The J-Horror Virus
Synopsis
How did a single ‘Big in Japan’ videotape change the course of global horror history? Find out in this insightful documentary charting the origins, evolution and diffusion across the world of a distinctive brand of Japanese supernatural chillers featuring vengeful ghosts manifesting themselves through contemporary technology against a backdrop of urban alienation and social decay. From Psychic Vision: Jaganrei (1988) and straight-to-video scary true stories to such key titles as Ring (1998), Pulse (2001) and The Grudge (2002), critics and filmmakers reflect on how the bleak Dystopian visions and unsettling atmospheres infiltrated their way into the world’s shocker consciousness.
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Festival History
- Razor Reel Flanders Film Festival (member of the MIFF) 2026 generic - Documentary
- Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2023 - Features
- Calgary Underground Film Festival 2023 generic
- Fantasmagoría - Festival de Cine Fantástico y de Terror de Medellín 2023 - Selección Largometraje Documental
- FRIGHTFEST 2023 - Discovery Screen 2
- Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival 2023 - Sitges Documenta
- Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival 2023 - Sitges Documenta
Releases & classifications
| Theatrical | United Kingdom | August 27, 2023 |
| Theatrical | Singapore | October 6, 2023 |
| Streaming | United Kingdom | October 11, 2023 |
| Theatrical | Colombia | October 17, 2023 |
| Streaming | United States | November 4, 2024 |
Full credits
| Director | Sarah Appleton, Jasper Sharp |
| Cast | Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Tom Mes, Lindsay Nelson, Mari Asato, Masayuki Ochiai, Takashi Shimizu, Norio Tsuruta, Rie Ino'o, Shinya Tsukamoto, George Iida, Hiroshi Takahashi, Teruyoshi Ishii, Chiaki J. Konaka, Jasper Sharp, Takako Fuji |
| Producer | Jasper Sharp, Sarah Appleton |
Identifiers & sources
| IMDb | tt27349978 |
| TMDB | 1124219 |
Additional data: TMDB.
