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Japanese Horror Visual Aesthetics

Collection Highlights: Japanese Film Directors

Japan is home to countless brilliant filmmakers, many of whom have a knack for unsettling audiences through uncanny, hair-raising horror films. Of the horror films we have selected for this archive, they often feature the director's views on social and political issues. Viewers will experience the anguished lives of characters navigating a cold, cruel world; or perhaps they'll encounter eldritch beasts too big to fathom, the consequences of nuclear warfare. Either way, the audience is left feeling unnerved, and with more questions than when they started the film.  Each director below is a master of J-Horror in their own unique way and the following pages depicts each director's vision for horror. 

Director Hideaki Anno

Director Kinji Fukasaku

Director Satoshi Kon

Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Director Takashi Miike

Director Hideo Nakata

Director Shinya Tsukamoto

Director Takashi Shimizu

Director Nobuhiko Obayashi