The Sabukaru Guide to the Best Japanese Thrillers
The Best Japanese Thrillers That Leave You Changed Forever
Now that Halloween is behind us, the festivities are changing, and so are the seasons. But in hindsight, you might have missed the opportunity to creep yourself out with spine-chilling movies. Thankfully, these kinds of films are timeless. The twin of the horror genre is definitely the thriller; it has a moodier pace with more realistic subjects and probes deep into your psyche to feed into already habitual fears. With a tasteful touch of crime, the perfect thriller is made, whether it leans more towards gang stories or passion-fed murders.
In the eyes of the rest of the world, Japanese cinema is known for its yakuza movies and its liberty when it comes to horror movies, and although not as popular, thrillers offer the best of both worlds. Japanese directors like Sono Sion and Akira Kurosawa set the tone with their artful storytelling and unique cinematic visions, and though most know them for their eccentric taste, they also excel in the art of suspense. Perfect Blue by Satoshi Kon would an excellent example of a prime Japanese thriller, as well as Cure by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, and if these titles don’t ring a bell, Sabukaru urges you to watch these first before continuing with the guide below.
There are only a few truly blood-curdling thrillers available, and Sabukaru boiled them down to the most outstanding ten. A movie of this genre done right leaves you pale and breathless, and the guide below will certainly raise your standards when it comes to the next films you’ll watch.
Labyrinth of Dreams, 1997
Proximity to danger was never as seductive: Labyrinth of Dreams is like poison dressed up as honey. Directed by Gakuryu Ishii, this thriller is a strong one to start off the guide. Tomiko, a young woman, receives the news that her friend Tsuyako died in a bus accident. It so happens that she receives a letter written by her friend where she reveals that her fiance, the dark and venomously handsome Niitaka, is planning to rid himself of her. Since Tomiko suspects Niitaka of the crime, she takes on a job as a bus conductor to frame him, but it seems that she cannot escape his charm either. Ishii reveals his poise and talent in this 1950s-inspired dark romance. Full of tension and secrets, Labyrinth of Dreams is a poignant and addictive mystery.
Seventh Code, 2013
This hour-long film, though short, does much more than plenty of other longer and higher production films. The mastermind director Kiyoshi Kurosawa creates a puzzle of identities, memories, and survival with Seventh Code. When Akiko flies to Vladivostok to meet a young man named Matsunaga, he doesn’t seem to remember her though they once met in Tokyo. Before leaving her stranded in a foreign country, he advises her to not trust strangers so easily, but Akiko becomes a victim to a group of thugs who rob her and leave her to her own demise. The Seventh Code is a complex thriller that heavily engages the audience and plays with the fragile nature of trust.
Ride or Die, 2021
Rei has been in love with her former classmate Nanae for years in the closet. Her bottling up of emotions leads to obsessive tendencies, and when the woman learns that her crush has been the victim of abuse from her husband, Rei murders him out of love for Nanae. Understandably, Nanae is shaken by this turn of events and feels simultaneously comforted and repulsed by the killer. Although Ride or Die is not an exemplary movie in terms of LGBT+ representation, the director Ryuichi Hiroki skillfully shows the complex relationship between the two women, and the movie itself is a wild ride and nonetheless worth it for lovers of drama-thrillers.
Angel Dust, 1994
Hating Mondays is a pretty common human experience, but when every Monday at 6 pm a woman is murdered on the subway, things get less relatable. In Angel Dust, that’s exactly what happens, and the psychiatrist Setsuko Suma is paired with the police to uncover the murderer, her former lover Rei Aku is getting increasingly suspect. This suffocating idea keeps Setsuko in the dark, and her responsibilities start to weigh on her. The masterful Gakuryu Ishii once again delivers a captivating thriller, tinted with green subway lights and cigarette ashes.
The World of Kanako, 2014
Based on the novel “Endless Thirst” by Akio Fukamachi, The World of Kanako is another jaw-dropping thriller. One day, Kanako, an exemplary high school student and loving daughter, goes missing. Alarmed, her mother calls her ex-husband, Akikazu Fujishima, to let him know that she’s nowhere to be seen. Fujishima is a retired detective riddled with substance abuse and violent outbursts, but he’s determined to find his daughter. However, as he dives deep into his search, he uncovers vile secrets that Kanako was able to conceal. Child sex rings, murders, and drugs resurface and the father loses direction. This film was met with immense success thanks to its all-star cast and gripping storyline. Though Kanako may be young and endearing, no villain could ever compare to her, and this is what makes this film so twisted and memorable.
The Face of Another, 1966
The engineer Okuyama goes to a psychiatrist to deal with his feelings of isolation and inadequacy caused by his disfigurement in a work-related accident. Thanks to ever-evolving medical technologies, the doctor suggests he wear a prosthetic mask molded on another man to ease his problems. At first hesitant to wear the mask, Okuyama slowly in turn molds a new personality to cope with this novel way of life. The Face of Another is much more psychological than the precedent films mentioned, but it invades your imagination like no other film. Though it’s a fairly old film, the Hiroshi Teshigahara film nonetheless resonates with our contemporary society, especially with the constant media supervision and escapism.
Dark Water, 2002
The legendary Hideo Nakata delivers yet another spine-chilling film, but this time, excruciatingly sad. When Yoshimi Matsubara moves into her new apartment with her young daughter Ikuko, she quickly notices the faulty plumbing. Although this is enough of a nightmare, the mother finds strands of hair leaking with the water and strange apparitions of a red bag in her home. Since she’s currently signing off a divorce, her lawyer recommends she avoid moving in order to gain custody of her daughter, but the mother-daughter bond is jeopardized by something entirely different. When Yoshimi and Ikuko find a girl once deemed missing in their apartment, things go south very quickly. Dark Water is the type of film that slowly grows onto you and leaves an unshakeable impression.
Bilocation, 2013
Bilocation is a supernatural phenomenon where one person appears at two separate locations simultaneously. Though physically impossible, the director Mari Asato suggests otherwise. What happens when a doppelganger is actively plotting against you? When the aspiring painter Shinobu Takamura receives the news that she is accused of fraud, her world flips around. Hanging on to her rock-solid alibi, the alleged fraud grows into a horrible truth that justice cannot save. For big fans of horror, this thriller will knock your socks off with its petrifying plot and versatility. Mari Asato was also a former apprentice of Kiyoshi Kurosawa, and gracefully paves the path for the Japanese horror and thriller genre.
The Forest of Love, 2019
This isn’t Sono Sion’s most popular film, and that’s pretty unfortunate as this isn’t since it's a chockful of twists, secrets, and scars. In fact, it seems to reference every single previous movie he has made except cranked up exponentially and, to add to the craze, it’s based on a true story. It all starts when a con man, Murata, lures traumatized young girls to join him in making a movie along with their friends. As the cast finds out about the true intentions of Murata, things start to get out of control and death seems like a looming cloud concealing the light at the end of the tunnel. The Forest of Love is right up your alley if you’re into mind-blowing storylines and complete debauchery.
The Bad Sleep Well, 1960
Partly inspired by Hamlet, Akira Kurosawa demonstrates his prowess once again with the thrilling film The Bad Sleep Well. Itching into the deepest faults of the human race, Kurosawa delivers an enthralling story as we follow the vengeful Koichi Nishi. During his wedding to the daughter of the corrupt company vice president Iwabuchi, Nishi decides that this is the beginning of his plan to avenge his father. Tensions escalate quickly, and Nishi oscillates between morality and ego, pinning the most intimate dilemmas of humanity. Instead of mundanely letting the plot play through, Kurosawa perfects his craft with the moral and political stances that his film takes.
About the Author:
Mizuki Khoury
Born in Montreal, based in Tokyo. Sabukaru’s senior writer and works as an artist under Exit Number Five.
