The 15 Best Japanese Horror Movies of All Time - You Must See Before You Die

Japanpedia - Horror as a genre has remained to this day primarily trapped in the shadow of the Western world, at least in the public consciousness. The fact is, however, an appreciation and thrill for the sensation of a chill down the spine is a universal desire, almost a drive, and areas all over the world have produced their own corpus of horror masterworks waiting to be discovered.

One of the more famous crazes was the modern J-horror renaissance that began in the late 90s and petered out in the mid-2000s, but Japan has been producing horror films for decades. Horror, as a manifestation of a society’s inner-most fears, not only transforms over time but melds to the consciousness of the nation that produces it, and as such Japanese horror sees a number of particular through-lines as fascinating to dissect thematically as to confront with a primeval chill.

To this extent, here are 15 of the best Japanese horror films stretching from the modern era all the way back to silent classics from an alien world.

15. Suicide Club (Sion Sono, 2001)