Opening Remarks
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JITTI Journal July 2025
Cultural Article
Japanese Horror: A Look Through Time of Heart-racing Films
By Mamiko Kim
Introduction:
In an interview last month, Steven Spielberg recounted that directing a particular film would have him “waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, where the sheets would be soaking wet," and caused him “consistent nightmares” years later. Spielbergh’s personal distress resulted in the film “Jaws,” and horror cinema critics are celebrating the 50th anniversary of its debut, along with the 100th debut of the 1925 “The Phantom of the Opera” silent film this summer. Both films are considered classics and vitally important to the development of the horror genre.
Japan too has a rich history of telling ghost stories, with an abundance of unique yo-kai, monsters, tricksters, and spirits. A popular pastime in the Edo Period (1603 to 1868) was to play Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai ("A Gathering of One Hundred Supernatural Tales") in which people gathered in the evenings to a room lit with one hundred candles. After telling a scary tale, each guest would blow out a candle, resulting in the room growing darker and darker as the night wore on. With horror folklore and the art of storytelling so ingrained in Japan’s culture, it is no wonder that Japanese filmmakers have produced many world-leading horror movies.
As a ghost story told in summer is believed in Japan to chill any who hear it, and in light of the milestones of horror films in the U.S. this year, I’d like to introduce significant horror cinema from Japan across the decades, and why these films are both culturally important and worth watching today.
Godzilla (1954)
Synopsis
When strange ship disappearances and a destroyed fishing village point to an ancient legend, paleontologist Kyohei Yamane investigates Odo Island and discovers Godzilla, a giant dinosaur-like monster awakened and empowered by hydrogen bomb testing. Despite military efforts and Yamane's desire to study the creature, Godzilla proves unstoppable, rampaging through Tokyo and causing immense destruction and loss of life. The protagonists struggle in their dilemma of stopping Godzilla while also battling questions of the great cost to humanity if a weapon that could defeat him existed.
Why This Film is Important:
While perhaps not obvious today, “Godzilla” was truly a horror movie at its release due to its proximity to the date when the atomic bombs were dropped only 9 years earlier. Director Ishiro Honda summed up his intentions by saying, “the film was about terror and shock...The bottom line is: “It appeared. What can we do? There is nothing we can do!” And we decided to depict the terror and horror of this realization.”
With Japan and its citizens still recovering from the atomic bombs, and the fear of their power affecting international politics and the global psyche, “Godzilla’s” critique of nuclear power challenged viewer's thoughts on weapons of mass destruction, and the moral and ethical issues that they uncover.
Why You Should Watch It:
Godzilla is a cultural icon, influencing countless works of art, literature, and film, including numerous spin-offs and sequels, and single-handedly ushering in an era of giant Kaiju monster movies. However, perhaps more than anything, the original 1954 “Godzilla” film is a well-crafted narrative, with its enduring themes of humanity's arrogance and ethical responsibilities when tampering with nature still impactful today.
House (1977)
Synopsis:
"House" is a Japanese horror-comedy about a schoolgirl named Gorgeous who, to escape a summer with her new stepmother, decides to visit her ailing aunt's remote countryside mansion with six of her friends (each named after their defining personality trait: Prof, Mac, Kung Fu, Melody, Sweet, and Fantasy). Upon arriving, the girls are subjected to increasingly outlandish and gruesome supernatural events as the house, possessed by the spirit of the aunt's deceased cat, literally devours them one by one.
Why This Film is Important:
In response to the success of “Jaws” in 1975, Toho Studios approached director Nobuhiko Obayashi in the hopes that he could create a film that could match it. What resulted was an inventive and surreal film that was unique to itself, and certainly nothing like “Jaws”. Obayashi played with experimental filmmaking techniques, including using hand-painted backdrops, bizarre animation, and intentionally cheap special effects, which resulted in a visually interesting and hypnagogic watch. Setting it apart was also the fact that the film was co-written by Obayashi and his 10 year old daughter, whose imagination and perspective of fear as a child contributed to unexpected, dreamlike visual and narrative choices, but also added authenticity to a film following the experiences of the young schoolgirl protagonists.
While the film initially did poorly with critics, it found a following among Japanese youth at the time. However, it soon faded to obscurity. It wasn’t until after Janus Films acquired the rights and it was featured at the 2009 New York Asia Film Festival that it received renewed attention. With this exposure, heightened interest grew in the film, and today it is considered a cult classic globally, particularly with recognition of its artistry, originality, and blending of multiple genres.
Why You Should Watch It:
Obayashi was a boy during WWII, and his personal struggle and reflection over time greatly impacted the type of stories he directed. For "House," the narrative touches on friendship, loss, survivor’s guilt, and the tension between the past and future, as the traditional Japanese home turns against the protagonists, who as young modern girls, are unfamiliar with tragedy. As such, “House” offers viewers today an opportunity to witness the juxtaposition of long-standing trauma and recovery of Japan, with both frights and laughs, packaged in a bizarre and artistically masterful film.
The Ring (Ringu) (1998)
Synopsis:
Journalist Reiko Asakawa investigates the death of her niece and three friends who have watched a cursed videotape said to kill anyone who watches it within seven days. After viewing the videotape herself, and receiving a phone call that she too will die within the allotted time, Reiko enlists the help of her ex-husband Ryuji, a university professor with psychic abilities, to solve the case. Reiko and Ryuji race against time to solve the mystery, with stakes raised as Reiko’s young son is caught also watching the videotape.
Why This Film is Important:
It would be impossible for any list of prominent Japanese horror movies to exclude “The Ring,” whose success was instrumental in bringing global attention to Japanese horror cinema. “The Ring” first gained notice due its success at multiple international film festivals, including winning “Best Asian Film” at the 1999 Fantasia Film Festival in Canada. Highly reviewed by critics and spread by word-of-mouth, it soon became an international phenomenon. New terminology was coined including “J-Horror” and “New Asian Horror” in the Western lexicon, and the movie also allowed for other Japanese horror films to gain international recognition. In fact, Japanese horror films were so well regarded that a Hollywood trend emerged in the early 2000s of remaking Japanese horror movies, including “The Ring,” “The Grudge,” “One Missed Call,” and “Dark Water” with great box office success. These in turn brought new fans to the original Japanese films. It also helped shift the tone of U.S. horror films away from slasher films, which had dominated the horror film industry for the last three decades. With these achievements, “The Ring” has proved its global cultural importance.
Why You Should Watch It:
“The Ring’s” genius is in its gradual atmospheric build of psychological dread, without a dependence on jump scares or gore. The central mystery as to why things are occurring, the video tape itself, which plays imagery that is unsettling but ambiguous in meaning, and a sense of inevitability towards a tragic end all lead to a tense and slow-building unease for the viewer. One does not need to be a horror enthusiast to appreciate “The Ring’s” careful storytelling, where fear stems from what is left unsaid and unexplained.
Conclusion:
This summer, as the sun beats down making the outdoors unbearable, why not consider the Japanese way of cooling off? Watch a J-horror film. There are so many options to explore, and they will certainly leave you feeling chilled, even after the credits have ended.
References:
Juneau, J. (2025, June 20). Why Steven Spielberg had a “full-blown panic attack” while making “jaws” 50 years ago: “I just lost it.” People.com. https://people.com/steven-spielberg-panic-attack-after-making-jaws-50-years-ago-11757476
Davisson, Z. (2011, July 15). What is Hyakumonogatari?. 百物語怪談会 Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai. https://hyakumonogatari.com/what-is-hyakumonogatari/
Mirjahangir, C. (2023, January 29). Ishiro Honda: His final interview. Toho Kingdom. https://www.tohokingdom.com/blog/ishiro-honda-his-final-interview/
Hernandez, J. A. (2022, October 22). Godzilla (1954): Into horror history: J.a. hernandez. Godzilla (1954) | Into Horror History | J.A. Hernandez. https://www.jahernandez.com/posts/godzilla-1954
Vuotto, M. (2020, August 27). Green screen dreams: The legacy of Nobuhiko Ôbayashi’s virtual fantasies. MUBI. https://mubi.com/en/notebook/posts/green-screen-dreams-the-legacy-of-nobuhiko-obayashi-s-virtual-fantasies
Vann-Wall, S. (2024, October 17). House (1977): 5 reasons you need to see this bonkers horror film: ScreenHub Australia - Film & Television Jobs, news, Reviews & Screen Industry Data. ScreenHub Australia. https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/features/house-1977-5-reasons-you-need-to-see-this-bonkers-horror-film-2648711
McMahan, L. (2023, October 12). The bizarre story, enduring influence of “Hausu.” The Hoya. https://thehoya.com/guide/the-bizarre-story-enduring-influence-of-hausu/
Lee, J. (2021, November 23). The Ring and Japanese Horror. Japan Nakama. https://www.japannakama.co.uk/tv-film/insights/the-ring-and-japanese-horror/
Mubi. Ring (1998) Awards & Festivals. https://mubi.com/en/films/ringu/awards
Baradaran, B. (2015, December 30). Ringu. The Asian Cinema Critic. https://theasiancinemacritic.com/2015/10/11/ringu/
Loayza, B. (2022, October 18). ‘The ring’ at 20: Millennial horror that’s still infecting movies today - The New York Times. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/18/movies/the-ring-gore-verbinski.html
Image Sources
Toho Company Ltd. (Creator). 1954. Japanese movie poster for 1954 Japanese (Photograph). Tokyo, Japan. Uploaded to Wikipedia March 4 2008. Accessed July 29 2025 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla_(1954_film)
Toho Eizō Ltd. (Creator). 1977. Movie poster illustrates the aunt's cat Blanche sitting on a pedestal before the aunt's house which is surrounded by trees and flames. Text at the bottom includes the film's title production credits, and small portrait shots of the cast members. (Photograph) Tokyo, Japan. Uploaded to Wikipedia September 27 2020. Accessed July 29 2025 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_(1977_film)
Toho Company Ltd. (Creator). 1998. Ringu (1998) Japanese theatrical poster (Photograph). Tokyo, Japan. Uploaded to Wikipedia November 18 2024. Accessed July 29 2025 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_(film)