Well - so it seems that the gods of horror fandom have decreed it, that we must once
more head back to the horrifying hallowed halls of Japanese Horror Cinema - because,
well - there’s just too many damn good movies to cover, so we better flesh it out with some
of the best of the best that the Land of the Rising Sun has to offer.
As we so diligently explained in our previous video - Japanese Horror Cinema is a rich and
oftentimes perplexing tapestry of ancient culture, social psychology and a fantastic
mythology of terrifying creation.
Equal parts enigmatic and equal parts extremely brutal - either way, you’re going to be
shocked, confused, horrified - and/or all of the above.
Hello horror fans - what’s going on, and once again welcome back to the scariest channel
on YouTube - Top 5 Scary Videos.
As per usual, I’ll be your horror host Jack Finch - as today, we curiously take a look
at the Top 5 Scariest Japanese Horror Movies - Part 2.
Roll the clip.
For the curious amongst you, that clip was from - of course - 2002’s Ju-on - which
just so happened to make our Number 2 spot on our part 1 of this particular series - and
still stands up as a horrifying demonstration of just exactly why Japanese horror cinema
is so unique.
Don’t put the monster in the closet - put it under the bed covers.
Of course!
Anyway - I suppose we better get on with the show.
Kicking off at Number 5 - Cold Fish, 2010
And whilst perhaps not being the most explicitly classic horror compared to the rest of the
entries on this list - 2010’s Cold Fish is nevertheless filled to the brim with horrifying
deeds of a very human nature.
Also, if you’re not too good with blood and gore - you’re probably going to want
to avoid this film, as it has it in the bucketloads.
And yes, I do mean that literally.
In fact, Cold Fish has so much gore that it oftentimes segues into a very unique, albeit
very dark comedy.
Written and directed by Sion Sono, Cold Fish tells the tale of a quiet, unassuming tropical
fish shop owner named Shamoto - who crosses the path of a husband and wife duo who also
just-so-happen to own a rival fish-store.
And quickly, it seems - their perfect life is too good to be true, and they harbor a
deep, dark and deadly secret.
There isn’t a lot to spoil for this film on the surface - because the true revelation
of Cold Fish happens from the onset, and we quickly realise that something just isn’t
quite right about this tale from it’s opening few scenes.
In fact, as explained by Sono and his writing partner Yoshiki Takahashi - the film is loosely
based upon the exploits of two infamous Tokyo serial killers - a husband and wife duo that
owned a pet shop and used the roose to murder at least four people.
Cold Fish is dark - it’s macabre - but it’s also a fresh departure from the usual paranormal
and supernatural facets of Japanese Cinema.
And also - as you all probably know - it’s hella messed up.
Next up at number 4 - Infection, 2004
And talking of the paranormal and supernatural - don’t worry, because this one is all of
those things at once - whilst terrifyingly burrowing its cinematic roots deep into the
heart of what makes J-Horror so damn unique.
Infected, released in 2004 and written and directed by Japanese horror heavyweight Masayuki
Ochiai - is an oddly familiar tale, partly rooted in horror convention - but also flipped
completely on its head in ways that only J-Horror can somehow manage.
All of the horror hallmarks are there - run-down mental asylum, suspicious nurses - and even
more suspicious doctors - but that’s just the first few minutes, because then people
start melting and green ooze starts seeping out of people, places - and the walls - and
yeah, I don’t even know after that - because even after the credits role, you’ll still
be expecting something gross to emerge.
It tells the tale of Dr. Akiba, who is in the midst of covering up the death of one
of his patients, severely burnt and in pain - whom he and his staff failed to administer
the correct drug to treat his wounds.
In many ways - Infection is a film about the morality of medicine - but it also quickly
spirals into a frantic, chaotic and abysmal case of the human mind doing things that it
definitely shouldn’t.
And also while doing all of that - it still feels oddly familiar, almost like something
straight out of Hammer Horror - or even the more contemporary Haunting of Hill House.
It’s claustrophobic - it’s dripping with dread and atmosphere - and strangely enough,
to a Western Audience - it pretty much flew straight under the radar.
SO - that’s reason enough to give it a watch.
Coming in at Number 3 - Reincarnation, 2005
Anddd - the less you know about this film the better - but still, if you think you were
scared by Annabelle or Chucky - then 2005’s Reincarnation would like to have a word with
you, because it’s got a much more horrifying porcelain doll lurking in it’s cupboard
than Western Cinema could ever imagine.
Now, I’m going to preface this entry with the fact that this film won’t be for everyone
- and in many ways, you may be washed down by it’s massively supernatural scope - but,
if you can cut past that and just accept it for what it is - then you’ll find genuine
fear lurking in every corner.
Written and directed by Takashi Shimizu - the man responsible for bringing us Ju-On: The
Grudge - Reincarnation is exactly what it says on the tin.
A film about reincarnation.
But - also - more importantly … a film about the obsession of reincarnation, and is a horrifying
and wholeheartedly new spin on the meaning of Ghost Story.
Reincarnation - much like The Grudge - uses a layered and framed narrative device to tell
it’s paranormal tale - albeit one that covers a massive scope.
In parenthesis - we are slowly drip fed the story of a Psychology Professor - who became
obsessed with the notion of reincarnation, and was *so* convinced by his findings that
he murdered a hotel full of people - including his own family and children - and filmed the
whole thing for research purposes before taking his own life.
And that’s just the lynch-pin that binds this film together - so if you’re scared
by that notion already - then trust me, it only gets worse.
This film is genuinely terrifying, but it requires some patient viewing - as the atmosphere
and dread slowly sink in.
But trust me - if you do let it sink in - it’s really scary.
Swinging in at Number 2 - One Missed Call, 2003
And my word - is this film scary.
Yes.
The answer to that question is yes.
And also no - not the 2008 Western Remake.
Because that’s a call that you should always miss - unless you like terrible films, which
in that case - give it a watch!
Also, I’d like to point out that in our part one of this list - I pronounced Takashi
Miike as Takashi Mike, and I’m sorry - genuinely.
But I’ve actually been pronouncing it Mike for like over a decade now, so thanks for
the the heads up I guess - who knew!
Anyway - that’s besides the point, because what would you do if you got a voicemail - from
yourself - from the future - telling you precisely when you were going to die?
Yeah.
Exactly.
One Missed Call.
Directed by Takashi Miike - nailed it - One Missed Call is based upon the novel of the
same name by Yasushi Akimoto - that subsequently spawned one of the most renowned franchises
in Japanese Horror.
And it’s also important to note, that - this film won’t be breaking any boundaries.
It’s nothing new - it’s almost startlingly in line with the likes of Pulse - The Ring
- The Grudge - and perhaps even Cure way before that - but like with many delights of J-Horror
- it’s in the execution of One Missed Call that truly cements its place in the hallowed
halls of horror cinema.
For those of you that haven’t seen it - there are some genuinely bone-chilling scenes in
this film - many of which will take you completely off guard, but not in the tropey - overdone
half-baked jumpscare kind of way - because after all, these guys invented jumpscares.
There’s not much more I can say - go into this film with a fresh head - get terrified,
rinse and repeat.
Golden.
And finally - coming in at our Number 1 spot - Noroi: The Curse, 2005
And we should definitely talk a little bit about originality - because there’s a reason
that our Number 1 spot is reserved for such a curveball that is 2005’s Noroi: The Curse
- and that reason is, well - that’s actually nothing quite like it in Japanese Horror.
In many ways, although it didn’t give birth to the found footage genre - it has the exact
same impact as The Blair Witch Project did to a Western audience - something, completely
unique - and in that uniqueness - is a horrifying sense of dread.
This film is slow.
It’s long - and it’s narrative is winding and intricate.
But if you let it fully absorb you - it's a horror experience like no other.
Written and directed by Koji Shiraishi - Noroi: The Curse is a found-footage horror - presented
as documentary, following the exploits of Masafumi Kobayashi - an endearing paranormal
expert that disappeared during the making of his most disturbing documentary, The Curse.
In the same fashion of the Blair Witch Project - we as an audience experience the whole thing
posthumously - well, perhaps posthumously - because that would be spoilers, right?
Of course - giving away any more will detract from this films intention - but believe me
when I say that Noroi pulls no punches the deeper and further it goes into it’s strange,
perplexing, bizarre and horrifying descent into demonic madness.
This film is Lovecraftian in it’s scope - and although we’ve covered it before in
our Found Footage Lists - it definitely deserves its place as one of Japan’s most uniquely
terrifying horror movies.
And if I haven’t managed to convince you yet - just watch it.
Because the majority of it’s closing scenes will probably burn themselves into your minds
eye - and then you won’t be able to *not* watch it.
Yikes.
Well - there we have it horror fans - our part 2 list for the Top 5 Scariest Japanese
Horror Movies.
What did you guys think?
Do you agree?
Do you have more to add of your own?
Or do you just have something interesting and insightful to add?
Let us know your thoughts - as well as any choice picks down in the comment section below.
Before we depart from today’s video though - let’s first take a quick look at some
of your more resounding remarks from over the past few days.
NEO says --
Hello Jack, I’m a newly minted subscriber - also a security guard.
Your channels videos keep me alert and entertained - all at the same time when I do my job on
the graveyard shift - so thank you, you all rock.
-- No NEO, thank you!
Because without people such as yourself pushing the boundaries of when and where to watch
horror content, we’d have no charming comments to read from.
And what better way to scare yourself whilst at work - than with some Japanese Horror Movies!
Welcome aboard - and don’t work too hard!
Well - on that note horror fans - unfortunately that’s all we’ve got time for in today’s
video.
Cheers for sticking around all the way until the end.
If you were a fan of this video - or just Top 5 Scary Videos in particular, then please,
be a dear and hit that thumbs up button, as well as that subscribe bell - and I’ll be
seeing you in the next one.
As per usual, I’ve been your horror host Jack Finch - you’ve been watching Top 5
Scary Videos - and until next time, you take it easy.