Japanese Horror – Curses, Oni & Kaiju
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Godzilla (1954)
Directors: Ishirô Honda
Writers: Takeo Murata, Ishirô Honda
Stars: Takashi Shimura, Akihiko Hirata, Akira Takarada
Story: Nuclear weapons testing results in the creation of a seemingly unstoppable, dinosaur-like beast.
Other Films In Series: Godzilla Raids Again (1955), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964), Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965), Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966), Son of Godzilla (1967), Destroy All Monsters (1968), Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971), Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972), Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974), Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975), and many more
Matango (1963)
Directors: Ishirô Honda
Writers: Takeshi Kimura (screenplay), Shin'ichi Hoshi (adaptation)
Stars: Akira Kubo, Kumi Mizuno, Hiroshi Koizumi
Story: A group of castaways find themselves on a strange island. There they become addicted to narcotic-like mushrooms, and hunted by mutated islanders.
Other Films In Series: None.
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Kwaidan (1964)
Directors: Masaki Kobayashi
Writers: Yôko Mizuki (screenplay), Lafcadio Hearn (novel)
Stars: Rentarô Mikuni, Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe
Story: An anthology horror film featuring a collection of four Japanese folk tales with supernatural themes.
Other Films In Series: None.
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Kuroneko (1968)
Directors: Kaneto Shindô
Writers: Kaneto Shindô
Stars: Kichiemon Nakamura, Nobuko Otowa, Kei Satô
Story: Two women are raped and killed by samurai soldiers. Soon they reappear as vengeful ghosts who seduce and brutally murder the passing samurai.
Other Films In Series: None.
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Ringu (1998)
Directors: Hideo Nakata
Writers: Hiroshi Takahashi (screenplay), Kôji Suzuki (novel)
Stars: Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani, Yûko Takeuchi
Story: TV reporter and single mother, Reiko gets caught up in a series of deaths surrounding a cursed video tape.
Other Films In Series: Rasen (aka Spiral, 1998), Ring 2 (1999), Ring 0: Birthday (2000), Sadako 3D (2012), Sadako 3D 2 (2013), Sadako vs. Kayako (2016)
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Battle Royale (2000)
Directors: Kinji Fukasaku
Writers: Koushun Takami (novel), Kenta Fukasaku (screenplay)
Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Tarô Yamamoto
Story: In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
Other Films In Series: Battle Royale II: Requiem (2003)
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Versus (2000)
Directors: Ryûhei Kitamura
Writers: Ryûhei Kitamura, Yudai Yamaguchi
Stars: Tak Sakaguchi, Hideo Sakaki, Chieko Misaka
Story: There are 666 portals that connect this world to the other side. These are concealed from all human beings. Somewhere in Japan exists the 444th portal.... The forest of resurrection.
Other Films In Series: None.
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Pulse (2001)
Directors: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Writers: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Stars: Haruhiko Katô, Kumiko Asô, Koyuki
Story: Two groups of people discover evidence that suggests spirits may be trying to invade the human world through the Internet.
Other Films In Series: None.
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Ichi: The Killer (2001)
Directors: Takashi Miike
Writers: Sakichi Satô (screenplay), Hideo Yamamoto (manga)
Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Nao Ohmori, Shin'ya Tsukamoto
Story: As sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of.
Other Films In Series: 1-Ichi (2003)
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Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)
Directors: Takashi Shimizu
Writers: Takashi Shimizu
Stars: Megumi Okina, Misaki Itô, Misa Uehara
Story: A mysterious and vengeful spirit marks and pursues anybody who dares enter the house in which it resides.
Other Films In Series: Ju-On: The Grudge 2 (2003), Ju-On: White Ghost (2009), Ju-On: Black Ghost (2009), Ju-On: The Beginning of the End (2014), Ju-On: The Final Curse (2015), Sadako vs. Kayako (2016)
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Dark Water (2002)
Directors: Hideo Nakata
Writers: Kôji Suzuki (novel), Ken'ichi Suzuki (screenplay)
Stars: Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi
Story: A mother and her 6 year old daughter move into a creepy apartment whose every surface is permeated by water.
Other Films In Series: None.
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Noroi: The Curse (2005)
Directors: Kôji Shiraishi
Writers: Kôji Shiraishi
Stars: Jin Muraki, Rio Kanno, Tomono Kuga
Story: A documentary filmmaker explores seemingly unrelated paranormal incidents connected by the legend of an ancient demon called the "kagutaba."
Other Films In Series: None.
Attack on Titan: Part 1 (2015)
Directors: Shinji Higuchi
Writers: Hajime Isayama (manga), Tomohiro Machiyama (screenplay)
Stars: Haruma Miura, Kiko Mizuhara, Kanata Hongô
Story: In a world where giant humanoid Titans prey on humans, Eren joins the scouting legion to get revenge on the monsters who killed everyone in his town.
Other Films In Series: Attack on Titan: Part 2 (2015), Attack on Titan: Counter Rockets (TV Mini-Series 2015)
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