Japanese Horror Movies

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Japanese Horror Movies have a particular and unique flavor that have made them popular throughout the world. Utilizing a slow and deliberate pace and tales of morality and vengeance from Japanese tradition rather than monsters and serial killers, Japanese horror films emphasize the roots of fear and terror that have existed in cultures for millennia. In addition to the modern take on Japanese horror however, there are a number of violent, sexually explicit films in the western tradition that have developed as well.

Early Films

The earliest Japanese horror movies were more dramatic supernatural tales than anything else, with the first recognized horror film coming in 1953 in Ugetsu. Another major release in the genre came in Kwaidan in 1964, with the rebirth of the Japanese ghost story that would dominate the 1990s horror film market in Japan. Another morality tale, similar to the first two is that of Onibaba from 1964 which touches on jealousy and passion. However, this is one of the few early exploitative Japanese films with extended scenes of graphic nudity and sexuality. Additional horror films made during the earlier days of Japanese film include;

Later, exploitation would take off as western influences became more pronounced in Japanese film. Pink films as they were called were essentially soft-core pornography and combined with horror, Japanese films like Horrors of Malformed Men and Blind Beast were made. Another popular series of horror films in japan that came of this genre were those in the Female prisoner 701 line of films that started in 1972.

Evolution of the Genre

In the 1980s, the Pink films of the 70s evolved into the Splatter eros films that included extreme gore and plenty of sexual content as in the case of Entrails of a Virgin in 1986. Many films, as directors attempted to become more and more extreme were banned including the likes of Guinea Pig in 1985 with its hyper realistic depictions of murder and torture. All Night Long in 1982 and Evil Dead Trap in 1988 were both similar films that pushed the boundaries of what Japanese censors would allow.

Modern Films

The Japanese horror movies most international audiences know today are those that resurged in the 1990s with the influence of ghost stories from the 1950s. Films like Ringu in 1998, the Tomie series, Dark Water, Ju-on, and One Missed Call created atmospheric terror rather than exploitative imagery. The spirits in these films were often long haired, pale female ghosts that walked awkwardly and seemed more beastly than human.