After terrifying audiences worldwide with the blockbuster J-horror classic Ring and it's sequel, director Hideo Nakata returned to the genre for Dark Water, another highly atmospheric, and critically... more
One of the most shocking J-horror films ever made, Audition exploded onto the festival circuit at the turn of the century to a chorus of awards and praise. The film would catapult Miike to the... more
Starring the iconic and beautiful Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood, Stray Cat Rock) in a role that came to define her career, the four-film Female Prisoner Scorpion series charts the vengeance of Nami... more
In the early 1970s, Kinji Fukasaku's five-film Battles Without Honor and Humanity series was a massive hit in Japan, and kicked off a boom in realistic, modern yakuza films based on true stories.... more
Japanese cinema cult action heroine Meiko Kaji made her initial rep with this series of troubled-youth exploitationers from the Nikkatsu studio. A lady biker (Akiko Wada) and her crew square off with... more
With Earth slowly dying, scientists launched a probe to Mars-bearing algae and cockroaches-in order to render the Red Planet habitable. Five hundred years later, their gambit had paid off... except... more
Giants and Toys is a sharp and snappy corporate satire that revolves around the ruthless machinations of a group of admen working in the confectionary industry. Its absurdist and acidly cynical take... more
Writer/director Teruo Ishii adapts some of celebrated horror author Edogawa Rampo's most deranged stories to produce this controversial and disturbing film. A young medical student searches for his... more
Akio Jissôji created a rich and diverse body of work during his five decades in Japan's film and television industries. For some, he is best-known for his science-fiction: the 1960s TV series... more
Japanese maverick director Yasuzo Masumura (Blind Beast) helms a bitingly satirical espionage thriller set in the heart of the Japanese auto industry in his 1962 landmark Black Test Car, which... more
From the outrageous imagination of cult director Teruo Ishii (Orgies of Edo, Horrors of Malformed Men) comes this infamous omnibus of three shocking tales of crime and punishment based on true-life... more
Legendary Toei director Teruo Ishii tells three stories of moral sickness set during Japan's prosperous Genroku era in this bloody follow-up to his sexploitation classic Shogun's Joy of Torture, and... more
As they journeyed to Edo, the two fiercely loyal retainers (Chiezō Kataoka, Daisuke Katō) of a minor samurai (Eijirō Kataoka) had to stay mindful of their master's weakness for strong drink. Their... more
When reporter Akira Inugami (Sonny Chiba) tumbled upon a bizarre conspiracy involving bikers, corrupt politicians, and an unseen force that tears it's victims apart, you'd think he'd be in over his... more
Considered the magnum opus of the five decades-long career of Tomu Uchida (Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji, The Mad Fox), the epic crime drama A Fugitive from the Past was voted third in the prestigious... more
War, madness, sex, and body horror are explored in this brutal drama from Japan, set in the late 1930s during the Sino-Japanese War. While enduring horrifying physical and emotional trauma as she... more
Finally released outside Japan for the very first time, these unique riffs on H.G. Wells' classic character (though undoubtedly also indebted to Universal's iconic film series) are two of the... more
The first Japanese science fiction film to be made in color, Koji Shima's Warning From Space features eye-popping special effects from the same team at Daiei Studios that would bring Gamera to life a... more
Detective Tajima (Shishido) is tasked with tracking down a consignment of stolen firearms, as the investigation progresses things take an anarchic, blood-drenched grudge match.
Director Teruo Ishii (Blind Woman s Curse, Horrors of Malformed Men), the Godfather of J-sploitation, presents Yakuza Law (AKA Yakuza s Law: Lynching) a gruelling anthology of torture, spanning three... more
Made at the end of the 1970s, Toru Murakawa's Game Trilogy launched actor Yusaku Matsuda as the Toei tough guy for a new generation. Matsuda was the definitive screen icon of 1980s until his career... more
A perky high-schooler takes on the mob in Sailor Suit and Machine Gun, a one-of-a-kind genre-bender that riffs on the yakuza film, coming-of-age drama and 'idol movie', inventively adapted from Jiro... more
Of the many filmmakers associated with the Japanese crime film, perhaps none are more synonymous with the genre than Kinji Fukasaku! Throughout his prolific career the director brought his signature... more