Asian Horror
by EllaMentree | created - 20 Mar 2015 | updated - 20 Mar 2015 | PublicI want to keep track of Asian Horror films I've seen and write some info on them and what I thought about them. Suggestions for more films to watch are welcome by anyone who's viewing this (and if you're viewing this list, it's probably because I linked it to you)
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1. 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: 77,532
Ringu is definitely a film that will unsettle people that watch it, and it has a very creepy vibe to it that not many other movies are able to achieve. I can see why it gets so much praise.
2. 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: 15,340
Nothing particularly special, and it drags on for longer than I really cared for. The plot of the film is difficult to follow on the first viewing if only because I honestly don't feel like the movie suspends disbelief well enough.
It has a large cast and it has some good ideas, but it just doesn't feel cohesive as a whole. Parts of it were interesting, but for the most part it was really rather boring.
3. Kuchisake-onna (2007)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A suburban town in Japan is the victim of what is supposedly just an urban legend, a woman's spirit with a horribly disfigured face who is intent on kidnapping children for unknown reasons.
Director: Kôji Shiraishi | Stars: Eriko Satô, Haruhiko Katô, Chiharu Kawai, Rie Kuwana
Votes: 3,049
Amusing if nothing else, but far from being anything akin to actual horror.
4. Into the Mirror (2003)
Not Rated | 113 min | Action, Fantasy, Horror
An ex-cop, now working as a security guard in a shopping mall, tries to uncover the secret behind a series of mysterious deaths linked to mirrors.
Director: Sung-ho Kim | Stars: Yoo Ji-tae, Kim Myung-min, Hye-na Kim, Gi Ju-bong
Votes: 3,617
More of a Mystery Thriller than a horror film, but it's still pretty fantastic. The fear of mirrors/reflective surfaces is played on really well in the first act of the film, but it seems to drop that premise entirely after a while... which is a shame.
5. Apt (2006)
90 min | Horror, Thriller
Se-jin, a young woman who lives in an old apartment in a Seoul suburb, amuses herself by observing windows of apartments on other side.
Directors: Byeong-ki Ahn, Ahn Byung-Ki | Stars: Ko So-young, Kang Seong-jin, Jang Hie-jin, Yûko Fueki
Votes: 1,130
Curiosity killed the cat, as they say. Has an interesting plot and is a fairly creepy film overall.
6. Phone (2002)
R | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Investigative reporter Ji-won begins to receive a series of menacing calls. To escape the terrifying and relentless clanging of the telephone, she changes her number and moves out. But the threatening campaign of terror continues unabated.
Director: Byeong-ki Ahn | Stars: Ha Ji-Won, Kim Yu-mi, Woo-jae Choi, Ji-yeon Choi
Votes: 5,295
I just don't even know what to say about this one. It seems like whoever wrote the screenplay for this was just making it up as they went and occasionally remembered what it was about but ultimately didn't care.
7. 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: 48,099 | Gross: $0.33M
A sad counter-point to the idea that remakes are worse. The Grudge (the American version) is scarier, creepier, and has far better direction overall. Ju-On: The Grudge is the sloppy "original," even though it's the second film in its series. This whole series of films is just confusing, I don't recommend diving into it unless you've got a roadmap prepared.
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