Even if you are not familiar with the name, odds are you have come across at least one of Toho’s productions. As Japan’s leading entertainment distribution company, Toho released some of the most renowned films, series, and characters that have shaped today’s pop culture. Some of these works include Akira Kurosawa’s classicsSeven SamuraiandYojimbo, Studio Ghibli anime productions, and many Tokusatsu TV shows, apart froma certain giant lizardthat will be looked upon later.
What you probably do not know is that Toho is also behind some of the most famous – and scary -horrormovies. Favored by the Japanese tradition of horror stories, some of its films have been distributed to the West, and are regarded today as quintessential standards of the genre. It is worth taking a look at this list which compiles some of Toho’s movies that found a warm spot inside audiences’ hearts, and sent chills down their spines.
10Kwaidan (1964)
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi,Kwaidanis actually an anthology of four different unrelated stories. The title refers to the Japanese termkaidan, which can be roughly translated to “ghost story.” The movie’s stories are adapted from the collections of Anglo-Greek writer Ladcadio Hearn, regarded as the author responsible for introducing Japanese culture to the Western world.
What Makes It So Scary
Kwaidan’sfour parts, “The Black Hair,” “The Woman of the Snow,” “Hoichi the Earless,” and “In a Cup of Tea,” deal with ghosts and supernatural themes. Although it is not widely considered to be the scariest name in Toho’s catalog, the film is a remarkable piece of art, with a beautiful photography to create an astonishing, yet spooky atmosphere.
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9Infection (2004)
Infection, orKansenin the original Japanese title, was directed by Masayuki Ochiai. The film served as the first installment of the J-Horror Theater, a series with six horror films released between 2004 and 2010, following the enormous worldwide success ofRingu. The film takes place in a precarious hospital, where a mysterious patient unleashes a series of strange events, spreading a bizarre infection among the hospital’s staff.
WhileInfection’sgore fest is almost cringe-worthy, it does a pretty credible job balancing it with a tense psychological thriller plot. It is not exactly bloody per se, but the large quantities of green goo do make for an eerie viewing experience. Although its ending has been panned by critics in general, it’s still a scary Toho classic, worthy of being included on the list.
8One Missed Call (2003)
One Missed Call
One Missed Call, directed by Takashi Miike, is the film adaptation of the novelChakushin Ari,by Japanese author Yasushi Akimoto. The story revolves around Yumi, a college student who sees people around her receiving mysterious voicemails. In these voicemails, people hear themselves predicting the date and circumstances of their own deaths. As if this were not distressing enough, Yumi has to find a way to bypass her own destiny after she gets her voicemail.
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Even thoughOne Missed Callreceived middling reviews at best, it still has its merits, especially considering its low budget, compared to other J-Horror productions. The decision of leaving the ghost/evil entity more to the viewer’s interpretation, emulating the classicJawsM.O., works effectively here too, assisted by Miike’s distinctive eye for graphic entertainment.
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7House (1977)
Houseis the perfect example of how horror comedies can be asscary, disturbing, and entertaining all at once. Nobuhiko Obayashi introduces Gorgeous (really, that’s the name), a schoolgirl that travels to her aunt’s countryside estate with six schoolmates. As the house’s haunted nature starts being unveiled, the girls start getting swallowed by the place, quite literally.
The colorful, sunny vibes from the early moments ofHouseprovide the perfect contrast for the bizarreness that follows. As the absurd elements and unrealistic special effects were a purposeful choice by Obayashi, the film received kudos for its bold originality. It is cheesy, clumsy, but somehow also scary, in its own way. Psychedelia, in the right amount, can be frightening too.
6Lesson of the Evil (2012)
Sometimes, teachers are compelled to make use of “unorthodox methods” with some troublemakers. That’s a good way to view the bright side of things inLesson of the Evil,directed and written by Takashi Miike, and adapted from Yusuke Kishi’s novel. The story follows Seiji Hasumi, a sociopath teacher who, albeit incapable of feeling any empathy towards other, chooses to direct his killing impulses over bullies and sex offenders.
Lesson of the Evilmay be blood-soaked, but that does not make it just another slasher movie. Its tension is carefully built during its runtime. As in other movies where serial killers pose as avenging angels, the logic shifts, making the public unsure of who is really good or bad. Through Hasumi, the movie shows the face of pure evil – and it’s a scary one.
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5Pulse (2001)
What if the evil did not come from a macabre ritual or a dimensional portal, but rather from your computer screen? Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa decided to explore this question withPulse. The film presents two parallel storylines, which eventually meet. In the first, a group of co-workers investigate the disappearance of some colleagues, and find it’s somehow related to computers. As for the second, a college student sees his newly acquired computer malfunctioning in a most creepy way.
In the context of the film’s release date,Pulseplays with the public’s imagination by exploring the internet as a virtually infinite sea of the unknown, thus a place where anything can come from. But the movie goes beyond the boundaries of techno-horror, portraying themes like isolation and death from a dark perspective. Unsettling, unnerving, and scary.
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4Dark Water (2002)
Directed by Hideo Nakata,Dark Wateris adapted from the short story collection of the same name by Koji Suzuki. The film introduces Yoshimi, a woman is trying to get her life together amidst a troubled divorce, as she moves with her infant daughter to a run-down flat. She starts to notice stranger things happening, including an insistent leak at the ceiling, and constant sightings of a little girl.
All the features inDark Waterare masterfully crafted to create a shivering atmosphere. The use of water, an element mostly associated with life and cleanse, here represents a dread presence whenever evil is nearby. As the water passes through the plumbing of Yoshimi’s decrepit apartment, the feeling is claustrophobic and suffocating. Also, the ghost makes a parallel with Yoshimi’s daughter, who goes through a hell of her own in life, giving a deeper and sadder meaning to the movie. If you can make something scary out of a dripping faucet, you’ve earned a place on the list.
3Onibaba (1964)
Onibabacould be one of the most remarkable (and successful) showcases of when cinematic artistry meets a horror movie. Writer and director Kaneto Shindo takes the public to 14th century Kyoto amidst a civil war, where two women survive by ambushing and killing samurai warriors and stealing their belongings. Things start to go awry as they meet a man who comes between them, and stumble across a hannya mask that synthesizes their relationship.
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The mask, by the way, is what wrapsOnibabaup and grants it the status of a horror film. The film’s title literally translates to “demon hag,” which in a way is what the mask’s wearer becomes. Fulfilling the Buddhist parable in which the film is based upon, the hag embodies the demon with her horrifying actions. After all, there is no need to summon demons when people can be just as scary.
2Ringu (1998)
The title often regarded as the responsible for making J-Horror a big thing around the world is another film directed by Hideo Nakata adapted from a novel by Koji Suzuki. InRingu,a group of teenagers watches a mysterious videotape and receive a phone call soon after, saying they will be dead in a week. When the predictions are fulfilled, a journalist decides to investigate matters deeper.
That are not many films capable of scaring the audience without spilling a single drop of blood, just likeRingudoes. Departing from a simple premise, the movie presents horror in one of its most unsettling forms: that of an inevitable, terrifying dread that is coming, and there is no way to stop it. Or even worse, the agonizing wait for this dread. Either way, it’s the kind of film that redefines the meaning of “scary”.
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1Godzilla (1954)
The one and only. Toho’s most prominent figure and all-time pop culture icon,Godzilladebuted on cinema in the 1954’s film directed by Ishiro Honda. In the film, the government learns that the ancient creatureGojirahas awakened after the disturbance caused by a hydrogen bomb exploding under the sea.Gojiragoes on a rampaging attack against humankind, and using the weapon that has a chance to stop it could lead to dire consequences.
In the given context, nothing could get scarier thanGodzilla. Not only the special effects have been landmarks in the industry, but its emotional effect on audiences was cathartic. For a generation traumatized by the a-bomb’s ghost, a giant monster as a result of nuclear deterrence was too much to take.More than a scary, laser-spitting giant lizard, Godzilla is a permanent symbol for reminding future generations that the monsters of the past can always come back. Which doesn’t make it a less scary, laser-spitting giant lizard.
