Japanese Cinema is widely known for its top-notch horror movie production. Let's see some Japanese horror movies based on famous Japanese Legends.
1. Carved
Carved is a Japanese movie that got released in 2007. Koji Shiraishi directed the film. And it starred Eriko Sato, Miki Mizuno, Haruhiko Kato, and Kaori Sakagami. The movie is based on a Japanese myth about a slit-mouthed woman. She kidnaps children and kills them brutally. The story behind this legend is that once a samurai caught his wife cheating on him. And in the rage of the anger, he slit open her mouth with a sword.
2. Hanako Of The Toilet
Hanako of the Toilet is a Japanese horror movie released in 1998. Yukihiko Tsutsumi directed the movie, and the film starred Hiroiki Ariyoshi, Eri Fuse, Maya Hamaoka, Satomi Ishi, Hideyuki Kasahara, Akaji Maro, Yuri Mizutani, Kazunari Moriwaki, Hiroshi Nagano, Yuka Nomura, etc. Hanako of the Toilet is based on the Japanese legend about a ghost of a girl named Hanako San. It's believed that the girl died around World War 2, and now she haunts school bathrooms. People describe her as a ghostly figure who wears a red-old dress and has a bob cut. People can summon her by going to the girl's washroom on the third floor. And calling out her name by knocking three times on the door and saying- Are you there Hanako?
3. Teketeke
Teketeke is a scary Japanese film that got released in 2009. Koji Shiraishi directed the movie, and Takeki Akimoto wrote the storyline for the film. Toji Kato, Junichi Matsushita, Hideki Onuki, and Yoshikazu Sato produced the film. And it starred Yuko Oshima, Mami Yamasaki, Mai Nishida, Yamamoto Kazuyoshi, etc. TekeTeke is a Japanese Legend about a young girl who fell in the middle of a railway track, and her body was cut into two pieces from the waist. People believe she is a vengeful spirit who haunts railway stations at night.
4. Gozu
Gozu is a Japanese horror film released in 2003. Takashi Miike directed the movie, and Sakichi Sato wrote the screenplay for the movie. Kanako Koido and Harumi Sone produced the film, and it starred Yuta Sone, Kimika Yoshino, Shohei Hino, Keiko Tomita, Harumi Sone, Susumu Kimura, etc. The film Gozu is based on the Japanese Legend about a Cow-Head creature. People believe that many years ago, Japan suffered severe starvation people were killing and eating their pets to fill their stomachs. And suddenly, a cow head creature enters the small town. He had a body of a human and the head of a cow. Seeing him, people went out of control. And ripped him into pieces and ate him. That's how the town became cursed.
5. Howling Village
Howling Village is a Japanese horror film released in 2019. Takashi Shimizu directed the movie, and Daisuke Hosaka wrote the storyline for the movie. The movie starred Ayaka Miyoshi, Ryota Bando, Tsuyoshi Furukawa, Renji Ishibashi, Takamasa Suga, etc. The film is inspired by the Japanese Myth about a village named Inunaki. People believed that there was an inferior community of people who were ignored by the rest of the residents. They were aggressive and refused to follow the rules and regulations of the Japanese Constitution. Other people mistreated them, and they eventually died while fighting.
6. Sadako Vs Kayako
Sadako Vs Kayako is a supernatural horror Japanese movie released in 2016. Koji Shiraishi wrote and directed the movie. The film starred Mizuki Yamamoto, Tina Tamashiro, Aimi Satsukawa, Misato Tanaka, Masahiro Komoto, Masanobu Ando, Elly Nanami, etc. The film is based on the Japanese Legend about a woman Natsumi. Once, she watched Sadako's cursed videotape. She only had two days to protect herself from getting killed by Sadako. She summoned another vicious ghost named Kayako and made them fight with each other to protect herself.
7. Kwaidan
Kwaidan is a Japanese horror movie released in 1964. Masaki Kobayashi directed the movie, and Yoko Mizuki wrote the screenplay for the film. Takeshi Aikawa, Satoshi Kohinata, Minoru Tabata, and Yoshishige Uchiyama produced the movie, and it starred Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Rentaro Mikuni, Kenjiro Ishiyama, Ranko Akagi, etc. The film is based on the various Japanese myths mentioned in Japanese folklore.
8. Ju-On: The Grudge
The Grudge is a Japanese horror film released in 2002. Takashi Shimizu wrote and directed the movie. Taka Ichise produced the film. And it starred Megumi Okina, Misaki Ito, Takashi Matsuyama, and Yui Ichikawa. The film is based on the Japanese myth about a woman named Kayako Saeki. She fell in love with her college professor, but when her husband found out about it. He brutally murdered her, his son, and their pet cat. Since then, the house got cursed, and whoever gets any closer to the house. Eventually, gets killed.
9. The Ring
The Ring is a scary Japanese movie released in 1998. The film is based on the Japanese Legend about a cursed videotape. People believed that whoever saw the tape got killed within seven days.
10. Demon Pond
Demon Pond is a Japanese film that got released in 1979. The film is based on the Japanese myth about a group of friends. They intentionally violated the haunted lake. It brought out a tidal wave and ended up affecting many people.
