The HDC Asian Horror/Exploitation Top 100 compilation
 

We have compiled almost all sorts of Top 100 lists to represent our collective tastes in horror here at HDC.

But, one final compilation has still been elusive.

The Asian horror scene has been going strong for almost as long as US & British horror, since Gojira (or possibly earlier, if I am missing anything before it). It would be a crime to leave it unrepresented, and with horror fans really curious about which Asian horror flicks they should be checking out, I think this will indeed be a really worthwhile project.

With the support of all of you, Despare is willing to compile a Top 100 for Asian Horror, as chosen by HDC. I think most of us are well versed in this particular branch, and will do our countless Asian horror fans of the world a ton of good by suggesting 100 of the best for them to watch at any time of the day. So sit back with your thinking caps on, and send Despare your lists of around 20-25 flicks (at least 10), in your favorite order.

Despare is also open to all sorts of suggestions here.

Shall we do an alphabetical one, or go for #100 to #01, its up to you. Of course, you will be choosing Judges for this also, if it will be just an alphabetical compilation. If it is to be a Top 100 ranked list, your rankings of the movies in your list will be taken into account.

You can contact Despare via PM, or email him at his email addy.

The deadline for submitting your lists of recs is 01st March 2009, unless Despare extends it any further.

I don't watch much asian horror. I've probably only seen 10-12 total. There's a grand total of 3 that I like and maybe 7-8 I thought sucked. My dilemma is this... I don't want to rank a film that I thought sucked #4 on my list so should I just sit this one out or should I send a list of my top 3?

I say send em. And you can always watch some more in the meanwhile, bw. You can send me a second list anytime between now and the deadline, which I will announce later.

This is a great idea and a worthy project. I really like Asian horror, and do my best to watch whatever I can. I'll defintely send in a list.

I nominate Chrono, Angra & Roshiq as judges for this. All three contribute frequently to the Asian forum and are well versed in the history of the genre.

Yeah, I'll help in any way that I can as well.

And I'll try and get a list together tomorrow.

I am counting on Flayed, Despare and Zwoti in this, too. All of them have plenty of history on Asian horror IMO.

You may rank your noms according to your favs. We can have a countdown list (one which we havent had since the original HDC Top 100), and see which Asian horror flick gets to be #1.

It could end up to be quite a battle for the top honors though.

Wow! I was actually thinking something like that too that it'd be nice if there is at least an Asian Horror Recommendation thread at the Asian Horror section where members can suggests/recommends others some good Asian films to check out (like the HDC Recommendations at Modern Horror section). Anyway, thanks to V for coming with this fantastic & better idea. As a good fan of Asian horror I'm ready to contribute in any possible way with the best of my knowledge about the genre and surely within a day or two you'll get a list from me.

Thanks to NE for you honorable nomination for me.:)

Hmmm I'm not very well versed on Asian horror but I'll sort out something.

Are you including Australian movies in this? I'm just asking as they are lumped with asia in economic situations quite often demographicly in research studies. They also play in the asia cup, etc, etc.

Can we include anime or is it live action only? Also, if anime is included can you include series or would it just be single movies?

I sent in five. I've never really been a big fan of asian horror films. I don't like reading subtitles and when they're badly dubbed I just can't stop laughing.

I think we would HAVE to include anime as it's very influential in the sub-genre of Asian horror and in Asian culture. I would say we should stick to movies and not series but many anime series do have a movie or two associated with them. It would be a travesty to leave a film like Perfect Blue or Akira (I'm not a huge Akira fan but it's SO important to the sub-genre) out of this list (and no, those aren't the only anime films I'd deem worthy to be on the list).

A personal favorite of mine is "A Chinese Ghost Story" from 1986...the first in the series, and the best of that series. A very fine attempt at making a film that is like a folk tale/fairytale, with a diverse mixture of elements. Someone lent it to me in the mid-90's and I think I watched it five or six times in a row, it was so much fun.

Strictly Asian.


Like Des said, it plays a really big part in Asian horror. So it will be imperative to add in any brilliant animated flicks like Perfect Blue to the mix.


Wonderful rec, Crabby. Please think of some more and send me a list. I think this will be a very interesting 100 to compile, seeing the diversity of Asian horror transcends just about all sub-genres of the main Horror genre.

Are Filipino films included? Because everyone knows I am a big fan of "Mad Doctor of Blood Island," that is a drive-in horror classic.

Sure. Any Asian horror flick which is a cult classic should have its own space in this compilation.

On a side note, are we going to do a compiled 100 (listed alphabetically) or going for a countdown Top 100 (ala the HDC Top 100 list)?

If the former, we will need Judges and plenty of comprehensive lists with good recs. In the case of the latter, please be sure of sending in your list of flicks in the order of your favorites in it - from your most favorite Asian horror flick, and second fav, so on...downwards.

I have watched only a handful of asian horror films. But I will dig up some and defenitely send it over!:)

I'll like to prefer the 2nd one, on the countdown basis but it'd nice to see a comprehensive list of good recs. also with that.

Though Despare picked a strong point but the sad thing is I haven't seen much of Asian Animes to recommend.:o :(

Good! Perfect Blue immediately came to mind :D I'll send mine in tomorrow.

That used to get shown on TV reguarly when I was a teenager, what I remember most is the nudity.. :eek:

My limited list:

Flower Of Flesh and Blood
Junk
The Grudge
Urotsukidoji
Wicked City

Most of the Asian cinema I watch isn't horror Lady Snowblood, Female Convict: Scorpion etc.

Looking forward to seeing the list and getting some recs...

Actually, you might have seen one of the sequels...Part 1 had no nudity, barely any skin shown...it's more a ghosts and monsters type fantasy.

There is three of them movies I think so maybe it was part 2 I think.. ahh, the tities have blured my memory...

Ok, I'm going to wing it, I may have to add some later as I remember them,
in no particular order:

*Meatball Machine
*Tokyo Gore Police
*Giunea Pig; Devils Experiment, Flowers of Flesh and Blood, Mermaid in the Manhole and He never Dies(The 'making of' on Flowers of Flesh and Blood covers all movies and IMO is better than the movies themselves.)
*Ichi the Killer
*Audition

I think I'm having a hard time discerning Japanese fighting,scifi and action movies from horror, they have such different standards there.

* Versus was more of an action/scifi film, but filled with gore/horror elements. *Sharkskin Man and Peach Hip Girl was a super freaking awesome movie!
*Oldboy is fresh in my memory from recent posts-great movie.

Ok, beer is not helping my memory right now.

Meatball machine was fun, but it was pretty crap...


I wasn't going to sugest any as everything I sugest will probaly show up anyway, and if it doesn't then I will know not to trust human kind again.

Meatball was fun, and I think that's what alot of Japanese horror is all about. Atleast the Manga style shock-horror movies. I think there is a large market for more of these 'crap', 'fun' movies, and I bet we see more of them in the future. Atleast I sure hope we do.

I'm not mentioning any remade for American audience movies either, because they're like shooting fish in a barrel. I also didn't mention any anime, because the list of anime horror is only second to anime porn. It's seriously extensive, and filled with tentacles.

P.S. You probably shouldn't trust human kind anyway.

I wouldn't class Ichi the Killer as horror.

I wouldnt class Oldboy as horror either. Versus, however, comes under the genre because of the subject elements.

We have to draw a line somewhere. I think the debate is open for Ichi, Audition and Tetsuo type flicks. I d like to hear more on this from everyone.

I agree, Versus is definitley horror bordering on action just like Dog Soldiers.

Tetsuo can be classed as horror I think. The mutation themes in it make it slip into the genre. Ichi is more of a crime/gangster flick that is popular with your typical horror fan because of the extremes it went to in terms of violence.

My thoughts too. Let's wait and hear what others have to say about this.

Ive thought the same thing regarding flicks like Oldboy and Ichi.

The type of violence in Ichi is similar (although more extreme) to the likes of Casino and Goodfellas, out and out gangster films, and we wouldn't consider them to be horror.

I'd say Ichi is a fusion of genres. And of course you all know how expansive my definition of the genre is. In spite of the gang backdrop, it's a story of trauma and psychological warping. Just because the desperate murderer is in a gang environment doesn't make it any less of a horror film. Levying this accusation against Ichi is like leveling it against Innocent Blood or saying Isle of the Dead is about Greek history.

I think there's going to be a lot of grey area when deciding what is and is not horror in Japanese cinema. Most of there genres carry elements of horror in them.

Why don't we see how many lists a movie is on before pulling from the gray area and stuffing it into a genre ourselves.

why dont we just call the list asian horror/exploitation flicks

after all, samurai movies are the origional 'slashers' :)

Then the first recommendation from Zwoti would be - Sex and Fury.

so many better samurai films to choose

But not many samurai-exploitation ones.

hanzo comes to mind :cool: