Kaneto Shindo
Onibaba is a 1964 Japanese historical drama horror film. It was written and directed by Kaneto Shindo. The film is set during a civil war in the fourteenth century. Nobuko Otowa and Jitsuko Yoshimura... more
17
Infection
2004
68
29
Actors: Yōko Maki, Kōichi Satō, Shirô Sano, Mari Hoshino, Tae Kimura
Directed by: Masayuki Ochiai
Infection is a 2004 Japanese horror film directed by Masayuki Ochiai, of a run-down hospital where a doctor's mistake unwittingly creates dark consequences for all. It was released as part of the... more
#43 of 62 The Best Horror Movies About Hospitals and Mental Asylums #40 of 48 The Best Horror Movies About Virus Outbreaks
18
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Uzumaki
2000
58
22
Actors: Ren Osugi, Taro Suwa, Eun-Kyung Shin, Hinako Saeki, Masami Horiuchi
Directed by: Higuchinsky
Uzumaki is a Japanese horror film directed by Higuchinsky. Uzumaki, released in 2000, is based on Junji Ito's episodic manga of the same name. The plot concerns a town infected with malevolent... more
19
Carved: The Slit Mouthed Woman
2007
75
40
Actors: Saaya Irie, Miki Mizuno, Eriko Sato, Kaori Sakagami, Rie Kuwana
Directed by: Kōji Shiraishi
Carved is a 2007 horror film written and directed by Kōji Shiraishi, and co-written by Naoyuki Yokota.... more
20
Cure
1997
61
28
Actors: Kōji Yakusho, Ren Osugi, Masato Hagiwara, Denden, Yukijirô Hotaru
Directed by: Hiromi Kurosawa
Cure is a 1997 Japanese thriller film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, starring Koji Yakusho, Masato Hagiwara, Tsuyoshi Ujiki and Anna Nakagawa.... more
21
galenandrews added
Tetsuo: The Iron Man
1989
62
29
Actors: Shinya Tsukamoto, Renji Ishibashi, Tomorowo Taguchi, Naomasa Musaka, Kei Fujiwara
Directed by: Shinya Tsukamoto
Tetsuo: The Iron Man is a 1989 Japanese cyberpunk film by cult-film director Shinya Tsukamoto produced by Japan Home Video. It is an extremely graphic but also strikingly-filmed fantasy shot in the... more
#44 of 60 The Best Horror Movies About Evil Experiments #174 of 174 The Best Sci-Fi Movies of the 1980s #160 of 181 The Best Horror Movies Of The 1980s
22
galenandrews added
Visitor Q
2001
100
74
Actors: Fujiko, Kenichi Endō, Shungiku Uchida, Kazushi Watanabe
Directed by: Takashi Miike
Visitor Q is a 2001 film directed by Japanese director Takashi Miike. It was filmed as the sixth and final part of the Love Cinema series consisting of six straight-to-video releases by independent... more
#112 of 152 The Best Surrealism Movies #91 of 129 The Best R-Rated Japanese Movies
23
NatashaIzlin added
Ju-on: The Curse
2000
97
70
Actors: Chiaki Kuriyama, Takashi Matsuyama, Taro Suwa, Takako Fuji, Denden
Directed by: Takashi Shimizu
Ju-on: The Curse, also known as simply Ju-on, is a 2000 Japanese V-Cinema horror film and the first installment in the Ju-on franchise, following two short films, Katasumi and 4444444444. The film... more
#110 of 162 The Best Horror Movies Of The 21st Century #317 of 519 The Scariest Movies Of All Time
24
RussellBrill added
Imprint
2006
47
20
Actors: Billy Drago, Youki Kudoh, Toshie Negishi, Magy, Mame Yamada
Directed by: Takashi Miike
An American journalist in 19th century Japan is hoping to find the love he left behind. His long search leads him to a dark island where the only sanctuary is a brothel. He ends up spending the night... more
25
Kuroneko
1968
39
16
Actors: Eimei Esumi, Nakamura Kichiemon II, Mutsuhiro Toura, Nobuko Otowa, Taiji Tonoyama
Directed by: Kaneto Shindo
Kuroneko is a 1968 black-and-white Japanese horror film, directed by Kaneto Shindo, and an adaptation of a supernatural folktale. Set during a civil war in Japan's Heian period, the spirits of a... more

Pulse

Suicide Club