Best Asian Horror Films You've Never Heard Of. I believe most of you have already come across an article with a similar title by JMH3. I commend him for coming up with a great list of overlooked Asian horror films and I take inspiration from his article idea. Although, I noticed how most of the films he wrote about were from Japan so I’ve done my best to mention one film from one country each. Thus, as promised, I present to you 1. Asian horror films that sits behind the iron fence of mainstream gore fests. Tomie (Japan)OK OK, I’m a hypocrite. I believe most of you have already come across an article with a similar title by JMH314. I commend him for coming up with a great list of overlooked Asian horror. The internet is filled with plenty of junk. It has websites for reading, eating, drinking, watching, listening, and learning. There are porn, comic, movie, television. ABBY (1974) - While in Africa on an archaeological dig, Dr. Garnet Williams (William Marshall) finds a wooden vessel in a cave and opens it, unleashing the. As much as they might scare some people, at least monsters, serial killers, and Primal Fears are scary in a comprehensible way. This is where Surreal Horror. ![]() ![]() After remarking on how JMH3. J- Horror films, here I am, starting the list with one from Japan itself. But nonetheless, it’s a kickstarter point because of the featured character I’m going to mention. You’ve heard of Sadako and Kayako, yes? Japan’s very own silky long- haired ghostly slayers? Shaun has seen hundreds of horror movies, these are his 13 favorite horror films from 2013. Watch free 600 Free Live TV Channels. See 45000 Complimentary movies TV shows and documentaries. Record Local TV zero cost. View Horror Movies at no charge! Their names have become quite a household item since Ringu and Ju- on were released chronologically. But have you ever met their middle sister, Tomie? Well, based on the manga by Junji Ito (creator of Uzumaki), Tomie is a 1. ![]() Tomie (obviously). What sets Tomie apart from her well- known sisters is that she isn’t your typical vengeful spirit or tortured soul. She isn’t a ghost in the first place. In the manga, Tomie is described as an entity that embodies the meanings of lust, greed, envy and eternal suffering and she wants nothing more than to bring chaos and violence to the people who fall in love with her. She is self- destructive yet she can survive anything and can even regenerate, making her own existence a curse itself. The film follows a detective investigating a string of murders and an art student treated for amnesia. Having no memory of the three month period around Tomie’s death, the art student believes something supernatural is the cause. Fortunately, she didn’t die and ended up marrying a wealthy man, making her hope that life would be better. The film makes the whole chance scenario look like a normal process that can happen to anyone. Living it big, she starts to encounter paranormal instances in her new home that somehow has a strange connection to her husband. Bet she didn’t expect that. Vietnam isn’t really well- known for their horror films and if you’ve kept your eye on the news, back in 2. So, their list is quite limited and the exposure to their industry is minimal. I’ve yet to watch Bay cap 3 (High School Trap), a Vietnamese teen slasher film that was banned from Vietnam theaters back in May 2. The Healing (Philippines)I think I’ve previously mentioned how the Philippines has lost its touch in delivering original horror plots and the small number of really good films it has to bring the film industry’s back on its feet. The JoBlo Movie Network features the latest movie trailers, posters, previews & interviews all in one place! Updated daily with the latest news from Hollywood! One of the films I give credit for lifting the Philippines a bit higher on the shelf is last year’s The Healing directed Chito S. The film begins with Seth and her father, who had suffered from a stroke, waiting in line to be cured by a rumored faith healer, Manang Elsa. Non- believing at first, Seth and everyone else in their town were astounded when the father had regained his strength and begins to party and go back to his old drinking ways. One thing led to another, Seth’s neighbors, friends and even her son all ask for her help to take them to be healed by Manang Elsa. Just like Seth’s old man, everyone else was healed the following day but then, Seth starts to notice the strange changes in their behavior. Until one night, one of the healed neighbors stabs a passer- by and then slashes her own neck. From here, the murders begin and those who were healed were the ones committing it. The Healing is full- on supernatural, accompanied by disturbingly fun and frightening scenes and a plot twist that impressively unfolds towards the end. Whispering Corridors: Voice (South Korea)Voice was the fourth entry in the Whispering Corridors series and was released in 2. The film takes on a unique move as the progress of the story is shown from the perspective of the ghost itself. The main character is murdered in the beginning by a music sheet cutting her throat and being a spirit who can’t move on, she seeks the help of her friend who seems to be the only one who can hear her. The story progresses as we see how the ghost goes through several flashbacks, twists and turns to unravel the identity and motive of her murderer. But something else walks amidst the astral plane with her, another spirit haunting her and the school. Honestly, I enjoyed Voice more than any of the Whispering Corridors films because of the direction the filming crew took and confusing plot that will leave you mindf*cked towards the end. The film is not frightening per se as the approach is from the ghost’s point of view but it is disturbing because we witness how spirits who were killed prior end up having no memory of what was done to them and who did it and we see how the mystery unfolds and intertwines amazingly. Coming Soon (Thailand)If Japan is known for its lovely ladies like Tomie and Sadako, Thailand has their very own beauty queen of fright. Shomba is the main star, or so you can say, of this 2. Thai horror film. It centers on Shane, a debt ridden theater projectionist who bootlegs a much- hyped Thai horror to earn some money. The film in the film (film- ception) is about a vengeful spirit of a crazed woman who was hanged after getting caught red- handed for abducting and blinding children. His friend, who decided to tape the movie first, suddenly disappears in the theater one night and is found inside the movie with his eyes gouged out. With the bootlegged film missing, Shane begins to encounter Shomba, the malevolent antagonist of that film, in several places and embarks on a mission to uncover the terrible secret behind the haunted movie. Nightmare (China)Not to be confused with another horror film of the same name and country. Just like Vietnam, Chinese authorities constantly bombards the film industry with warnings and strict rules on enforcing directors to stray away from so- called extreme horror and skinning it until it’s left with a psychological drag. Trying their best to harvest different themes with the method of horror, Nightmare is a 2. The films follows a doctor, Fang Lei, who suffers from violents dreams and suspects that she might be a frequent sleepwalker. She is haunted by the memories of her parents’ deaths and is stalked by the usual long- haired ghost girl. As things get complicated, she runs into an old friend, Angel who is married to her once first love, Zhou Feng. Unfortunately, Zhou disappears and suspecting foul play, Fang Lei’s nightmares get worse and she starts to lose herself. Possessed (Malaysia)I’ve just recently acquired this film and I’ve yet to watch it, so expect a review on this soon. Possessed is a 2. Malaysian film that centers on two sisters, Amber and Lisu, who travel to Malaysia from China to pursue their modelling and singing careers. Until one day, Lisu goes missing and Amber falls into a coma. Sent back to China for treatment, Amber wakes up after five months and has no recollection of her past and anyone else. Her boyfriend decides to take her to Malaysia to help regain her memories. Once there, she starts getting nightmares and stumbles upon a photo of her and Lisu. Now determined to search for her, she encounters William who claims himself to be Lisu’s ex- lover. Bizarre things start to happen as Amber starts having visions of her sister and her nightmares become more violent. Invitation Only (Taiwan)This is by far one of my favorite slasher horror film made. Taiwan was actually proud to release Invitation Only and marketed it as the country’s very first Slasher. So, expectations were high prior to its release. The motives of the plot is original and disturbing and it takes a complete turn on conventional antagonists. And for the guys, you’d be surprised that this film was actually Maria Ozawa’s film debut. Spoiler Alert: She shows more than just bewbs. If you watch it, you’ll see what I mean. Invitation Only is 2. Taiwanese horror that features Bryant Chang as Wade Chen. Wade works for a rich CEO, Mr. Yang and one day, he rewards Wade’s work performance by sending him to an exclusive party on company money. Wade attends the party and his life instantly changes in a span of a few hours into the night. Until the guests at the party are somehow strategically hunted down and killed (gloriously) by a masked murderer. There’s more to the story and I don’t think my description can justify it. Haunted 3. D (India)In 2. India spoke high of Haunted 3. D and marketed it as the country’s first “stereoscopic 3. D horror”. In all honesty, I don’t favor 3. D at all and I don’t think it can enhance a horror film or any other film in any aspect. Somehow, it just isn’t my thing. The film is about Rehan, who was sent by his father to investigate a mansion for real estate business purposes. His investigation includes Rehan staying at the mansion for a few days before it is sold off. But mysterious things happen one night and Rehan is determined to uncover the truth behind the hauntings. Ghost Child (Singapore)Just recently released last March, Ghost Child is Singaporean horror that stars Chen Hanwei and Carmen Soo. It revolves around a widower named Choon who is soon to marry Na, a woman whom he saved from Indonesian bandits. As she moves in with Choon and Choon’s teenage daughter, she brings with her a strange urn. As usual, strange things start to happen and Choon’s mother suddenly gets injured for no reason. Choon’s daughter, Kim, first suspects the hauntings were the doing of her dead mother but when she discovers the “urn” and its contents, Kim attempts to get rid of it. The Witness (Indonesia)In association with the Philippine production house, GMA films, The Witness is 2. Angel, a Filipino hotel assistant manager, who moves to Jakarta to be with her family. There, she is suddenly haunted by a recurring nightmare of man committing suicide. Top 1. 0 Devil Themed Movies. The Exorcist (1. 97. There are many people who say this is the scariest movie of all time. But I also know some people who laugh when they see this movie; it doesn’t scare them at all. What I will say, is that The Exorcist is the best possession or Devil- themed horror film ever made. I just watched this movie again recently, and man. I’m normally not a fan of movies where the first hour is spent laying the groundwork for 3. Wolf Creek), but this movie does that and it’s not boring. The tension is palpable from the first frame, and it just keeps growing. Poor Reagan goes from bad to worse—so much happens in the first 2/3 of the movie. Some of the most memorable moments happen before Reagan’s exorcism begins. This is one of those films where you sit there thinking, “How can it get any worse?” And then think ten minutes later, “How can it get any worse than that?” And then it does. Max von Sydow’s turn as Father Merrin may be the most memorable performance ever, considering how remarkably little screen time he gets. Ellen Burstyn is amazing, of course, as is the ever- frightening Linda Blair (in a make- up by Dick Smith and voiced by Mercedes Mc. Cambridge). However, the real star of this film is Pulitzer Prize- winning playwright Jason Miller as Father Damien Karrass. He doesn’t go through any major traumas, like Burstyn or Blair, but his pain is evident as is his frustration and despair over losing his faith. This movie is about overcoming demons—both literally and figuratively—and Karrass’ pain is pitch- perfect. The Omen (1. 97. 6)Let’s not talk about the remake (you’ll have to wait for another list I’m working on for that). Instead, let’s just focus on how brilliantly terrifying this film is. Gregory Peck is the most straight- laced and rational a leading man you could ask for, even by today’s standards. That’s one of the film’s great attributes. Plus, Damien is so creepy. And let’s not forget David Warner (I recommend his film Time After Time with Malcolm Mc. Dowell if you’ve got a free spot on your Netflix): Did they just cut that guy’s head off? One of the most frightening moments is when the nanny hangs herself outside Damien’s party. The film deals with the Antichrist, who comes in the form of a child, switched at birth with Robert Thorn’s (Peck) stillborn (actually murdered) baby. This film succeeds with its pessimistic—although realistic—plot. In this movie about Satan, evil wins. Rosemary’s Baby (1. The Exorcist is a movie that somewhat glorifies that Catholic Church; Rosemary’s Baby is about Catholic guilt and the sexual awakening that came along with the women’s lib movement. The beauty of Roman Polanski’s early films is that they all focus on one female character. The first film, Repulsion, was about sexual desire and its effect on the mind—in this case, psychosis. Rosemary’s Baby is the next logical step: the sexual awakening’s affect on traditional gender roles. It seems that the children born of mothers who have control and pursue their desires will, of course, be the spawn of Satan. Rosemary’s isn’t faced with the horror of realizing her child is demonic, as in The Omen, but instead is faced with the consequences of her sinful ways. However, the film is also about the vulnerability of women, even the liberated ones: Rosemary is raped by the Devil (or was it really just her husband being overly zealous?), and, like many rape victims, Rosemary knows it really happened but cannot accept it. The film is also about vulnerability of motherhood. All the people around Rosemary want to take her baby away, and all she wants is to protect it. What makes this film so scary is that there are all these levels of subtext, which gets to you, even if you don’t realize it. This film gets into your subconscious and makes you paranoid. The best horror films make you experience them along with the main character, and Rosemary’s Baby does that like no other. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2. The two movies on this list that deal directly with the Devil and possession are both about exorcism. And even though they were made nearly 3. The Exorcist is a movie with heavy special effects; in the 7. Today, we’ve all seen The Exorcist—we know what a demon looks like. We don’t, however, all believe in the existence of such things. They’re just the stuff of horror films. The Exorcism of Emily Rose is a movie for our time; with its dual court- and- exorcism scenes, the film isn’t about demons or faith in general, but about proving whether demons and exorcism exist. That is what makes this movie so effective: we are given facts and theories about what happened to Emily or what may have happened to her. To reflect our modern mindset, what we believe is left up to us. The movie shows us both sides of the story, the factual and the faith- based, and lets audiences make up their own mind. House of the Devil (2. Tom Noonan. Oh, how I love Tom Noonan. I heard a lot about this movie but didn’t actually want to watch it until I learned Noonan was a main actor. He makes any horror movie ten times creepier than it would be otherwise. Plus, this movie is a throw- back to how horror movies used to be, with a simple story but high on the scares, and not skimpy with the blood. The tense atmosphere in this movie is scarier than the actual Satanic rituals that permeate through the final half- hour. This movie capitalizes on the mystery surrounding Satanists and Satanic rituals: What’s really going on? Does “Mother” even exist? If that’s what you want to call her. What’s at the top of those stairs? The movie gives more questions than answers, including an only semi- resolved conclusion. Prince of Darkness (1. The second part of horror master John Carpenter’s self- proclaimed “apocalypse trilogy,” Prince of Darkness comes after The Thing and before In the Mouth of Madness. Little by little, small jets of liquid escape the cylinder and infect the students one by one, making them become possessed. Eventually, the cylinder opens fully and the remaining liquid is absorbed into the body of one of the students, who then becomes the bodily vessel for Satan: a gruesome, telekinetic, disfigured being who has the powers of regeneration. He then attempts to bring the Anti- God (who is more powerful than Satan) through a dimensional portal using a mirror. The girlfriend of one of the possessed students overpowers the vessel and the mirror is shattered, trapping Satan in another realm. Is he going to stay there? We never know: Carpenter cuts the film to black right before the moment of truth. Demons (1. 98. 5)A “Dario Argento Presents” feature (like “Quentin Tarantino Presents Hostel”), Demons is one no- holds- barred, punk rock horror movie. It also takes place in a movie theatre, so it’s got the movie- within- a- movie concept going for it. But aside from that, this movie also has so much gore I can hardly describe it. In this film a group of people go to a screening of a violent horror movie. One of the patrons gets a cut on her face from a mask—one of the same masks in the film. Before long she turns into a crazed, bloodthirsty demon. One by one the other cinema- going folk are transformed. This film isn’t very Satanic, but the demons surely are. On another level, this film is a horror film about the evils of horror films, which is brilliant. The Beyond (1. 98. Lucio Fulci knows how to make a great movie. Not only that, he knows how to make one badass, gore- filled zombie movie. The twist on this flick is that the zombies come through a gateway that opens into hell. There are also references to the Book of Eibon, an infamous occultist book, and a little girl who gets possessed. Not a typical zombie or Satan movie, but the combining of the two is genuinely riveting. The Sentinel (1. 97. I’m a big fan of the two series Bravo made years ago, 1. Scariest Movie Moments and 3. Even Scarier Movie Moments. I don’t agree with every movie they feature, and they certainly left some out, but if you love to talk about horror movies then the specials are good for a little discussion. One of the movies features on 1. Scariest Movie Moments was The Sentinel. I had never seen this movie before—I’d never even heard of it—and it seemed interesting. It was only featured for maybe a minute and a half, but that was enough to make me want to see the film. Like The Beyond, this movie is also about a house (or hotel) being a gateway to hell. What The Sentinel does is take that concept to another level by asking, “Who guards that gateway anyway?” Apparently, the Catholic Church does. The blind priest they’ve had keeping the demons out needs to be replaced and Alison, our main character, needs to atone for her sins. She is told that by becoming the new gatekeeper she will be forgiven for trying to commit suicide and will be allowed into heaven. At the end of the film Alison has to face all the minions of hell, and they drive her to attempt suicide again. The priest and another man, Monsignor Franchino, stop her, and Alison takes the Father’s cross, becoming a blind nun who will guard the gateway. The Ninth Gate (1. This isn’t the best horror movie—and it certainly isn’t Johnny Depp’s finest 9. The Ninth Gate is notable because it’s a film where what you don’t see is scarier than what you do see. Depp plays Dean Corso, a rare books dealer, who is hired by Boris Balkan (Frank Langella, who, as always, is cree- py) to find the three remaining copies of The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows, a book which, when the illustrations are put together correctly, is said to summon Satan himself. Like The House of the Devil and Rosemary’s Baby (also directed by Roman Polanski), this film is far too intricate to be understood or really liked the first go- round. This movie needs repeated viewings to get the full effect. Top 1. 0 Devil themed Movies.
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