Hey Mett - Here are my favorites - It's a fairly exhaustive list BUT does have some gaps in terms of stuff that I still need to see. I'm going to try to organize them a bit... BTW - I think that all of these are pre-2010 for the most part.
Ghost Flicks - I really love Asian supernatural films - The fact that the ghosts are a) Corporeal and b) Mostly out for revenge just simply unnerve me. Here's my list of favorites, sort of in descending order:
- Ringu
- Ju-On
- Dark Water
- Pulse
- Rinne
- Shutter
- The Maid
- One Missed Call (not amazing but not bad - This can also fall under "Miike" - see below)
- Tale of Two Sisters (not my favorite because I didn't like the end BUT I know a lot of people who swear by it)
- The Eye (also not my favorite but a lot of other people like it so if you're binging on Asian ghosts, I say include it)
Anthologies - These were actually good introductions to some of the popular Asian horror directors, I like the first one in particular but both are worth a watch:
- Three... Extremes
- Three... Extremes II
Chan-wook Park - At times I refer to him as my absolute favorite director. I consider "The Vengeance Trilogy" probably the best trilogy I've ever seen; it's a meditation on revenge and how revenge alters who you are.
- Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
- Oldboy
- Lady Vengeance
- Stoker (English language, yes, but worthy of note because it is a legitimately creepy film)
- Thirst - Ahh, then there's Thirst. I wanted to like it a LOT more than I did but found it boring. If you're interested in his directorial style, however and want to see his take on the vampire mythos, I say check it out.
Takashi Miike - So, a discussion about Asian horror flicks can't be complete without the mention of Takashi Miike. He reminds me a LOT of David Lynch... But bloodier and a lot more disturbing (depending on the film) - The only one of his movies that I can broadly recommend is Audition but you should probably check out the other ones too if you want to get a taste of what might be considered "extreme" Asian cinema:
- Audition (I think this was really my foray into Asian horror - It's incredibly bizarre and then incredibly violent, culminating into a now iconic scene. This is a must-see)
- "Imprint" - A short he did for Masters of Horror
- Ichi the Killer - It's been a while since I've seen this one and I should probably check it out again
- Visitor Q - Not horror but definitely challenging - Will always be on my "top most disturbing movies I've ever seen" list
- Gozu - I remember liking this movie but it's been a very very long time since I've seen it. Very bizarre and Lynch-like if I recall...
Not sure how these fit into the categories above, but here are some other favorites:
- I Saw the Devil - I really love this horrifyingly gritty revenge flick. Plus my Korean boyfriend is in it. Same director did A Tale of Two Sisters and Chaser (which I desperately need to see).
- The Host - Brilliant giant monster flick with humor and legitimately tense moments. Same director as Snowpiercer (which I loved), and Mother (which I haven't seen but heard is great)
- Battle Royale - Eat your heart, Hunger Games! Drop everything and read the novel and then watch the movie. This movie also informed my love for Asian horror.
- Tokyo Gore Police - My foray into splatterpunk. Gross, disgusting fun.
- Art of the Devil II - Surprisingly creepy messed up little film
Asian horror that I haven't seen but I've heard great things about
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I'm sure there's much more but that should be enough to get you started.