(Photo by Tidepoint Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection)

The Best Japanese Horror Movies

From folk tales to body horror to monster movies, Japan’s cinema finds new ways to thrill and disturb audiences. Japanese horror movies got a big leg-up in the 1950s and 1960s with Ugetsu and Kwaidan, before spinning heads over time with transgressive cult works (Tetsuo: The Ironman), comedic takes (Hausu, One Cut of the Dead), and crossover hits (Ringu, Audition). And we’d be remiss to not include at least the original kaiju movie, Godzilla. It was created in response to nuclear oblivion, and creating art to process real trauma is one of the core values of horror.

And now we’ve gathered every Japanese horror movie with a Fresh rating and ranked them by Tomatometer, creating your guide to the best Japanese horror movies of all time.

#14

Audition

(1999)

83%

#14

Adjusted Score:

85876%

Critics Consensus:

An audacious, unsettling Japanese horror film from director Takashi Miike, Audition entertains as both a grisly shocker and a psychological drama.

Synopsis:

This disturbing Japanese thriller follows Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi), a widower who decides to start dating again. Aided by a film-producer…

This disturbing Japanese thriller follows Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi), a widower who decides to start dating again. Aided by a film-producer… [More]

Starring:

Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Jun Kunimura, Miyuki Matsuda

Directed By:

Takashi Miike

#11

Kwaidan

(1964)

91%

#11

Adjusted Score:

94422%

Critics Consensus:

Exquisitely designed and fastidiously ornate, Masaki Kobayashi’s ambitious anthology operates less as a frightening example of horror and more as a meditative tribute to Japanese folklore.

Synopsis:

Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning “ghost story,” this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai…

Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning “ghost story,” this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai… [More]

Starring:

Rentarô Mikuni, Michiyo Aratama, Tetsurô Tanba, Katsuo Nakamura

Directed By:

Masaki Kobayashi

#10

House

(1977)

90%

#10

Adjusted Score:

90700%

Critics Consensus:

House is a gleefully demented collage of grand guginol guffaws and bizarre sequences.

Synopsis:

In an effort to avoid spending time with her father and his creepy new lover, young Gorgeous (Kimiko Ikegami) resolves…

In an effort to avoid spending time with her father and his creepy new lover, young Gorgeous (Kimiko Ikegami) resolves… [More]

Starring:

Kimiko Ikegami, Ai Matsubara, Miki Jinbo, Eriko Tanaka

Directed By:

Nobuhiko Ôbayashi

#5

The Ring

(1998)

98%

#5

Adjusted Score:

99365%

Critics Consensus:

Ringu combines supernatural elements with anxieties about modern technology in a truly frightening and unnerving way.

Synopsis:

When her niece is found dead along with three friends after viewing a supposedly cursed videotape, reporter Reiko Asakawa (Nanako…

When her niece is found dead along with three friends after viewing a supposedly cursed videotape, reporter Reiko Asakawa (Nanako… [More]

Starring:

Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Miki Nakatani, Yuko Takeuchi

Directed By:

Hideo Nakata

#2

Ugetsu

(1953)

100%

#2

Adjusted Score:

102675%

Critics Consensus:

With its thought-provoking themes, rich atmosphere, and brilliant direction, Kenji Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu monogatari is a towering classic of world cinema.

Synopsis:

In 16th century Japan, peasants Genjuro (Masayuki Mori) and Tobei (Sakae Ozawa) sell their earthenware pots to a group of…

In 16th century Japan, peasants Genjuro (Masayuki Mori) and Tobei (Sakae Ozawa) sell their earthenware pots to a group of… [More]

Starring:

Machiko Kyō, Masayuki Mori, Kinuyo Tanaka, Sakae Ozawa

Directed By:

Kenji Mizoguchi