Is J-Horror Dead? We Ranked 10 Recent Japanese Horror Movies to Find Out.

Welcome to Ranking Horror. Today we are answering the question: Is J-Horror Dead? We Ranked 10 Recent Japanese Horror Movies to Find Out.

If we are being perfectly honest, it is sad to admit that the golden era of J-Horror has come and gone. Japan used to put out some of the greatest horror movies of any nation in the world. Classics like Cure, Pulse, Ringu, Ju-On: The Grudge, Dark Water, and Audition still receive tremendous praise to this day and have inspired horror directors for decades.

Unfortunately, the well seemed to dry up once the 2010s hit, with South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia taking the South East Asian horror crown. However, this list of 10 recent Japanese horror movies serves to prove that there are still decent Japanese horror movies out there if you know where to look. All of these films were released from 2015 onward, representing the best (and worst) of modern J-Horror.

10. Re/Member (2022) – Anime Loop

Why it Ranked: Full disclosure, I really didn’t enjoy this movie a whole bunch so my recommendation is not going to be particularly strong for Re/Member. Directed by Eiichirô Hasumi, this 2022 J-Horror film plays out like a live-action anime which is really going to appeal to some people. As a lapsed anime fan myself, I prefer to keep my horror and my ridiculous Shonen cheesiness separate. This is a trope-heavy chore of a movie that feels like a poor man’s version of a Persona game complete with social links and a trip to the beach. Not scary, terrible effects, silly monsters, and a repetitive plot are the order of the day.

Synopsis: A group of high school students are trapped in an infinitely looping day by a malevolent spirit. Following a theme similar to Groundhog Day or Happy Death Day, they must find the scattered body parts of the spirit’s last victim to break the cycle and see tomorrow.

Where to Watch: Streaming on Netflix.

9. Howling Village (2019) – Tunnel Vision

Why it Ranked: Howling Village is the first entry into Takashi Shimizu’s “Village of Terror” trilogy. This movie marks the most recent collaboration between Shutter and Ju-On actor Megumi Okina and director Takashi Shimizu. Howling Village does a lot right. It’s a good reminder of Shimizu’s ability to meld a creepy location with a potentially scary story, something that defined the golden age of J-Horror. The only problem is how damn inconsistent the plot is. The legitimately scary village is mercilessly wasted. With the movie, instead, giving way to predictable scares, an overabundance of drama and some middling storytelling.

Synopsis: A young psychologist visits an infamously haunted location to discover the secret behind her late brother’s disappearance. Her investigation leads her to the Howling Village, a place erased from maps and plagued by a dark history.

Where to Watch: Streaming on AMC+ and Shudder.

8. Suicide Forest Village (2021) – Cursed Box

Why it Ranked: Suicide Forest Village (Jukai Mura) is one of those middling J-Horror flicks that would have been brought over to the West in the genre’s heyday but, mostly, ignored. In 2021, however, the pickings are slim and it will probably get a bit more attention than it deserves. Legendary director of J-Horror classic Ju-On: The Grudge, Takashi Shimizu, takes the helm here, once again. With Suicide Forest Village being the second entry into his “Village of Terror” trilogy. Hence the awkwardly forced in use of the word “village” in the title. It’s, probably, the best of the bunch, as well, but I don’t think that is saying much. The first half is genuinely interesting but it falls apart into generic horror fluff towards the end.

Synopsis: A group of people find a cursed box that leads to folks randomly dying in horrifying ways. The curse is tied to the Aokigahara forest, otherwise known as the suicide forest, and the group must uncover the truth behind the box before it claims them all.

Where to Watch: Streaming on AMC+ and Shudder.

7. #Manhole (2023) – Social Survival

Why it Ranked: Okay, this one may be more of a Japanese thriller than a horror but there are enough elements here to please J-horror fans. Including a rather dark twist to the plot that adds some extra intrigue. At risk of spoiling too much, I won’t go into the twists and turns of #Manhole but, suffice to say, there is a decent mystery at the heart of this film. It demands some absolutely huge leaps of logic to enjoy and can be a bit silly in parts. With that being said, #Manhole is quite enjoyable if you can turn your brain off for awhile. It does enough to stay engaging and fans of one-location horror should really get a kick out of it.

Synopsis: A successful man falls down an uncovered manhole while on a night out with friends the day before his wedding. Injured, unable to escape, and reluctant to enlist the help of police due to his reputation, he turns to social media for assistance in a desperate bid for survival.

Where to Watch: Streaming on Screambox.

6. It Comes (2018) – Bogiwan Attacks

Why it Ranked: We are taking quite a big leap in quality from here on out and that starts with legendary director Tetsuya Nakashima’s It Comes (Kuru). You may recognise Nakashima as the director one of the best J-Horror movies of all time, Confessions, and, while he doesn’t quite hit those lofty heights here with It Comes. He still manages to put together a great horror mystery. It Comes rolls in at over 2 hours which is a bit of an ask. Nakashima doesn’t quite manage to find the fluid balance between drama and horror here but this is still a great movie. Trimmed down and with some tighter pacing, this could have been great. As it stands, this 2018 J-Horror film is still a very watchable paranormal horror with interesting characters and some decent visuals.

Synopsis: A man enlists the help of a freelance writer and a powerful exorcist to break a haunting spell placed on his home and family. In the process, they realise they are dealing with a sinister entity known as the Bogiwan that is far more dangerous than they could have imagined.

Where to Watch: Available to rent or buy on Prime Video, Apple TV, and Google Play.

5. House of Sayuri (2024) – Dream Home Nightmare

Why it Ranked: Noroi: The Curse director Kôji Shiraishi is back with paranormal Japanese horror movie House of Sayuri. Well, I say that like he ever left but Shiraishi has been releasing a ton of horror over the past 15 years. House of Sayuri, is based on the manga series by the phenomenal mangaka Rensuke Oshikiri and, actually, features a rather sad and touching backstory for one of the characters. A trait that is somewhat undermined by Shiraishi’s tendency to wander into the slapstick and silly. With that being said, this still a wonderfully effective movie with a palpable tension that comes from the slow burn opening and occasional jump scares. Keeping it simple works wonders for this movie and it is a great combination of the older style of J-Horror and the more modern style of domestic horror seen in recent years.

Synopsis: A tightly knit family finally manages to purchase their dream home after years of saving. However, shortly after moving in, they discover that the house is already occupied by a vengeful spirit, and their dream quickly turns into a fight for survival.

Where to Watch: Not yet widely available for streaming or rental in the US as of late 2025.

4. Tag (2015) – Splatter Chaos

Why it Ranked: One of the best Japanese horror directors of all time, Sion Sono, returns to the corridors of a high school for our next movie, Tag, from 2015. Sono always seems to do best when he is basing his stories around High School girls, as evidenced by Suicide Club and Noriko’s Dinner Table. Tag is no exception. That explanation doesn’t do this movie justice but I think avoiding spoilers is key. I think the words “teacher kills a bunch of students with a minigun” should clue you in on just how insane this Japanese, Grindhouse-style, horror movie is, though. Tag is insane splatter horror and isn’t going to appeal to everyone. The humour might be too much for some, it never fully commits to one single aspect of its makeup and it is purely crazy from start to finish.

Synopsis: A high school girl finds herself the sole survivor of a bizarre and gory massacre that takes out her entire class. She must run for her life as her reality shifts and changes, desperately trying to uncover the truth behind the carnage while avoiding a violent death.

Where to Watch: Streaming on Tubi, AMC+, and Shudder.

3. I Am a Hero (2016) – Shotgun Zombie Action

Why it Ranked: You may be wondering why modern Japanese horror movie makers never got in on the whole zombie thing? What with the bustling streets of Tokyo making for the perfect setting for undead shenanigans. Well, 2016 onwards has a couple of gifts for you and the first one is Shinsuke Satô’s I Am a Hero. I Am a Hero is a live action adaptation of a manga series and, somehow, it manages to capture all the mayhem of its inspiration. There’s some deviation from the manga’s plot but the basic outline is the same. You know what to expect here. Zombies, ridiculous kills, harrowing encounters and outright silliness. I Am a Hero is, simply, a ton of fun.

Synopsis: A struggling mangaka, armed only with his shotgun, is forced to flee Tokyo after a zombie outbreak overruns the city. He teams up with a high school girl and fights to survive against the ZQN hordes.

Where to Watch: Streaming on AMC+ and Shudder.

2. Creepy (2016) – The Neighbour from Hell

Why it Ranked: We have another legendary J-Horror director still putting in work next with Creepy (Itsuwari no rinjin) from 2016. Pulse and Cure‘s Kiyoshi Kurosawa is back with more carefully considered Japanese psychological horror fun. Creepy is Kiyoshi Kurosawa doing what he does best. Taking elements of crime mysteries and blending them with domestic drama, horror, and thriller tropes to make something truly great. The atmosphere here is suffocating, as it is with many of Kurosawa’s previous films. The moody and tense vibe persists throughout and, despite a few issues along the way, Creepy remains a must-watch modern Japanese horror movie.

Synopsis: An ex-detective and his wife move to a new neighbourhood, only to find themselves drawn into a mystery involving their strange neighbour. As the detective digs deeper into a missing persons case, he suspects the man next door is not who he appears to be.

Where to Watch: Streaming on Tubi, Kanopy, and Peacock.

1. One Cut of the Dead (2017) – Zombie Meta-Comedy

Why it Ranked: We have another Japanese zombie horror at number one on our list and it is one of the best zombie movies in recent years. One Cut of the Dead is one of those rare examples of D.I.Y. horror that goes on to make a ton of money. I would seriously advise you to turn your brain off for the first half an hour, or so. Things really don’t ramp up until later on. That’s when One Cut of the Dead comes to life, if you will. This is a movie that manages to do something quite remarkable – convince the viewer that it is made by a bunch of amateurish hacks while, in reality, being an incredibly clever celebration of all things horror. Legitimately hilarious comedy, some great action, and a whole bunch of silliness. This 2017 hit is arguably the best recent Japanese horror movie of them all and one of the best zombie horror movies ever.

Synopsis: A film crew heads to an abandoned World War II facility to shoot a low-budget zombie movie. Things go awry when they are attacked by actual zombies, forcing them to fight for their lives while the cameras keep rolling.

Where to Watch: Streaming on AMC+ and Shudder.

Final Thoughts: Is J-Horror Dead?

And that’s our ranking of 10 recent Japanese horror movies! As you can see, it’s a real mixed bag out there. While the post-golden age of J-Horror may not be hitting the consistent highs of the late 90s, this list proves the genre is far from dead. For every forgettable flick like Re/Member, there’s a stone-cold masterpiece like One Cut of the Dead waiting to be discovered.

It’s great to see legends like Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Sion Sono still delivering the goods, and the rise of brilliant Japanese zombie movies like I Am a Hero shows there’s plenty of creative life left. You just have to dig a little deeper for the scares. Thanks for joining us for J-Horror Week, be sure to check out our other Japanese Horror lists!