My 20 All-time Favorite Asian Horror Films (Sort of) - Part One

Before I jump face-first into the premier post of a series covering my love of Asian horror films, there are some guidelines that I set for myself, so that it would end, eventually.

This particular blog list doesn’t really cover splatter, torture, dark sci-fi or fantasy films with moments of horror.  As much as I adore these films, I’m really trying to focus on truly frightening and challenging films without these elements, or that keep these elements to a minimum. So as you'll see, there will be a lot of ghosts.

Also, let me just tell you my views on movie lists. This is purely based on my opinions and preferences. I’m not saying that these are the very best films of the genre, or that I feel my opinion is more important than anyone who disagrees with me. It think it's presumptuous when someone makes a list of the “best” of anything and implies that his/her favorites should be your favorites as well. All I'm trying to do is to hopefully share a few films with you that you may have not seen, or to make a case for some films that don’t get the recognition that I feel they deserve.

These films are in no particular order. In some instances, I talk about my favorites in an entire sub-category or series because there are just too many fantastic examples to list individually, and I get over-eager.
Onward.

Sweet Home 

Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa (1989, Japan)

As well-known and beloved as Kiyoshi Kurosawa is to horror fans, I rarely hear anyone talking about this gem. As you can imagine, it's not exactly your typical haunted house story, and occasionally feels pretty surreal. I was extremely hung-over the first time I watched this, and thought that a second watch may prove that I was trippin' balls and it was nothing like I remembered. I was wrong.

The basic premise is commonplace enough. A documentary film crew moves into the abandoned mansion of a deceased artist in order to restore and document his newly-discovered frescoes.  It almost immediately transitions from a soft-focused dream to a fever- induced nightmare.

Nobuko Miyamoto (Tampopo, A Taxing Woman) is really the heroine of the film, and she absolutely owns it. The mother-daughter relationship between Miyamoto and and her love-interest's teenager (played by Nokko), and the bond between the ghostly mother and child makes this an unusually female-centric film. 

One of the truly unique things about Sweet Home is that it was released in conjunction with a Capcom RPG of the same name. The console game is interesting in it’s own right, being one of the first survival horror games ever, and also one of the most difficult, frustrating and fun console games that I have ever played.

Also incredibly cool is that legendary make-up effects artist Dick Smith had a hand in the truly gruesome practical effects. Man, I really miss the hyper-real, creative film effects of the 1980's.
If only they would make a comeback, I would probably work a lot more steadily.

I've read that the producer of the movie, film legend and husband of Nobuko Miyamoto, Juzo Imato, removed and replaced many scenes of the original theatrical cut of the film, and that the original version still exists somewhere in the vaults at Toho Studios. Dare to dream.

Midnight Ballad for Ghost Theater 

Dir. Jeon Kye-Su (2006, S. Korea)

"Oh. They're singing."
That was what I thought when I started watching this for the first time. It's extremely rare that I enjoy a musical. Even more rare that I enjoy a horror musical. But seriously, a comedy horror musical? Oh no. No, I don’t think so. Yet surprisingly, I totally enjoyed it.

A young woman, searching for her grandmother begins working in a struggling movie theater, haunted by ghosts that refuse to leave until Korea's first, and previously unseen monster film is shown. A film within a film. Intriguing, no?
Most of the main actors play three separate and very different characters in one film. I was an instant fan of all of them after watching this, especially Jo Hei-Bong. There are scenes which play out almost as a totally irreverent children's film, and then quickly gets back into very adult territory.

 I can't really think of another film to compare it to, which may be why I've read some comparisons to the recent films of Tim Burton. I haven't enjoyed anything he's directed in a very long time, so I don't  think that's accurate. However, since horror musicals with comic elements are few and far between, they may have been clutching at straws. Straws that are black and white striped, and have Johnny Depp in them.

I think the reason that I don't enjoy many modern musicals is that I feel that the songs don't really hold up on their own. They're just words strung together with a half-hearted tune.  It makes me cringe. The music is ridiculously catchy in Midnight Ballad for Ghost Theater. So catchy in fact, I even bought the OST. Now I rock out alone, or confuse my friends with it.

Noroi (The Curse) 

Dir. Koji Shiraishi (2005, Japan)

Documentary-style horror films are seldom done correctly. I was so bored during Paranormal Activity, that I started getting angry. But brother, when one is done right, it’s almost guaranteed to scare the pants off of me. Noroi is one of those films. The performances are convincing, and while the pace is slow, it's deliberate. 

I'm a big fan of the super slow build-up with an excellent and shocking pay-off, and this film delivers that in spades.  There is some seriously creepy imagery in this film, but don't get too scared. There's also a man in a tin foil hat. 

Shiraishi has since directed two other films (Shiromi and Occult) in a very similar style, with a lesser degree of success in my opinion. Some weird digital effects are not what you want to see in a movie that's filmed like a documentary, know what I mean?

So, this list was meant to be a single post, but it's obviously not, and now I’m not sure exactly how many it’ll end up being. I think I got a little out of control.  I’ve never really covered any horror films on Ninja Squid, and I’m a little excited. I'll be back soon with Part 2.