The best Japanese horror movies of all time
The top 3 according to 369 votes from people: Ringu (1998) · Cure (1997) · Audition (1999). (Updated Nov 14, 2024.)
From Kwaidan to Ringu: the J-horror films critics and fans rank highest (SlashFilm, CBR, Screen Rant).
Top 12
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1
Ringu (1998)
The cursed videotape that launched the J-horror wave.
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2
Cure (1997)
Kiyoshi Kurosawa and a string of hypnotic murders.
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3
Audition (1999)
Takashi Miike's fake casting call that turns into a nightmare.
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4
Pulse (2001)
Ghosts spreading through the internet.
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5
Ju-On: The Grudge (2002)
Takashi Shimizu's vengeful ghosts, told in fragments.
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6
Kwaidan (1964)
Masaki Kobayashi's elegant anthology of ghost stories.
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7
Onibaba (1964)
Two women, a demon mask and the reeds.
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8
House (1977)
Nobuhiko Obayashi's psychedelic haunted house.
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9
Dark Water (2002)
Hideo Nakata, a leak in the ceiling and a lost girl.
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10
One Cut of the Dead (2017)
A zombie film with a twist nobody sees coming.
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11
Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
Shinya Tsukamoto's cyberpunk body horror.
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12
Kuroneko (1968)
Kaneto Shindo's ghost cats in feudal Japan.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
Is something missing?
Comments (5)
One Cut of the Dead, just go in blind and trust the first 30 minutes.
House is completely insane and I love it, nothing else looks like it.
Cure is the real masterpiece here, Kiyoshi Kurosawa is a genius.
Audition is the most disturbing movie I've ever seen, the slow first half makes it worse.
Ringu still scares me more than any American remake.