From demon infestations to the cold depths of space, Japanese anime has the uncanny ability to capture fear and uncertainty like few other animated films can. And these are the must-see horror movies that'll shock you to your core.
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00:00 From demon infestations to the cold depths of space, Japanese anime has the uncanny ability
00:06 to capture fear and uncertainty like few other animated films can, and these are the must-see
00:11 horror movies that'll shock you to your core.
00:14 Cat Soup is an animated short film by Tatsuo Sato, supplying a surreal, trippy tale about
00:20 grief and the deep bond between siblings.
00:23 Represented by anthropomorphic cats, Nyatta is a young male cat who loves his sick older
00:28 sister, Nyako.
00:29 One day while playing in the bath, Nyatta accidentally drowns, and while wandering between
00:34 life and death, he sees Nyako walking with Jizuo, the patron saint of dead children.
00:40 After a game of tug-of-war, they split Nyako's soul in half.
00:43 When Nyatta is revived, he gives Nyako her soul back, but it is incomplete, so they must
00:48 embark on a journey through hell to make her whole again.
00:52 The gorgeous animation makes Cat Soup a contemplative sensory experience, but little dialogue there
00:57 is doesn't do much to guide the viewer through the story.
00:59 Instead, it's up to the viewer to actively engage with the journey alongside these two
01:04 cats.
01:05 But don't let that whimsical aesthetic fool you.
01:07 Cat Soup is full of jarring imagery and violence, all the more shocking when it happens to animated
01:12 cats.
01:13 Yoshiaki Kawajiri made his solo directorial debut with 1987's Wicked City.
01:19 The humans of Earth have struck a tenuous peace treaty with the demon realm, known as
01:23 the Black World, to maintain some semblance of order.
01:26 The Black Guard, a special police force made up of humans and demons, ensures that this
01:30 treaty is upheld.
01:32 But with the treaty about to expire, Black Guard agents, the human Taki and the demon
01:37 Maki-e, must protect the diplomat charged with its renewal.
01:40 However, a radical group of demons don't want that to happen, and Taki and Maki-e must
01:45 use their combined abilities to protect humanity from complete destruction.
01:48 "Two of you are perfectly suited genetically to create babies that'll have both the ability
01:54 and the responsibility of creating a new world."
01:57 Kawajiri shows off his grotesque style and eye for shocking violence with Wicked City,
02:02 establishing himself as an anime director with no qualms about breaking taboos.
02:07 With the body merely a ball of clay for the animators to play with, viewers should beware
02:11 that Wicked City is hyper-sexual, hyper-violent, and isn't for the faint of heart.
02:16 But if you can handle extreme horror, the movie is worth seeking out.
02:20 Of the two existing Vampire Hunter D films, the 1985 movie is sadly often overshadowed
02:25 by the one released in 2000.
02:27 But there's a lot of value to Vampire Hunter D, including some gnarly monsters and death
02:32 sequences.
02:33 The Vampire Hunter, simply called D, himself a half-human, half-vampire hybrid known as
02:38 a Dampere, wanders a post-nuclear landscape where vampire nobility, demons, and mutants
02:44 rule the land.
02:45 He's hired by Doris Lang to save her from Count Lee, a powerful vampire noble who wants
02:50 to make her his new blood-sucking bride.
02:53 While D takes on the assignment to save Doris, he must face a legion of monsters, each more
02:57 powerful than the last.
02:59 All the while, D has a parasite embedded in his left hand, manifesting as a human face
03:04 who keeps telling D to drink human blood.
03:07 Vampire Hunter D was marketed as a dark future science fiction romance, and while there are
03:12 moments of extreme gore, much of the film moves at a slow pace, focusing a lot on building
03:16 the world's lore.
03:18 That lore isn't always clear, but the film is still a visual feast for any gore hound.
03:23 Directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, the 1995 film Biohunter takes place in a world where a malady
03:29 called the Demon Virus is ravaging Japan.
03:32 Those infected with the virus transform into horrific creatures with a taste for human
03:36 flesh.
03:37 In this hellscape, there are two men determined to stop the virus.
03:40 Koshigaya and Kamada are two molecular biologists/demon hunters who are trying to develop a cure and
03:45 hunt down the infected.
03:47 However, their journey takes a turn for the worse when Kamada contracts the virus.
03:51 He uses the disease to his advantage, trying to keep his demonic side under control so
03:56 that he can save as many lives as possible.
03:58 There's a reason that Biohunter is far from the last Kawajiri film on this list.
04:02 The prolific director's transgressive works push the limits of animation.
04:06 Teeth burst from flesh, bodies twist and mutate, and any semblance of humanity is stripped
04:11 away.
04:12 This hyper-sexual, hyper-violent horror anime proves that not all animated films are meant
04:17 for children.
04:19 Memories is a 1995 sci-fi anthology film from the mind of Katsuhiro Otomo, creator of the
04:24 manga series and the 1988 film Akira.
04:28 But this isn't just Otomo's project.
04:30 The first story, Magnetic Rose, is directed by Koji Muramoto and written by Satoshi Kon.
04:35 It follows two engineers who discover an abandoned spaceship full of decadent furnishings, and
04:40 they slowly unravel the mystery at the vessel's core.
04:43 Next there's Stink Bomb, directed by Tensai Okamura and written by Otomo, which is about
04:48 a man who takes the wrong pill and gives himself toxic farts.
04:52 Yes, there is quite the tonal shift between stories.
05:00 Finally there's Cannon Fodder, written and directed by Otomo, about a young boy who dreams
05:04 of becoming a military officer, firing cannons against a seemingly non-existent enemy.
05:09 These three unrelated films come together to create three very different imaginings
05:13 of the future, and yet are united by gorgeous animation and thoughtful writing.
05:18 These tales are psychological and haunting, focusing more on the cerebral experience of
05:22 terror than visceral violence.
05:25 In 1988, Yoshiaki Kawajiri gave the world another taste of his demon-obsessed style
05:30 with Demon City Shinjuku.
05:32 While not Kawajiri's most famous film on this list, Demon City Shinjuku is an underrated
05:36 gem that pumps the brakes on the gore and sexuality.
05:40 But don't worry, there are still plenty of creatures to unnerve you.
05:43 Demon City Shinjuku follows the young man Kyoya on his typical hero's journey, prowling
05:48 a city full of demons while seeking revenge against the psychic Rebi Ra, the man who killed
05:53 his father.
05:54 But as Kyoya tries to unlock the full potential of his powers, he's running out of time to
05:58 master his abilities and save the universe.
06:01 Along the way, the world president is bound to a giant crucifix by a supernatural plant
06:06 intended to be a sacrifice to bring even more chaos to the world.
06:10 Like all of Kawajiri's work, Demon City Shinjuku is chock-full of gorgeously choreographed
06:15 action sequences that make up for its uneven pacing.
06:18 Yeon Sang-ho's 2016 animated film Soul Station is the official prequel to the Korean hit
06:24 zombie film Train to Busan.
06:26 Taking place at the start of the zombie pandemic, Hye-sun is a sex worker living with her dead
06:31 beat boyfriend Ki-woong, stuck in a vicious cycle of trauma and abuse.
06:36 After an explosive argument at the titular Soul Station, the two are separated by zombies.
06:41 Meanwhile, Hye-sun's father Seok-ju is searching the city for his estranged daughter and manages
06:46 to cross paths with Ki-woong.
06:48 Soul Station uses the classic narrative structure of two groups splitting up during a zombie
06:52 attack, but it doesn't feel as tired as it could be due to the gorgeous animation and
06:57 the political commentary surrounding Korea's treatment of its homeless population.
07:01 Squatters are among the first victims of the virus, never taken seriously by authority
07:05 figures and regarded as unimportant by most of society.
07:09 While zombies may be overdone by this point, Soul Station provides a breath of fresh air
07:13 to a well-worn genre.
07:16 With his 2000 film Vampire Hunter D, Bloodlust, Yoshiaki Kawajiri revived the cinematic legacy
07:22 of the eponymous Damp Ear Hunter.
07:24 Here, D is hired after a young woman named Charlotte is abducted from her home by Baron
07:28 Meyer Link, a vampire nobleman.
07:31 Charlotte's father pays D to find Charlotte and bring her back unscathed.
07:35 However, D has competition, as Charlotte's brother has hired the Marcus Brothers, a band
07:40 of famous hunters, to get the job done.
07:43 But nothing is what it seems, as it's revealed that Charlotte is actually in love with her
07:47 vampire captor.
07:48 "I wanted you to be happy, Meyer, and so I abandoned my father and my brother for you."
07:54 Kawajiri's Vampire Hunter D is more highly regarded than the 1985 film due to its improved
07:59 pacing, action sequences, and animation style.
08:02 The movie has been touted as one of the better vampire films, striking a balance between
08:06 gory action and character-driven moments that keep the viewer invested.
08:10 Satoshi Kon's feature film debut as a director came in 1997 with the horrifying psychological
08:16 thriller Perfect Blue.
08:18 This film about the effects of fame and obsession is based on the novel of the same name by
08:22 Yoshikazu Takeuchi and follows Mima Kirigoye.
08:26 When Mima decides to move on from being the lead singer of the girl idol group, CHAM,
08:30 to pursue a career in acting, her fans are thrown into an uproar.
08:34 As Mima tries to cope with the backlash, both online and offline, as well as make her way
08:39 through the sleazy world of television acting, a stalker nicknamed Mimania starts killing
08:44 key individuals around her.
08:46 Between trying to maintain her public persona as an actress while needing to process her
08:50 trauma, Mima starts losing her grip on reality.
08:53 She begins blacking out and can't remember where she was during the murders, possibly
08:57 marking her as a prime suspect in the killings.
09:00 As a result, her own concept of identity begins to slip away.
09:03 Perfect Blue inspired movies like Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan and provided a framework for examining
09:09 obsession and their lasting psychological effects in the modern age.
09:12 Perfect Blue isn't just about stalking, but about how your sense of self disappears
09:17 when you step into the public eye.
09:19 Ninja Scroll is often considered Yoshiaki Kawajiri's most influential work and is
09:23 cited as one of the films that brought adult-oriented anime into the West.
09:27 Released in 1993, Kawajiri pivots from futuristic demonic hellscapes to feudal Japan.
09:33 Though there are still demons, eight powerful ones called the Devils of Kemon, who want
09:37 to overthrow the government, wandering swordsman-for-hire Jubei is offered a large sum of money to learn
09:43 more about these devils and to uncover their motivations.
09:46 Along the way, he pairs up with the female ninja Kagaro, the sole survivor of her clan.
09:51 The two work together and maybe fall in love while saving the world from whatever dangerous
09:56 plot lurks under the surface.
09:58 The action sequences in Ninja Scroll are lush and kinetic, providing the audience with a
10:02 visual feast.
10:03 And much like the rest of Kawajiri's work, the movie is packed with as much shocking
10:07 sex and violence as possible.
10:10 Satoshi Kon's 2006 feature film Paprika was his last before he died in 2010.
10:16 The film is a psychedelic journey through dreams that addresses the terrifying malleability
10:20 of the human mind.
10:21 "What did my dreams reveal about me?"
10:24 "That you're impatient."
10:26 Dr. Atsuko Chiba uses a device called the DC Mini to access the dreams of her psychiatric
10:32 patients.
10:33 By assuming her dream persona, Paprika, Chiba enters people's dreams to better analyze
10:38 their subconscious.
10:39 But, of course, such power is easily abused when scientists with evil intentions steal
10:44 the device and infiltrate unsuspecting minds.
10:47 They start manipulating people into killing themselves.
10:50 Chiba dives into the dream world to try and keep it all from oozing into the real world.
10:54 No written description can truly capture the jaw-dropping beauty of the film's animation,
10:59 nor its reliance on dream logic.
11:01 With Paprika, Kon's swan song is something truly special.
11:04 Eichi Yamamoto's 1973 film Belladonna of Sadness is a heart-wrenching masterpiece about
11:10 a scorned woman who yearns for any type of control.
11:13 In medieval France, Jeanne and Jean are basking in the glow of their new marriage.
11:18 But it's sadly short-lived when Jeanne is assaulted by a baron in a ritual ceremony.
11:23 Despite it being considered a tradition, Jean can't handle the reality of it and abandons
11:28 Jeanne.
11:29 In her despair, Jeanne is offered powers by a phallic demon who guarantees revenge on
11:33 those who have wronged her.
11:35 What ensues is a never-ending struggle for Jeanne to regain her bodily autonomy, but
11:39 her status as a woman continually damns her to a life of torture.
11:42 Jeanne's body undergoes several transformations as she tries repeatedly to become a more powerful
11:48 being.
11:49 Belladonna of Sadness is an agonizing but strangely alluring experience, thanks to the
11:53 film's psychedelic animation representing violence against women in the abstract instead
11:58 of an excruciating realistic detail.
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