The Yurei
Female Harakiri: Glorious Death is a 1989 Japanese ero guro/fetish gore film directed by Akio Fuji. Sitting alone in a darkened room, a kimono-clad former soldier commits seppuku. Setting a precedent for the series, Female Harakiri: Glorious Death is a bleak and disturbing depiction of ritualistic suicide. The ambiguous lack of narrative or dialogue (recurring
Onne is a 2006 Japanese horror film written and directed by legendary filmmaker Shozin Fukui. The film is one of the last feature-length titles Fukui worked on as writer/director, in addition to Den-Sen (2006). A 23-year-old hikikomori, Takeshi, lives an isolated life, willingly trapped inside his apartment. However, after a strange gas attack disables all
Death Penalty.com is a 2011 Japanese psychological horror thriller written by Toshifumi Hiroki and directed by Ryota Sakamaki. Both known for their work in budget horror titles, Ryota Sakamaki has worked as a director on such films as Neo Document Series ZONE (2004), Scarier Stories than Ghosts Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 (2005), and Dark
For those familiar with the fantastically oneiric LSD: Dream Emulator game, the Osamu Sato name may ring a bell. Born in 1960, this digital artist and composer has a knack for creating both visual and musical psychedelic aesthetics. One of his early works, and unfortunately not as well-known as LSD: Dream Emulator (1998), is Eastern
Sana: Let Me Hear (2024), also known as Ano Ko wa Dare or Who’s That Kid, is a direct sequel to Takashi Shimizu’s Sana (2023), a film which I thoroughly enjoyed. Admittedly, I was oblivious to the fact that Sana would even receive a sequel, as I felt like everything was wrapped up nicely in
Lost Paradise: Riding Habit Harakiri (‘Shitsurakuen’: jôbafuku onna harakiri) is a 1990 extreme horror/Ero Guro short film written and directed by Masami Akita. While best known as one of Japan’s leading noise music composers under the stage name Merzbow, Masami Akita has also directed the similarly themed horror short Bandage Anatomy Woman (1995)—a film often
Between Everyday Life, Dreams, and a State of Emergency: The 26th Nippon Connection Film Festival Showcases the Diversity of Japanese Cinema The full program has been announced: numerous premieres, prominent guests, and a diverse supporting program focusing on Japan / Retrospective: Tatsuya Nakadai June 2–7, 2026, Frankfurt am Main From June 2 to 7, 2026,
Exit 8 is a 2025 Japanese psychological horror film written and directed by Genki Kawamura, with additional writing from Kentaro Hirase. The film is based on the video game of the same name, created by Kotake Create. Genki is known as a producer for such titles as the live-action adaptations Parasyte: Part 1 (2014) and
If you have been around, you have probably heard about Okiku, the haunted Ichimatsu doll with growing human hair. Her name is probably the first one that comes to mind when we talk about cursed human-like toys in Japan. However, there is another case that, to this day, still dumbfounds many and makes others immediately
Hey, fellow weirdos! Javi here, back again to share another hidden gem from the world of Japanese media. So, you know how the PlayStation 2 was a goldmine for cult classic horror games like Silent Hill 2 or Forbidden Siren? Well, there are a bunch of games from that era that never made it out