Good Asian horror movies?

[trancejeremy]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've sort of the squeamish sort, so I've passed on most of Takashi Miike's movies. I read the Ringu book, but didn't really like it so I pretty much skipped the Japanese versions. Saw the Eye 2 (I love Shu Qi), but not the first one, and the US version of The Grudge (and didn't really like it).

 

[Rackhir]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've sort of the squeamish sort, so I've passed on most of Takashi Miike's movies. I read the Ringu book, but didn't really like it so I pretty much skipped the Japanese versions. Saw the Eye 2 (I love Shu Qi), but not the first one, and the US version of The Grudge (and didn't really like it).

I would give Ringu (the movie) a try. It was a much more compeling experience than the novel was. Actually the American version is pretty decent as well. I just wish I could mash both of them together because they each do different things well.

 

[trancejeremy]

I would give Ringu (the movie) a try. It was a much more compeling experience than the novel was. Actually the American version is pretty decent as well. I just wish I could mash both of them together because they each do different things well.

In the book Ringu, one of the impending victims, basically the main character's best friend (I guess basically the same character as Naomi Watt's ex-husband in the US Movie), was a serial rapist*. I don't know how true to the novel the Japanese version of the movie was, but that's not the sort of character I want to watch a movie about. And generally turned me against the Ring in general (I saw the US movie before I read the book)



* At least that's what he kept telling the main character. It's somewhat left up in the air as to whether or not he actually was, or if it was just fantasies.

 

[Rackhir]

In the book Ringu, one of the impending victims, basically the main character's best friend (I guess basically the same character as Naomi Watt's ex-husband in the US Movie), was a serial rapist*. I don't know how true to the novel the Japanese version of the movie was, but that's not the sort of character I want to watch a movie about. And generally turned me against the Ring in general (I saw the US movie before I read the book)

That character doesn't exist in the movie. The main character is a single mom and the rapist? character replacement is her ex-husband. Pretty much the same as in the US version. So don't avoid it on that basis. The end bit is much better in the Japanese version.

 

[Soel]

That character doesn't exist in the movie. The main character is a single mom and the rapist? character replacement is her ex-husband. Pretty much the same as in the US version. So don't avoid it on that basis. The end bit is much better in the Japanese version.

Its all about the pacing. The sequence where the ex husband encounters Sadako (Samara in the american version<) is better IMO.

 

[Huw]

Old Boy*

* Not really horror per se, but worth looking at nonetheless.

*It was for the octopus

My recommended list:

Oodishon (Audition) (beware - very gruesome)
Ringu (Ring). Avoid the sequels and prequels.
Eye
The Seventh Curse (an old one with Chow Yun Fat)
Tetsuo (Shin'ya Tsukamoto's first film)

Ju-on (the Grudge) was, IMHO, overrated. Great first 20 minutes, then it gets repetative.

 

[ShadowDenizen]

My thoughts?

*Ringu
*Ju-On
*Shikoku
*Ugetsu: Classic B+W film, recently rereleased on Criterion DVD.
*Skyhigh (Not to be confused with the Disney movie of the same name.)
* Dark Water: FAR better than the bastardized American version. And the guy who wrote this also wrote the Ring Trilogy ("Ring","Loop", and "Spiral", which are also worth checking out.)

Not a film. but "Siren", for the Playstation2, is also very much in the vein of "Asian Shock Cinema".

 

[DonTadow]

Ju on and then ju on 2. Ju on 2 is a tad bit creaper and scarier but you want to see ju on first to get a feel for the story (because they dont try to hold your hand in part 2).

The first two or three movies in the TOmmie series is pretty good.

The Phone is also really good, though not as many scares it has that creepy vibe.

Twin sisters is nice and the ending really gets you

Audition- I've seen this move 4 times because of its tricky story and i still dont know if the last 30 minutes was real or not, but it was in deed gruisome.

 

[Darthjaye]

One I saw recently was "Yogen" or Premonition as it has been named for American distribution. Was interesting and played well enough. I'm going to chekc out some of the other movies from Taka Ichise. He apparently is producing six films in a set called "J-Horror Theater". He's the guy behind Ju-On/Grudge 1, 2, and 3 along with several other originals and remakes of japanese horror films and plently of upcoming stuff down the pipe including a remake of Creepshow.

 

[trancejeremy]

*Skyhigh (Not to be confused with the Disney movie of the same name.)

Sky High is one of my all time favorite movies (and I like Ryuhei Kitamura's stuff in general). I wouldn't call it horror though. More of a philosophical movie