[Editorial] Japanese Gorewave: The Gory Side of J Horror

When I hear my friends list their favorite Japanese horror films (also called J-Horror), they are often paranormal stories like Ring (1998), Pulse (2001), or Ju-On:The Grudge (2002). And of course, those are excellent and terrifying films. But J-Horror has a lot to offer outside of the paranormal realm. If you like your horror gory, wild, and fast-paced, Japan has horror films for your taste, too. Here are two films to start with as you broaden your J-Horror knowledge. 

Battle Royale (2000)

To address juvenile delinquency, the Japanese government creates the Battle Royale act, in which a class of junior high students are randomly chosen each year to fight to the death on an island. The last one alive wins. This is public knowledge, but no kid ever really thinks it will happen to them. 

While the idea of adults sending kids to kill each other should be scary enough, we have seen a version of that story made appropriate for younger audiences in The Hunger Games franchise. But Battle Royale is not for kids. Not only is it terrifying to see children murdered and committing murder, the film takes the most brutal directions it can. The kids wake up on the island and realize what’s happening to them, with almost no warning. They are provided minimal supplies, quickly told the rules, and sent on their way. Somes kids die immediately. 

Some students try to work together, and form a small community while they wait for a better possible outcome, such as a rescue team. Others try to band together in unison for a counter-attack, and refuse to kill each other. But these approaches will only work if everyone buys in. As soon as one person is motivated to kill another, any rebellious plan falls apart. The kids are constantly wondering who they can trust, forming and re-forming alliances.

The year 2000 came at the beginning of what would be a very gory decade for horror films across the globe, and Battle Royale set the scene for some bleak themes to explore. It’s a must-watch, if you haven’t seen it yet.

Tokyo Gore Police (2008)

Ruka ( Eihi Shiina) is a police officer in a dystopian futuristic Japan, following in the footsteps of her father. Policing has become privatized, extremely violent and homicidal. There is a growing race of people called Engineers who can transform injured parts of their body into super weapons. Engineers can only be killed by destroying a key-shaped tumor within their body. Ruka is known as an expert Engineer hunter, taking them down with relative ease. Her personal mission includes seeking information on who killed her father, which leads her down a disturbing path. 

In the year 2008, horror films settled comfortably into a brutal and violent decade, and Tokyo Gore Police fit right in. Much of the world was in a difficult economic recession at the time, and in Japan, birth rates were dropping. It’s no wonder a vision of a dystopian, totalitarian future made for a good horror film in this time and place. 

Tokyo Gore Police has amazing practical effects, and lots of splattery gore. The Engineers offer visions of creative mutations that will stick with you for a long time after the movie ends (alligator girl, anyone?). It expertly mixes practical effects and CGI for exciting fight scenes. At the same time, it shows thoughtful characters, and works through cultural and political commentary. It’s a complex film, and it couldn’t be farther away from the spooky ghosts of J-Horror

If you haven’t ventured into the more brutal side of J-Horror, you are missing out! The paranormal side of the genre delivers expert scares, and there are loads of great films if ghosts are your thing. But if you thought J-Horror wasn’t for you, give a couple of the Japanese Gorewave films a shot. 

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