5 Underappreciated J-Horror Films

Well, it's October again and that means that Halloween is on the way. I did a thing last year where, in the weeks leading up to Halloween, I wrote a series of horror-related lists and reviews. I wanted to do something in the same vein this year and what better way than to return to my flagship series?

The Underappreciated Films series has been going for two years now, can you believe that? I thought it'd be fun to look at horror films again but this time we're looking at J-Horror films. If you don't know what J-Horror is, it's Japanese horror films.

No rules for this one as J-Horror hasn't featured in the Underappreciated Films series - until now. Let's have a good time, shall we?

WAIT! There is a rule: NO REMAKES! We're only looking at Japanese originals. American remakes will have to wait for their own list.

*whew* Let's get to it...for real this time!

5: Ju-On: The Grudge (2002)

Ju-On: The Grudge is an absolute classic that horror fans love.

The film was written and directed by Takashi Shimizu and is the third entry in the Ju-On franchise. Released theatrically in 2002, Ju-On: the Grudge was received favorably by critics and audiences. This film spawned a major franchise, including 14 films (10 Japanese, 4 American), a 6 episode web series - Ju-On: Origins, several novels, and a video game.

Story-wise, the film follows a young social worker who, while taking care of an elderly woman, is haunted by the vengeful ghosts of a murdered family.

It's been a long time since I saw this one but I can safely say it scared the hell out of me. The story is fantastic, the set and sound design are phenomenal and overall the performances are on point.

Now, there is one point that I should point out here; an unfair comparison. When this movie was released in 2002, it was compared (negatively) to another J-horror classic, Ringu. I'll talk about the film itself in a bit but this comparison is at best biased and, at worst, totally unfair. There are certainly some similarities between Kayako and Sadako (the ghosts from these respective series') and the atmospheric vibe is certainly creepy but Ju-On: The Grudge should be judged solely on its own merits and not in comparison to a film that was released 4 years prior.

Sadly, not many people outside of Japan have seen this one - as far as I can tell - and that's a shame because it is genuinely a good watch and everyone should see it at least once.

4: Ringu (1998)

Ringu or Ring is another well-known but seemingly ignored horror gem in the vault of J-horror cinema.

The film follows an estranged couple as they team up to investigate a cursed videotape that's doing the rounds and causing people to die mysteriously. All while trying to avoid dying themselves.

Based on the novel of the same name by Koji Suzuki, Ringu was released in 1998 and was a smash hit at the box office; making 19.4 million yen upon its initial release. This one is a bit slower than Ju-On: the Grudge but boy is it worth watching!

The performances by Nanako Matsushima and Hiroyuki Sanada are fantastic. You genuinely believe that these two are desperate and petrified and it's great! Tonally, the film has a somewhat dark look and feel to it so that even the lighter moments when they're out in daylight there's a sense of dread and despair. The tension in the film builds and builds before breaking loose in a major adrenaline rush.

It's been a very long time since I saw this one but the character of Sadako Yamamura still sticks with me and she still scares the hell out of me!

3: Dark Water (2002)

Dark Water is a film that I really, really had to debate putting on this list. It's not a bad film but it just doesn't have the same dark edge or feeling of dread and fear that most of the other entries on this list share. I realize that doesn't make much sense so let me explain.

The film follows a woman in the middle of a custody battle for her daughter as they move into an apartment which, spoiler alert, is haunted by the vengeful ghost of a little girl - you can guess what happens from here.

Now, the film was released in 2002 and was very well-received; making 1.4 million yen at the box office (I'm assuming this is the opening weekend numbers but I'm not too sure). It was, in fact, so well received that an American remake was released just 3 years later in 2005.

Okay so what did I mean when I said the film lacked a feeling of dread? Well, to answer this question; I'll ask two of my own:

1. Who is the ghost targeting?
2. How many people has she killed/haunted?

Who is she targeting, the mother or the daughter? Initially, it seems like she's targeting both mother and daughter. As the film progresses, however, it becomes somewhat obvious that she's targeting the mother and just using the daughter as a means to get what she wants. This is the primary instigator in taking that feeling of dread and fear and watering it down. We know that she's using the little girl as leverage against her mother so there's no question about what's going to happen in the end.

Likewise, if we assume that Yoshimi Matsubara is the one and only kill of this particular spirit; doesn't that kind of make her less intimidating? Think about the spirits of Sadako (Ringu) and Kayako (Ju-On) for a second. These two spirits are so full of anger and hatred that, in Kayako's case, her whole former home is cursed and Sadako's curse has to be spread by other people in order to avoid being killed. These two have caused a swathe of death and despair over the courses of their respective series' and struck fear into the hearts of audiences ever since.

In the case of this film's ghost, Mitsuko, she gets her mother and that's it. She's happy. I mean, it makes sense; sort of. She's a little girl and she wasn't brutally murdered like her ghostly peers so maybe she wouldn't have that kind of vindictive hatred towards humanity? I don't know, I guess in the long run, it makes a nice change to have a ghost that can actually be appeased.

Sadly, this film isn't really discussed much anymore which is a shame as, despite lacking the impact of her more well-known counterparts, Mitsuko is a reasonably frightening 'antagonist' and the film maintains a nice creepy atmosphere throughout.

2: One Missed Call (2003)

Here's one from J-horror legend Takashi Miike.

One Missed Call follows an unusual series of deaths. People are receiving mysterious voice messages from themselves before dying horribly in mysterious circumstances. What follows is a race to figure out how to stop more people from dying.

A financial success, the film grossed a little over 16 million yen on budget of 1.7 million yen. That said, the reception to One Missed Call was largely panned by critics and audiences alike. The general consensus is that the film is unoriginal but has some interesting ideas and Miike's usual style.

I'd love to be able to disagree with the consensus but I can't. Yes, the idea of voice mails warning of ones imminent death is an interesting one but it's never really utilized beyond getting from one kill to the next. The characters are likable but ultimately they're just your usual cliches; the genuinely sad thing is that the cast really, really tried to make it work.

The antagonist is also, frankly put, just not interesting. I won't spoil it if you haven't seen this one but I will say that she just lacks motive. Again, we can look to Kayako Saeki or Sadako Yamamura for a lesson in motivation. They were murdered - brutally so - and their rage and hatred towards humanity is what causes them to do what they do. In this film, the ghost is just vindictive for vindictiveness' sake. Now, yes, she does die tragically and I suppose you could make the argument that she was scared and resentful and that's how she ends up the way she is.

Even bearing that in mind, I got the feeling that she just didn't like the fact that her 'fun' had been interrupted and that she kills for the sheer joy of being able to get away with it.

In spite of its negative reception, the film spawned two sequels, a TV series, and an American remake in 2008.

1: Audition (1999)

Okay, so if you saw last year's Halloween content; you probably saw me use the term 'human horror' a few times. I did a list of 10 anime and 10 films to watch for the holiday and on those lists were Perfect Blue and The Strangers. I called these films human horror films in that they depict real-life situations that can and do happen. Both films take vulnerable people and basically push them to the breaking point. In Perfect Blue it's a celebrity dealing with a murderous stalker and in The Strangers it's a young couple being tormented by home invaders.

Audition is a film that falls into that same category of human horror films. I'd also like to warn you guys, before we go on, that this is NOT a film for the squeamish. Cool? Great, what's the story?

A lonely widower is persuaded by his son to start dating again. A friend suggests holding auditions for the 'role' of a romantic partner. One candidate, Asami, captivates the man and he starts a relationship with her. Things only go downhill from there eventually culminating in one of the most brutal torture sequences ever!

This film's strength comes from its execution - if you'll excuse the pun. It doesn't seem like a horror film at all. In fact, it seems closer to a romantic drama than a horror film...until things go pear-shaped. We, the audience, aren't expecting any kind of violence or brutality. This means that when it happens we're caught completely off guard and horrified/shocked. A common phrase that I've heard recently is:

"It's like a train wreck that you can't look away from."

That statement is so true and it applies to this film just perfectly. You cannot help watching what's going on onscreen. If you're squeamish, this is definitely not going to be an easy watch. All that in mind, if you can get through the film; it's well worth a watch!

Final Thoughts

This is a fun entry in the series that I had an absolute blast while putting it together. I'm sure there are many other films that could've made the list and maybe I'll do another J-Horror entry at some point. For now I hope you enjoyed this list.

Thank you for reading!