View source for Japanese horror

{{Short description|Horror fiction with Japanese themes}}
{{missing|Japanese horror literature|date=October 2024}}

'''Japanese horror''', also known as '''J-horror''', is [[horror fiction]] derived from popular culture in [[Japan]], generally noted for its unique thematic and conventional treatment of the horror genre differing from the traditional Western representation of horror.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Balmain |first=Colette |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=POWqBgAAQBAJ&q=what+is+japanese+horror |title=Introduction to Japanese Horror Film |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-7486-2475-1 |location=George Square, Edinburgh}}</ref> Japanese horror tends to focus on [[psychological horror]], tension building ([[suspense]]), and the [[supernatural]], particularly involving ghosts (''[[yūrei]]'') and [[Poltergeist|poltergeists]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=A Brief History of Japanese Horror |url=https://journal.rikumo.com/journal/paaff/a-brief-history-of-japanese-horror |access-date=2019-11-09 |website=rikumo journal |date=30 October 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref> Other Japanese horror fiction contains themes of [[folk religion]] such as possession, [[exorcism]], [[shamanism]], [[precognition]], and ''[[yōkai]]''.<ref name=":2"/> Media in which the genre of Japanese horror fiction can be found include artwork, theater, literature, film, anime and video games.

==Origins==
{{see also|Japanese folklore}}

The origins of Japanese horror can be traced back to the horror fiction and [[ghost stories]] of the [[Edo period]] and the [[Meiji (era)|Meiji period]], which were known as ''[[kaidan]]'' (sometimes [[transliterated]] ''kwaidan''; literally meaning "strange story").<ref name=":1">{{Cite thesis |last=Johnson |first=Adam J. |date=2015 |title=The Evolution of ''Yōkai'' in Relationship to the Japanese Horror Genre |url=https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1276&context=masters_theses_2 |type=MA thesis |publisher=University of Massachusetts Amherst |pages=1–116}}</ref> Elements of these popular folktales have routinely been used in various forms of Japanese horror, especially the traditional stories of ghosts and ''[[yōkai]]''.<ref name=":1" /> The term ''yōkai'' was first used to refer to any supernatural phenomenon and was brought to common use by the Meiji period scholar [[Inoue Enryō|Inoue Enryo]].<ref name=":3">{{cite book |last1=Papp |first1=Zilia |url=https://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1092443 |title=Traditional Monster Imagery in Manga, Anime, and Cinema |date=October 29, 2010 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-21260-2 |page=38 |access-date=October 16, 2019}}</ref> ''Kaidan'' stories became popular in Japan during this period after the invention of printing technologies, allowing the spread of the written stories.<ref name=":0">{{Cite thesis |last=Petty |first=John E. |title=Stage and Scream: The Influence of Traditional Japanese Theater, Culture, and Aesthetics on Japan's Cinema of the Fantastic |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc68031/ |access-date=January 11, 2019 |type=MS thesis |publisher=University of North Texas}}</ref> Early ''kaidan'' stories include ''Otogi Boko'' by [[Asai Ryōi|Asai Ryoi]], ''Inga Monogatari'' by Suzuki Shojo, and ''Otogi Monogatari'' by [[Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai|Ogita Ansei]].<ref name=":0" />

Later, the term ''yōkai'' evolved to refer to vengeful states that ''[[kami]]'' ("[[gods]]" or spirits in the [[Shinto]] religion) would morph into when disrespected or neglected by people living around their shrines.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Papp |first1=Zilia |url=https://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1092443 |title=Traditional Monster Imagery in Manga, Anime, and Cinema |date=October 29, 2010 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-21260-2 |page=39 |access-date=October 16, 2019}}</ref> Over time, Shinto Gods were not the only ones able to morph into ''yōkai'', but this ability to transform came to be applied to all beings who have an untamed energy surrounding them, referred to as [[Mononoke]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Papp |first1=Zilia |url=https://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1092443 |title=Traditional Monster Imagery in Manga, Anime, and Cinema |date=October 29, 2010 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-21260-2 |page=40 |access-date=October 16, 2019}}</ref>

[[File:The Laughing Demon by Hokusai.jpg|thumb|upright|''The Laughing Demon'' (1830) by [[Hokusai]]]]
[[Kabuki]] and [[Noh]], forms of traditional Japanese theater, often depict horror tales of revenge and ghastly appearances.<ref name=":0" /> One difference between these two forms of theater is Noh is formal and targeted for upperclassmen while Kabuki is interactive and seen as "the theater of the people."<ref name=":0" /> The subject matter often portrayed in original Noh theater include [[Vengeful ghost|vengeful spirits]], demon plays, stories of death, and others.<ref name=":0" /> Many of the storylines of these traditional plays have inspired modern horror depictions, and these stories have been used as source material for Japanese horror films.<ref name=":0" /> In fact, Kabuki was a major subject of early Japanese films, and Kabuki gradually was woven into the framework of the modern horror films seen today.<ref name=":0" />

Elements of Japanese horror in folk art are represented in the works of 18th century artist, [[Katsushika Hokusai]]. He was a painter during the Edo period famous for his [[Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji|block prints of Mt Fuji]]. In the realm of horror fiction, Hokusai produced a series based on a traditional game of telling ghost stories called ''[[One Hundred Ghost Stories|A Hundred Horror Stories]]'' in which he depicted the apparitions and monsters that were so common in these stories. Only five of the prints are known to have survived, but they represent some of the better-known ghost stories from the folklore of this time period.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-10-11 |title=Katsushika Hokusai: Ukiyo-e Woodblock Prints of Ghosts |url=https://thoughtsonpapyrus.com/2019/10/11/katsushika-hokusai-ukiyo-e-woodblock-prints-of-ghosts/ |access-date=2022-07-28 |website=Thoughts on Papyrus |language=en}}</ref> They include the ghost of ''Okiku,'' a servant girl who is killed and thrown in a well and whose ghost appears limbless rising from a well to torment her killer. The traditional imagery around this particular folktale is thought to have influenced the novel ''[[Ring (novel series)|Ring]].'' Other images from this collection are of the ''[[Yotsuya Kaidan#Ghost of Oiwa|Ghost of Oiwa]]'' and the Phantom of ''Kohada Koheiji''. The Oiwa story centers around betrayal and revenge, wherein the devoted wife is killed by her disreputable husband and her ghost appears and torments and tricks him. Her image is of a woman disfigured by the poison her husband used to kill her. The Kohada image is drawn from the story of a murdered actor, whose wife conspires to kill him. Her lover drowns Kohada on a fishing trip and Hokusai represents his decayed and skeletal spirit captured in a fishing net.

== Japanese horror cinema ==
=== History and evolution ===
[[File:Kaibyo Gojusan-tsugi poster 2.jpg|thumb|300x300px|Poster of the horror film ''[[Ghost-Cat of Gojusan-Tsugi]]'' (1956)]]
After the [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|bombing of Hiroshima]] and [[Nagasaki]] in 1945, Japanese horror cinema would mainly consist of vengeful ghosts, radiation mutants, and ''[[kaiju]]'' (giant irradiated monsters) starting with [[Godzilla]] (1954).<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=POWqBgAAQBAJ&q=what+is+japanese+horror|title=Introduction to Japanese Horror Film|last=Balmain|first=Colette|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|year=2008|isbn=978-0-7486-2475-1|location=George Square, Edinburgh}}</ref> The [[Post-occupation Japan|post-war era]] is also when the horror genre rose to prominence in Japan.<ref name=":5" /> One of the first major Japanese horror films was ''[[Onibaba (film)|Onibaba]]'' (1964), directed by [[Kaneto Shindo]].<ref name=":22">{{Cite web|url=https://journal.rikumo.com/journal/paaff/a-brief-history-of-japanese-horror|title=A Brief History of Japanese Horror|website=rikumo journal|date=30 October 2017 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-09}}</ref> The film is categorized as a historical horror drama where a woman and her mother-in-law attempt to survive during a civil war.<ref name=":22" /> Like many early Japanese horror films, elements are drawn largely from traditional [[Kabuki]] and [[Noh]] theater.<ref name=":5" /> ''Onibaba'' also shows heavy influence from [[World War II]].<ref name=":5" /> Shindo himself revealed the make-up used in the unmasking scene was inspired by photos he had seen of mutilated victims of the atomic bombings.<ref name=":5" /> In 1965, the film ''[[Kwaidan (film)|Kwaidan]]'' was released. Directed by [[Masaki Kobayashi]], ''Kwaidan'' is an [[anthology film]] comprising four stories, each based upon traditional ghost stories.<ref name=":22" /> Similar to ''Onibaba'', ''Kwaidan'' weaves elements of ''Noh'' theater into the story.<ref name=":5" /> The anthology uses elements of psychological horror rather than jump scare tactics common in Western horror films.<ref name=":22" /> Additionally, ''Kwaidan'' showcases one commonality seen in various Japanese horror films, that being the recurring imagery of the woman with long, unkempt hair falling over her face.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last=Byrne|first=James|date=July 2014|title=Wigs and Rings: Cross-Cultural Exchange in the South Korean and Japanese Horror Film|journal=Journal of Japanese & Korean Cinema|volume=6|issue=2|pages=184–201|doi=10.1080/17564905.2014.961708|s2cid=154836006}}</ref> Examples of other films created after ''Kwaidan'' weaving this motif into the story are ''[[Ring (film)|Ring]]'' (1998), ''[[Ju-On: The Grudge]]'' (2002), and ''[[Exte]]'' (2007). Another notable film worth mentioning is [[House (1977 film)|House]], which is a surreal horror movie about a group of schoolgirls who visit their aunt in the country.

====The 1980s====
In the 1980s, there was a distinct shift away from gory, slasher-style films of violent spectacle, towards the psychologically thrilling and intensely atmospheric type, led by the director Norio Tsuruta. Tsuruta's 1991 and 1992 film series ''Scary True Stories'' began a categorical shift in these films, which are sometimes abbreviated to "J-horror".<ref>{{Cite book |last=McRoy |first=Jay |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RvD5nPuOuPIC |title=Nightmare Japan: Contemporary Japanese Horror Cinema |date=2008 |publisher=Rodopi |isbn=978-90-420-2331-4 |language=en}}</ref>

In contemporary Japanese horror films, a dominant feature is [[haunted houses]] and the break-up of [[nuclear families]].<ref name=":5"/> Additionally, monstrous mothers become a major theme, not just in films but in Japanese horror novels as well.<ref name=":5"/><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Dumas|first=Raechel|date=2018|title=Monstrous Motherhood and Evolutionary Horror in Contemporary Japanese Science Fiction|journal=Science Fiction Studies|volume=45|pages=24–47|doi=10.5621/sciefictstud.45.1.0024}}</ref> [[Kiyoshi Kurosawa]]'s film ''[[Sweet Home (1989 film)|Sweet Home]]'' (1989) provides the basis for the contemporary haunted house film and also served as an inspiration to the ''[[Resident Evil]]'' games. Japanese culture has seen increased focus on family life, where loyalty to superiors has been de-emphasized. From this, any act of dissolving a family was seen as horrifying, making it a topic of particular interest in Japanese horror media.<ref name=":5"/>

===Influence===
[[Image:Talesfromthedead chalk.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Hidetoshi Imura as Seijun from ''[[Tales from the Dead]]'']]
''[[Ring (film)|Ring]]'' (1998) was influential in Western cinema and gained cult status in the West. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Hollywood horror had largely been dominated by the [[Slasher film|slasher]] sub-genre, which relied on on-screen violence, shock tactics, and gore. ''Ring,'' whose release in Japan roughly coincided with ''[[The Blair Witch Project]]'' in the United States, helped to revitalise the genre by taking a more restrained approach to horror, leaving much of the terror to the audience's imagination.<ref name=autogenerated4>Martin, Daniel (2009), 'Japan's Blair Witch: Restraint, Maturity, and Generic Canons in the British Critical Reception of Ring', ''Cinema Journal 48'', Number 3, Spring: 35-51.</ref> The film initiated global interest in Japanese cinema in general and Japanese horror cinema in particular, a renaissance which led to the coining of the term ''J-Horror'' in the West. This "New Asian Horror"<ref name="autogenerated6">Balmain, Colette (2008), ''Introduction to Japanese Horror film'' (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press).</ref> resulted in further successful releases, such as ''[[Ju-on: The Grudge]]'' and ''[[Dark Water (2002 film)|Dark Water]]''.<ref name=autogenerated5>McRoy, Jay (2007), ''Nightmare Japan: Contemporary Japanese Cinema'' (Rodopi).</ref> In addition to Japanese productions, this boom also managed to bring attention to similar films made in other East Asian nations at the same time, such as South Korea (''[[A Tale of Two Sisters]]'') and Hong Kong (''[[The Eye (2002 film)|The Eye]]'').

Since the early 2000s, several of the more popular Japanese horror films have been remade. ''[[Ring (film)|Ring]]'' (1998) was one of the first to be remade in English as ''[[The Ring (2002 film)|The Ring]]'', and later ''[[The Ring Two]]'' (although this sequel bears almost no similarity to the original Japanese sequel). Other notable examples include ''[[The Grudge]]'' (2004), ''[[Dark Water (2005 film)|Dark Water]]'' (2005), and ''[[One Missed Call (2008 film)|One Missed Call]]'' (2008).

With the exception of ''The Ring'', most English-language remakes of Japanese horror films have received negative reviews (although ''The Grudge'' received mixed reviews).<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ring/ | publisher= [[Rotten Tomatoes]] | title = The Ring | access-date=2014-07-29}}</ref><ref>{{metacritic film|title=The Grudge|qid=Q310204}}</ref><ref>{{metacritic film|title=One Missed Call|qid=Q589203}}</ref> ''One Missed Call'' has received the worst reception of all, having earned the Moldy Tomato Award at [[Rotten Tomatoes]] for garnering a 0% critical approval rating. ''The Ring 3D'' was [[Green-light|green-lit]] by [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] in 2010,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slashfilm.com/paramount-to-make-the-ring-3d/|title=Paramount to Make The Ring 3D|publisher=/Film|date=April 26, 2010|access-date=September 24, 2013}}</ref> and later the film was renamed ''[[Rings (2017 film)|Rings]]'' and released in early 2017.

Many of the original directors who created these Asian horror films have gone on to direct the English-language remakes.{{citation needed|date=February 2013}} For example, [[Hideo Nakata]], director of ''Ring'', directed the remake ''The Ring Two''; and [[Takashi Shimizu]], director of the original ''Ju-on'', directed the remake ''The Grudge'' as well as its sequel, ''[[The Grudge 2]]''.

Several other Asian countries have also remade Japanese horror films. For example, [[South Korea]] created their own version of the Japanese horror classic ''Ring'', titled ''[[The Ring Virus]]''.

In 2007, [[Los Angeles]]–based writer-director [[Jason Cuadrado]] released the film ''[[Tales from the Dead]]'', a horror film in four parts that Cuadrado filmed in the United States with a cast of Japanese actors speaking their native language.

==Other sub-genres==

===''Kaiju'' monster films===
{{Main|Kaiju}}

The first influential Japanese horror films were ''[[kaiju]]'' monster films, most notably the ''[[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]]'' series, which debuted the original ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' in 1954. In 1973, ''[[The Monster Times]]'' magazine conducted a poll to determine the most popular [[movie monster]]. [[Godzilla]] was voted the most popular movie monster, beating the [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] menagerie of  [[Count Dracula]], [[King Kong]], [[Werewolf fiction|Wolf Man]], [[The Mummy (Universal film franchise)|The Mummy]], [[Creature From the Black Lagoon]], and [[Frankenstein's monster]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kogan |first1=Rick |title='It Was A Long Time Coming, But Godzilla, ''This Is Your Life'' |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-09-15-8503020410-story.html |access-date=22 May 2020 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=September 15, 1985}}</ref>

''[[Godzilla, King of the Monsters!]]'' (1956), a re-edited Americanized version of the original ''Godzilla'' for the North American market, notably inspired [[Steven Spielberg]] when he was a youth. He described ''Godzilla'' as "the most masterful of all the dinosaur movies" because "it made you believe it was really happening."<ref name="Ryfle">{{cite book |last1=Ryfle |first1=Steve |title=Japan's Favorite Mon-star: The Unauthorized Biography of "The Big G" |date=1998 |publisher=[[ECW Press]] |isbn=978-1-55022-348-4 |pages=15–7 |url=https://archive.org/details/japansfavoritemo0000ryfl/page/15 |url-access=registration}}</ref> ''Godzilla'' has also been cited as an inspiration by filmmakers [[Martin Scorsese]] and [[Tim Burton]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kalat |first1=David |title=A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series |edition=2d |date=2017 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |isbn=978-1-4766-3265-0 |page=318 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VsE8DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT318}}</ref>

===Zombie fiction===
{{See also|Zombie}}

There are numerous Japanese works of [[zombie]] fiction. One of the earliest Japanese [[zombie film]]s with considerable gore and violence was ''[[Battle Girl: The Living Dead in Tokyo Bay]]'' (1991) directed by Kazuo Komizu.<ref name="Newman">{{cite book |last1=Newman |first1=Kim |title=Nightmare Movies: Horror on Screen Since the 1960s |date=2011 |publisher=[[A&C Black]] |isbn=978-1-4088-0503-9 |page=559 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fNMz3tGZVvAC&pg=PA559}}</ref> However, ''Battle Girl'' failed to generate a significant national response at the Japanese box office.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book|last1=Murphy|first1=Kayleigh|last2=Ryan|first2=Mark|chapter=Undead yakuza: the Japanese zombie movie, cultural resonance, and generic conventions.|chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/38247940|title=The Supernatural Revamped: From Timeworn Legends to 21st Century Chic|editor1-last=Brodman |editor1-first=Barbara |editor2-last=Doan |editor2-first=James E. |date=2016 |publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson University Press |isbn=978-1-61147-864-8}}</ref> It was not until the release of two 1996 Japanese zombie games, [[Capcom]]'s ''[[Resident Evil (1996 video game)|Resident Evil]]'' and [[Sega]]'s ''[[The House of the Dead (video game)|The House of the Dead]]'', whose success sparked an international craze for zombie media, that many filmmakers began to capitalize on zombie films.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kay |first1=Glenn |title=Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide |date=2008 |publisher=[[Chicago Review Press]] |isbn=978-1-56976-683-5 |page=184 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aBfGajftevEC&pg=PA184}}</ref><ref name="Newman"/><ref name=":6" /> In addition to featuring [[George A. Romero]]'s classic slow zombies, ''[[The House of the Dead]]'' also introduced a new type of zombie: the fast-running zombie.<ref name=josh>{{cite web|last=Levin |first=Josh |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2180271/ |title=How did movie zombies get so fast? |publisher=Slate.com |date=2007-12-19 |access-date=2013-11-05}}</ref>

According to [[Kim Newman]] in the book ''[[Nightmare Movies]]'' (2011), the "zombie revival began in the Far East" during the late 1990s, largely inspired by two Japanese zombie games released in 1996: ''Resident Evil'', which started the [[Resident Evil|''Resident Evil'' video game series]], and [[Sega]]'s arcade shooter ''House of the Dead''. The success of these two 1996 zombie games inspired a wave of Asian zombie films, such as the [[zombie comedy]] ''[[Bio Zombie]]'' (1998) and action film ''[[Versus (2000 film)|Versus]]'' (2000).<ref name="Newman"/> The zombie films released after ''Resident Evil'' were influenced by zombie video games, which inspired them to dwell more on the action compared to older Romero films.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Newman |first1=Kim |title=Nightmare Movies: Horror on Screen Since the 1960s |date=2011 |publisher=[[A&C Black]] |isbn=978-1-4088-0503-9 |page=560 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fNMz3tGZVvAC&pg=PA560}}</ref>

The zombie revival which began in the Far East eventually went global following the worldwide success of the Japanese zombie games ''Resident Evil'' and ''The House of the Dead''.<ref name="Newman"/> They sparked a revival of the zombie genre in popular culture, leading to a renewed global interest in zombie films during the early 2000s.<ref name="bbc">{{cite web |last1=Barber |first1=Nicholas |title=Why are zombies still so popular? |url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20131025-zombie-nation |website=[[BBC]] |access-date=31 May 2019 |date=21 October 2014}}</ref> In addition to being adapted into the ''[[Resident Evil (film series)|Resident Evil]]'' and ''[[House of the Dead (film)|House of the Dead]]'' films from 2002 onwards, the original video games themselves also inspired zombie films such as ''[[28 Days Later]]'' (2002)<ref name="28days">{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/zaki-hasan/interview-director-alex-g_b_7038618.html|title=INTERVIEW: Director Alex Garland on Ex Machina|work=[[Huffington Post]]|first1=Zaki|last1=Hasan|date=April 10, 2015|access-date=June 21, 2018}}</ref> and ''[[Shaun of the Dead]]'' (2004),<ref>{{cite web |title=12 Killer Facts About Shaun of the Dead |url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/74230/12-killer-facts-about-shaun-dead |website=[[Mental Floss]] |access-date=31 May 2019 |date=23 January 2016}}</ref> leading to the revival of zombie films during the 2000s.<ref name="bbc"/><ref name="28days"/><ref name="hollywoodreporter">{{cite news |title=How '28 Days Later' Changed the Horror Genre |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/have-get-a-quiet-place-killed-zombie-genre-1121491 |access-date=31 May 2019 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=29 June 2018}}</ref> In 2013, George Romero said it was the video games ''Resident Evil'' and ''House of the Dead'' "more than anything else" that popularised his zombie concept in early 21st century popular culture.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Weedon |first1=Paul |title=George A. Romero (interview) |url=http://paulweedon.co.uk/george-romero-transcript/ |website=Paul Weedon |date=17 July 2017 |access-date=2 June 2019 |archive-date=20 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220182956/http://paulweedon.co.uk/george-romero-transcript/ }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Diver |first1=Mike |title=Gaming's Greatest, Romero-Worthy Zombies |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/gamings-greatest-romero-worthy-zombies/ |access-date=2 June 2019 |work=[[Vice (website)|Vice]] |date=17 July 2017}}</ref> The fast-running zombies introduced in ''The House of the Dead'' games also began appearing in zombie films during the 2000s, including the ''Resident Evil'' and ''House of the Dead'' films, ''28 Days Later'', and the 2004 ''[[Dawn of the Dead (2004 film)|Dawn of the Dead]]'' remake.<ref name=josh/>

The low-budget Japanese zombie comedy ''[[One Cut of the Dead]]'' (2017) became a sleeper hit in Japan, receiving general acclaim worldwide<ref>{{cite web |title=One Cut of the Dead (Kamera o tomeru na!) (2017) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/one_cut_of_the_dead |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=2 March 2019}}</ref> and making Japanese box office history by earning over a thousand times its budget.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nguyen |first1=Hanh |title='One Cut of the Dead': A Bootleg of the Japanese Zombie Comedy Mysteriously Appeared on Amazon |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/12/amazon-one-cut-of-the-dead-zombie-bootleg-movie-pirated-1202031415/ |access-date=2 March 2019 |work=[[IndieWire]] |date=31 December 2018}}</ref>

==Other media==
===Anime and manga===
{{See also|Category:Horror anime and manga}}

Horror [[manga]] are a modern evolution of serialized stories produced as texts in wood block print form during the Edo period. These graphic novels usually deal in historical tropes of horror that are based on Buddhism ''[https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/Buddhism/Rokudo.html rokudo]'' (six realms) and the frightening notion of fluidity, that one can move between these realms unintentionally, like moving between heaven, earth and hell, and non-duality, that the realms are intermingled. Some popular Japanese horror films are based on these [[manga]], including ''[[Tomie]]'', ''[[Uzumaki]]'', and ''[[Yogen]]''. Examples of horror [[anime]] include ''[[Death Note (anime)|Death Note]]'', ''[[Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories]]'', ''[[Boogiepop Phantom]]'', ''[[Higurashi When They Cry]]'' and ''[[Umineko When They Cry]]''.

===Video games===
{{further|Horror game|Survival horror}}

Examples of Japanese [[horror video games]] include the [[survival horror]] franchises ''[[Resident Evil]]'', ''[[Silent Hill]]'', ''[[Corpse Party]]'' and ''[[Fatal Frame]]''; the horror [[action games]] ''[[Ghost House (video game)|Ghost House]]'', ''[[Castlevania]]'' and ''[[The House of the Dead]]''; and the horror [[visual novels]] ''Higurashi When They Cry'' and ''Umineko When They Cry''.

==See also==
* ''[[Arima Neko]]''
* [[Horror film]]
* [[J-Horror Theater]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite web |url=http://eiga9.altervista.org/articulos/jhorrorandurbanlegendsrevisited.html |title=J-Horror and Toshi Densetsu Revisited |last1= da Silva |first1=Joaquín | publisher=EigaNove}}
* See more Japanese horror films here [https://wheebuzz.com/sleep-lights-japanese-horror-movies-will-leave-scared-shitless/ Sleep With Your Lights On Because These Japanese Horror Movies Will Leave You Scared Shitless] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422144328/https://wheebuzz.com/sleep-lights-japanese-horror-movies-will-leave-scared-shitless/ |date=2019-04-22 }}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline}}

{{Horror fiction}}{{Horror film}}{{Film genres}}

[[Category:Japanese horror fiction| ]]
[[Category:Japanese horror films| ]]