5 Examples Of Extreme Japanese Cinema That Will Freak You Out

July 6, 2016

We All Know The Most Extreme Films Come From Japanese Cinemas

Starting as early as 1977, Japanese cinema began a love affair with the bizarre and extreme. ‘House‘ from 1977 featured surrealism, graphic gore, and a nonsensical plot. Nothing was like it at the time. While it was a box office success, critics hated it. Like most films, it reached cult classic status later on. Since then, no other country has quite reached the high standard for extreme cinema set by Japan.

Japan, the same country that provided esteemed classics like ‘Seven Samurai‘ and ‘Godzilla‘ also found a way to create films that sexualize breast milk or show mass suicide of children. Like I said, no one does it like the Japanese.

Through the years, many film directors have pushed the boundaries of good taste to provide social commentary or pure entertainment. Below is a collection of some of the most bizarre, shocking, and exploitative movies to come from Japan. Readers beware as some of the films may show or discuss some uncomfortable material.

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Honorable Mentions:

-‘Guinea Pig‘ film series (80’s,90’s)
-‘House‘ (1977)
-‘Gozu‘ (2003)
-‘Versus‘ (2000)

‘Suicide Club’ (2001)

Something about how joyfully this film portrays suicide makes it a sure fit for this list. ‘Suicide Club‘ starts with 54 schoolgirls all jumping in front of an oncoming train. From that moment, we get into a twisted police case of what’s causing these mass suicides throughout Japan. Nothing in the story makes sense and your limits are pushed but it is truly a must-watch!
‘Ichi The Killer’ (2001)

-The list isn’t all Takashi Miike but with 99 directing credit on IMBD, Miike has many odd films. Though, none as fun as ‘Ichi The Killer‘. ‘Ichi‘ is about a gang leader Kakihara, who’s on a mission to find his missing boss. He comes across a disturbed assassin Ichi who becomes his newest expedition in the search for pain & pleasure. Not bizarre enough? Miike said real semen was used in the intro title credits…
‘Tetsuo, the Iron Man’ (1989)

-No, this movie doesn’t feature Tony Stark but it does have a guy with a fetish for metal. ‘Tetsuo‘ is hard to describe but basically a man only called the metal fetishist goes on an adventure to become made of metal parts. Known in the horror community as one of the most notable extreme Japanese exports, ‘Tetsuo, the Iron Man‘ is truly something you need to see to believe.
‘Visitor Q’ (2001)

-Another Takashi Miike film but this one is less fun and more fucked-up. ‘Visitor Q‘ documents the life of a family when a random stranger pass through their town. While the stranger is odd, the family he is staying with is even crazier. Featuring a prostitute daughter and a sex-addict father, the worst of the bunch is a mother who loves to share her breast milk. What a Miike movie.
‘Tokyo Gore Police’ (2008)

-This is like the Japanese ‘Evil Dead‘ but with more gore. Yes, I said more gore than ‘Evil Dead‘. I mean, gore is literally in the name. ‘Tokyo Gore Police‘ is a wild film about a privatized police force that is sent out to fight these criminal creatures. At the center of it is the beautiful but deadly Ruka. Yes, the plot is insane but the violence is even more insane. Other films on this list either have sexuality or graphic violence, this one mixed both brutally.