Kurahara offers a fresh take on the sun-tribe genre by disrupting the tale of post-war subjective emptiness with an element of horror – the sudden appearance of an otherworldly being.
Category: horror
The Convenience Store (2026) review
A straightforward horror-experience that works well for new-comers to the genre and young audiences in need for some thrills.
When You Open The Door (2026) review [Fantasia Film Festival]
A rare treat that blends fairytales, gothic imagery, and folk religious practices into a compelling and visually arresting exploration of forced self-discovery.
SAI: Disaster (2025) review [Nippon Connection 2026]
Yutaro Seki and Kentaro Hirase deliver an experience that, in our view, has everything to become a cult-phenomenon, so do not sleep on it.
Fantasia International Film Fest: Japanese Films not to miss.
Find out our recommendations of this year’s Fantasia Film Festival.
Mag Mag (2025) review [Nippon Connection 2026]
Yuriyan Retriever delivers a satisfying film of subjective growth, yet not without a highly ironic aftertaste.
Anymart (2026) review [Nippon Connection 2026]
A darkly twisted comical horror narrative that exposes the dynamic of repressive societal violence and what the Japanese societal field seeks to refuse.
The Snow Woman (1968)
Tokuzo Tanaka’s film remains, up until this day, an incredibly satisfying tragic romance-horror.
Sana: Let Me Hear (2024) review
Dramatic, thrilling, chilling, shockingly good.
Sana (2023) review
Takashi Shimizu cannot avoid his film from being held back from the fan-service it needs to deliver.
A Strange House (2024) review
Uketsu, your work deserves better.
Re/Member: The Last Night (2025) review
A fun romp if one takes everything at face-value
Kisaragi Station Re: (2025) review
This fun horror-thriller invites the spectator to consider the dynamic between the lurking presence and the visitors it constantly eyes as staging the uncomfortable truth of our contemporary societal field.
Stigmatized Properties: Possession (2025) review
From scares, unintended farce, to forced romance; another genre-mix that does not entirely click.
Dollhouse (2025) review
Yaguchi’s horror will please audiences new to the J-horror genre as well as long-time fans of the genre.