Top 10 Best Japanese Horror Films

10. Ju-on
Ju-on is a Japanese horror franchise created by Takashi Shimizu, consisting of seven feature films. Shimizu attended the Film School of Tokyo, where he studied under Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Kurosawa helped Shimizu shepherd the Ju-on projects to fruition.

9. Kuroneko, 1968
Kuroneko is a 1968 black-and-white Japanese horror film, directed by Kaneto Shindo, and an adaptation of a supernatural folktale.

8. Akira, 1988
One of the most influential examples of anime, Akira is based on the manga (comic book) by Katsuhiro Otomo. The story is set in the post-apocalyptic community of Neo-Tokyo. Tetsuo is a fiercely individualistic member of a scroungy motorcycle gang. The despotic authorities, the robot-like police, and even the cycle gang pursue Tetsuo when he's bombarded with a new, insidious energy source that has rendered him telekinetic. Budgeted at eight million dollars, Akira has become a cult favorite in the States thanks to generous midnight-movie exposure and its availibilty on video and cable TV.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

7. Suicide Club, 2001
Suicide Club, known in Japan as Suicide Circle is a 2002 Japanese independent horror film that gained a considerable amount of notoriety in film festivals around the world for its controversial subject matter and gory presentation.

6. Love Exposure, 2008
Love Exposure is a 2008 Japanese film written and directed by Sion Sono. The film gained a considerable amount of notoriety in film festivals around the world for its four-hour duration and themes

5. Cure, 1997
Cure is a 1997 Japanese thriller film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, starring Koji Yakusho, Masato Hagiwara, Tsuyoshi Ujiki and Anna Nakagawa.

4. Kaidan, 1964
Kwaidan is a 1964 Japanese anthology horror film directed by Masaki Kobayashi. It is based on stories from Lafcadio Hearn's collections of Japanese folk tales, mainly Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, for which it is named.

3. Audition, 1999
Audition is a 1999 Japanese psychological horror-drama film, directed by Takashi Miike and starring Ryo Ishibashi and Eihi Shiina. It is based on a Ryu Murakami novel of the same title, from a screenplay by Daisuke Tengan.

2. Onibaba, 1964
Onibaba is a 1964 Japanese historical drama horror film. It was written and directed by Kaneto Shindo. The film is set during a civil war in the fourteenth century.

1. Ringu, 1998
Ring is a 1998 Japanese horror film by Hideo Nakata, adapted from the novel Ring by Koji Suzuki, which in turn draws on the Japanese folk tale Bancho Sarayashiki. The film stars Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Rikiya Otaka.