Though a bit of an outlier in the world of cinema, The Grudge is an immediate example of the fact that Hollywood adaptations of Japanese horror movies can do incredibly well, so much so that there was a whole wave of them back in the mid-2000s.
While there are tons of great adaptations of Japanese horror, there aren’t too many that are widely recognized by the general public. As a consequence of this, there are tons of Japanese horror movies on this list that scratch the same itch as The Grudge, thanks in part to the unique folklore. There are a few overlooked haunted house films as well since that’s essentially what The Grudge is at its core.
Ju-On: The Grudge
The film that served as the direct inspiration for the American remake of the film, entitled The Grudge, is Ju-On: The Grudge. Ju-On: The Grudge isn’t the first film in the franchise, which pretty much follows the same structure all the way through; vengeful ghost takes revenge for the murder of which they were victims.
The haunting generally centers around anyone who’s stepped foot in the house where the murder takes place, but it may follow them. The budget for this film is lower than The Grudge, but it also has a unique atmosphere as a result.
Ring
The Ring has been mercilessly parodied so many times that almost any reader is probably familiar with the premise. In case anyone reading isn’t much of a horror-hound, the basic plot of the film consists of a few major points. There’s a cursed VHS tape that’s floating around Japan, and pretty much anyone who’s found it and potentially watched it ends up dying after a period of seven days under very mysterious circumstances.
Equal parts thriller and horror, a reporter named Reiko and her husband do their best to find the source to see if there’s any way to stop it.
The Wailing
Many people claim that this film is similar to Hereditary, which got much more press than The Wailing. They’re both supernatural, so much so that The Wailing actually opens with a bible quote.
The film’s plot centers around a small town in South Korea which are quickly stricken with a rash of incurable illness that begins killing people around the town. The police trace it back to a shack on the outside of town, owned by a man who moved near the village around the time the illnesses start happening. The main Police officer finds his daughter’s shoe in the shack and quickly scrambles to stop the sickness.
Dark Water
Dark Water is actually a film made by the creators of Ring, meaning that, if you were a fan of the biggest two American Japanese Horror remakes from around the same time, it’s pretty likely that you’ll be a fan of Dark Water.
The film follows a woman named Yoshimi and her daughter in the shambles of a marriage that didn’t quite last as long as Yoshimi had hoped. They move into an apartment together, now living on their own, which is prone to flooding and appearances of an apparition that appears to be a little girl.
Tetsuo: The Iron Man
Tetsuo: The Iron Man is a bit of a weird one, being an experimental art-house kind of movie, but its influence is nearly unmatched in Japanese cinema. The movie is counted among the first in the cyberpunk genre, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t also firmly in the horror genre, as well.
The movie follows a man who hits someone on the street and then ignores his crime, driving home… only to realize that he’s been stricken by a horrible affliction that threatens to drive him insane and slowly replace all the organic cells in his body with metal. Oh, and the stop-motion showdown at the end is incredible.
House
House is a very special movie, even being so beloved that it got a Criterion Collection release loaded with bonus features and all sorts of other goodies for major fans of the film. The film has been described as a psychedelic haunted house tale, which was commissioned to compete with the overwhelming popularity of American-made horror movies in Japan.
The film follows a group of girls who take a trip to visit the aunt of one of the girls in the group, who turns out to be a witch with a menacing cat. Oh, and one of them gets eaten by a piano. It’s a great ride from beginning to end.
The Unborn
The Unborn was a horror movie from 2009, pretty much the same era that The Grudge was immensely popular in for horror. The Unborn has some pretty spooky undertones in it overall, but the film itself features a lot of frightening imagery.
The story follows a young woman named Casey Beldon starts experiencing frightening dreams in which she’s visited both by a large dog and an unknown but familiar-looking young boy. For whatever reason, she goes to an eye doctor, who’s unable to help her, after which she realizes that her parents miscarried, which helps her to figure out she’s being taken over by the lost child.
One Missed Call
Although the American remake didn’t do nearly as well with critics, the original film has become a cult classic. The movie One Missed Call is directed by Takashi Miike, who’s very well known as a horror director for having worked on movies such as Ichi The Killer and The Audition.
It’s a mystery in the way that The Ring is, but, at the same time, it has a unique twist. While the two get pretty frequently compared, they’re very different. One Missed Call is about a rash of voicemail messages that get left for people around town which contain the sounds of their deaths and the exact date and time.
The Woman In Black
The Woman In Black features Daniel Radcliffe, who plays a character named Arthur Kipps, a young man who’s doing his best to put the affairs of an old widow in order after her death. She used to be the proprietor of a manor called Eel Marsh House, somewhere out in the desolate and remote Moors.
When the inn he was originally going to be lodged at is full at his arrival, he’s quickly urged to go back to London, but instead uncovers that Eel Marsh House is haunted by an old woman who starts to take the lives of local children.
Crimson Peak
Perhaps one of the best depictions of an original horror story that’s supposed to capture the spirit of old Gothic horror novels, Crimson Peak is an absolutely beautiful film from the visionary director Guillermo Del Toro, who’s very well-renowned for his creature effects in films like Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape Of Water.
This movie isn’t what you’re looking for if you’re seeking gore, but, if you want a gloomy and absolutely beautiful horror film, this one is exactly what the doctor ordered. It tells the story of a young woman who marries a stranger, only to realize she can’t escape her past so easily.
