Japanese horror, or J-Horror, has enjoyed a huge popularity in recent years. Japanese horror is noted for its unique thematic and conventional treatment of the horror genre in light of western adaptations.

Japanese horror places the emphasis mainly on psychological horror and the building up of tension (anticipation), especially involving such supernatural apparitions as ghosts and poltergeists. Other Japanese horror contains themes of folk religion, such as possession, exorcism, shamanism, precognition, and yokai. However, very often, there is also a certain undercurrent of graphic exploitation in Japanese genre films, evoking shocking scenes of violence and sexual depravity that would put even the most explicit Western horror movies to shame.

The beginnings of the Japanese horror genre dates back to horror and ghost story classics of the Edo period and the Meiji period, which were known as kaidan. Aspects of several of these popular folktales have been included in the stories of modern films, particularly in the traditional nature of the Japanese ghost.

Ghost stories have an even older history in Japanese literature, dating back to at least the Heian period (794-1185). Konjaku Monogatarishu written during that time featured a number of ghost stories from India, China and Japan.

The 1954 monster movie, Godzilla, has often been described as the one that started the trend for Japanese horror films. But if you wanted to go for a movie that was more along the lines of the traditional Japanese ghost story, you could point to Ugetsu (1953) as a good example of the first real Japanese paranormal film.

In recent years, several of the more popular Japanese horror films have been entirely remade. Ring was one of the first to be remade in America as The Ring, and later The Ring Two (although this remake bears almost no similarity to the original Japanese sequel).

Here is a list of some Japanese horror films that have been remade for the US market.

The Ring - 2002
The Grudge - 2004
Dark Water - 2005
The Ring Two - 2005
The Grudge 2 - 2006
Pulse - 2006
One Missed Call - 2008
The Grudge 3 - 2009
The Ring 3D - 2012

Apart from The Ring, every one of the J-Horror remake has received bad reviews. The Ring 3D is still awaiting release, so it does not have any current reviews. Many of the original directors who created these Asian horror films have gone on to direct the American remakes. For example, Hideo Nakata, director of Ring, directed the remake The Ring Two and Takashi Shimizu, director of the original Ju-on, directed the remake The Grudge and its sequel, The Grudge 2.

A few other Asian countries have been remaking these Japanese horror films as well. For instance, South Korea came up with their own version of the Japanese horror classic Ring, titled The Ring Virus.

Inspired by current trends in Japanese horror, the first film by Los Angeles-based writer-director Jason Cuadrado, Tales From The Dead, is a horror film in four parts which Cuadrado filmed with a cast of Japanese actors speaking their native language.

Japanese Horror

The Best Books On Japanese Horror Films (Click on each image link to purchase)