This is the second part of our Shudder super-list. This time, we are focusing on the best Asian content to stream.
I hope you’re hooked up with some awesome viewing. Let’s get to it. Also, just like Netflix, Shudder has different movies streaming depending on whereabouts in the world you’re from. So, unfortunately, this list is just for Asian Shudder content in UK/Ireland.
PULSE
One of the OG’s of J Horror, Pulse is still considered one of the very best in Japanese or Asian horror. A masterful film that is genuinely creepy af. Gorehounds won’t find anything here but if you’re up for some dark, tragic atmospheric supernatural horror then Kairo is a must. I haven’t checked this out in years so a rewatch is on the cards very soon.
Two friends notice something supernatural about the internet when one of their friends goes missing. What they find out is tragic and terrifying.
BATTLE ROYALE
Again, one of the most popular Japanese flicks in existence. Battle Royale paved the way for a future generation of extreme filmmakers.
Due to the crippling growing population and rate of crime, schoolkids are picked at random, brought to an isolated island, given a weapon and forced to kill each other until only one student remains.
CREEPY
Creepy might not be for everyone. It is a serial killer film but quite a slow-moving one. It follows an ex-detective who now works at a local university as a professor. He is asked to help with an unsolved, 6-year-old case about a missing family When he moves to a new neighbourhood, he meets his new neighbours…but something very Creepy is going on.
This has a few moments of severe bleakness; one scene of a body getting vacuum-packed and shoved in a suitcase. It may be a slow-mover, but some scenes hit hard and that’s what saves Creepy from mediocrity.
TAG
Remember that Asian movie scene that went viral? No one knew wtf it was, just a load of school girls on a bus. When one of them bends down to grab something she dropped, she gets back up and realises that every other student has been decapitated by a strange, powerful force.
From legendary director/writer Sion Sono and it’s everything you’d expect from a Sono movie: Absolutely bonkers, full of tonnes of gore and blood splatter.
THE MEDIUM
A joint effort from two of the biggest names in South Korean and Thai horror. The directors of The Chaser and Shutter get together to bring us, The Medium, a Thai found-footage supernatural horror involving shamans and ancient supernatural tradition.
Personally, I wanted more from Medium. I still enjoyed it but it was different from what I was expecting. I need to understand the culture more because it is drenched in culture. The Medium is probably downright terrifying for those familiar with the tradition and folklore.
If you enjoyed the South Korean supernatural horror, The Wailing then The Medium would be a film for you.
ZOMBIE FOR SALE
Zombie For Sale is one of the best zombie movies out there. It’s miles different from the usual apocalyptic films we have grown used to. I would even say that Zombie For Sale is a film with a whole lot of heart.
An undead test subject escapes a research facility and stumbles and moans his way to the rural countryside. Our zombie then sees a girl and instantly falls in love with her. Somehow she notices that this zombie is perfectly ok with eating cabbages smothered in red sauce as a substitute for human brains. and he then becomes her pet zombie who she keeps chained in her basement. The house she lives in is also a small family-run business and the business is doing terribly. If they don’t start getting some money soon, they will lose everything. But when Granpa gets bitten by the pet zombie he wakes up feeling like a 17-yr old kid. Then, they have the brilliant idea to profit off of the pet zombie: sell zombie bites. Customers stick their arm in, they drown it in red sauce, the zombie takes a bite then it’s on to the next customer. Of course, things are just too good to be true and the new youthful lease of life is quickly reversed and the infected succumb to the irresistible craving for human flesh.
A TALE OF TWO SISTERS
A Tale of Two Sisters is another film that highly regarded as one of the best when it comes to Asian horror. There’;s good reason for that two as it is written and directed by Kim Jee-woon, who gave us the phenomenal I Saw The Devil along with many others. Kim Jee-woon‘s filmography is superb and I would highly recommend just about anything it.
After returning from a mental health hospital, two sisters and their stepmother fear that they’re being hauted by the ghost of their late vengeful, mother.
It really doesntt matter what type of genre Kim Jee-woon tackles, the guy is one hell of a filmmaker.
THE VILLAINESS
One of the best action films to hit our screens in the last decade. The Villainess is a full-on gruesome, hyper-violent masterpiece. A simple revenge tale about a female assassin seeking relentless, brutal vengeance on those who wronged her.
Filmed in multiple, jaw-dropping style styles, there is very little that can compare to The Villainess in regard to action and a high body count.
The director, Byung-gil Jung recently released his other film, Carter on Netflix. There’s no doubt about it, it’s another fantastic action flick. However, it seemed that it went down the path of the Train To Busan sequel, Peninsula. They introduce a lot of western influence…and characters. I also thought that the FX team were a little too ambitious and some of the insane action sequences looked like a computer game. Still, it had a solid horror/action plot and you should still check it out on Netflix
OLDBOY
As you can probably imagine, Oldboy needs no introduction. One of the first South Korean movies to really break South Korean cinema to the rest of the world.
Starring the great, Choi Min-sik. A man wakes up to find he has been imprisoned in a small hotel-like room. He is released and given a short time to figure out who imprisoned him and why he was put there in the first place.
THIRST
Another remarkable South Korean genre-twister. Thirst is by Oldboy director Park Chan-wook and stars my favourite South Korean actor, Song Kang-ho.
A priest tries to save villagers from a plague-like virus by accepting to undergo a blood transfusion and accidentally infecting himself with a vampire virus.
Thirst starts off a little bit light but then it’s constantly building up. When we reach boiling point, it smashes into full-blown horror. Park Chan Wook gives us a vampire tale like no other. Precisely what we would expect from him.
THE QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC
A remake of the Indonesian horror classic. The Queen Of Black Magic is directed by one half of The Mo Brothers, Kimo Stamboel and written by Joko Anwar.
A man travels to reunite with some friends he grew up with in an orphanage. Not long after their arrival, they realise that the area has been haunted and cursed with black magic by a vengeful, evil spirit.
The Queen Of Black Magic is a joint effort by two of the biggest names in Indonesian horror and action cinema. These two aren’t only among my fave Indonesian faves, but they make my list of all-time faves. We will buy, support, review and help these guys in any way we possibly can.
MAY THE DEVIL TAKE YOU/ MAY THE DEVIL TAKE YOU TOO
May The Devil Take You was a fun experience. It didn’t really offer anything new to the genre but it was masterfully done and paid great homage to classic demon/possession horror, especially, The Evil Dead.
The generic storyline is more than forgiven with the insane creepiness and obscene amount of icky gore. The sequel is also very watchable, same sort of shit just amped up to 11.
After watching Indonesian horror, you really do realise how weak movies like The Nun or The Conjuring really are. These dudes make horror for horror fans, not for the box office takings.
IMPETIGORE
Written and directed by Joko Anwar, Impetigore follows Maya, who after some creepy encounters with a mysterious stranger at her work learns that she has inherited a large house in the village where she was born. She is left with no choice but to travel there with her best friend to try and sell the house. When they arrive, it ain’t long before a supernatural presence starts to take hold.
It is important to note that all of these Indonesian films are from a handful of filmmakers. Their work is quickly becoming every bit as good as all of the Asian greats.
SATAN’S SLAVES/SATAN’S SLAVES: COMMUNION
A struggling family who is in serious financial difficulty. The father had to remortgage their house in order to pay for treatment for their sick mother. But, when their mother suddenly dies, the family start to experience an evil supernatural presence in their house.
Joko Anwar knows how to make a creepy horror film. Everything is done to creepy perfection resulting in a viewing experience that chills to the bone.
We also recently just got the sequel to Satan’s Slaves, Satan’s Slaves: Communion. The sequel is also available to stream on Shudder.
MON, MON. MON MONSTERS
This Taiwanese flick flips the monster genre on its head. In this film, the monster is the good guy/girl/thing. The film deals with a group of asshole school kids who spend their days bullying people. When they accidentally capture a monster they continue their asshole ways. They bully and tease it until it can take no more. Then each little piece of shit gets what’s coming to them.
A great, fun and gory horror. What makes it even more fun is how much of an asshole these kids are…and how fun it is to see them all die horribly painful deaths.
THE SADNESS
One of the most talked about horror flicks due to its extremity. The Sadness is from writer/director Rob Jabbaz and deals with a viral outbreak in Taiwan that causes the infected to act out their most vicious, animalistic, murderous desires.
This was widely compared to Gary Ennis’ (The Boys, Preacher) graphic novel, Crossed. Defo plays out like a crazy zombie movie only the infected are still human, just depraved, violent, cannibalistic, animalistic and extremely dangerous.
An acquired taste but we loved it. You can check out Yessica’s review RIGHT HERE
Well, that’s it for this Asian Shudder list. We hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for our English Language Picks! The English Language segment is gonna take quite some time because as you can imagine, it is pretty fkn big. Stay tuned.
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