37 Best Asian Horror Movies & Films

Top 37 must-see best asian horror movies from 166 asian horror movies, including Parasite, Onibaba, Battle Royale, Oldboy, One Cut of the Dead, Bedevilled, The Cure, Ringu, The Wailing, and Confessions ranked and rated by score.

Top 37 Best Asian Horror Movies of All Time

Click any of the movies in this asian list below to see that films' synopsis, plot, cast/actors, directors, full poster, movie trailer, and review.

Score: 9.37/10 IMDB: 8.5/10 | IMDB Votes: 1,085,358

MPAA Rating: R | Gross: 53847897
Plot / Synopsis: The Kims - mother and father Chung-sook and Ki-taek, and their young adult offspring, son Ki-woo and daughter Ki-jung - are a poor family living…
Director: Bong Joon Ho
Stars: Kang-ho Song, Lee Sun-kyun, Sun-kyun Lee, Yeo-jeong Jo, Woo-sik Choi

Score: 8.4/10 IMDB: 7.8/10 | IMDB Votes: 24,418
Thriller, Drama, Folk Horror, Madness
MPAA Rating: Not Rated | Gross:
Plot / Synopsis: In the Fourteenth Century, during a civil war in Japan, a middle-aged woman and her daughter-in-law survive in a hut in a field of reed…
Director: Kaneto Shindô
Stars: Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Satô, Jûkichi Uno, Taiji Tonoyama

Score: 8.2/10 IMDB: 7.5/10 | IMDB Votes: 201,926
Survival, Survival Games, Teens, Urban Decay, Wilderness, J-Horror
MPAA Rating: Not Rated | Gross:
Plot / Synopsis: Forty-two students, three days, one deserted Island: welcome to Battle Royale. A group of ninth-grade students from a Japanese high school has been forced by…
Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Tarô Yamamoto, Takeshi Kitano, Chiaki Kuriyama

Score: 8.1/10 IMDB: 8.3/10 | IMDB Votes: 685,525

MPAA Rating: R | Gross: 2458200
Plot / Synopsis: Abducted on a rainy night in 1988, the obnoxious drunk, Oh Dae-Su, much to his surprise, wakes up locked in a windowless and dilapidated hotel…
Director: Chan-wook Park
Stars: Choi Min-sik, Min-sik Choi, Ji-Tae Yoo, Hye-jeong Kang, Dae-han Ji

One Cut of the Dead Horror Movie Review
Score: 8.07/10 IMDB: 7.6/10 | IMDB Votes: 33,492
Comedy, Gore, Survival, Zombies, Drama, Meta, Splatter, Zombie - Comedy, J-Horror
MPAA Rating: Not Rated | Gross: 52406
Plot / Synopsis: A low-budget film about zombies soon features the best cast money could not buy, but the problem is that the new actors are not exactly…
Director: Shin''ichirô Ueda
Stars: Takayuki Hamatsu, Yuzuki Akiyama, Harumi Shuhama, Kazuaki Nagaya, Hiroshi Ichihara

Score: 8.05/10 IMDB: 7.2/10 | IMDB Votes: 18,306
Survival, Thriller, Female Revenge, Isolation, Madness, Revenge, Wilderness
MPAA Rating: R | Gross:
Plot / Synopsis: Hae-won is a beautiful single woman in her thirties who works at a bank in the Seoul city. She leads a busy life until she…
Director: Cheol-soo Jang
Stars: Yeong-hie Seo, Seong-won Ji, Min-ho Hwang, Min Je, Ji-eun Lee

Detailed Review: The Cure (1997)
Score: 7.98/10 IMDB: 7.5/10 | IMDB Votes: 33,432
Psychological, Thriller, Madness, Police, Serial Killer, J-Horror
MPAA Rating: Not Rated | Gross:
Plot / Synopsis: A wave of gruesome murders is sweeping Tokyo. The only connection is a bloody X carved into the neck of each of the victims. In…
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Stars: Kôji Yakusho, Masato Hagiwara, Tsuyoshi Ujiki, Anna Nakagawa, Yoriko Dôguchi

Honest Review: Ringu (1998)
Score: 7.98/10 IMDB: 7.2/10 | IMDB Votes: 82,388
Featured Supernatural, Supernatural, Cursed Images, Killer Kids, Revenge, J-Horror
MPAA Rating: Not Rated | Gross:
Plot / Synopsis: Reiko Asakawa is researching into a 'Cursed Video' interviewing teenagers about it. When her niece Tomoko dies of 'sudden heart failure' with an unnaturally horrified…
Director: Hideo Nakata
Stars: Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani, Yûko Takeuchi, Hitomi Satô, Yôichi Numata

Detailed Review: The Wailing (2016)
Score: 7.95/10 IMDB: 7.4/10 | IMDB Votes: 92,520
Demons, Supernatural, Body Horror, Mind Bender, Virus, Folk Horror
MPAA Rating: TV-MA | Gross: 786633
Plot / Synopsis: In the small village Goksung in South Korea, police officer Jong-Goo investigates bizarre murders caused by a mysterious disease. His partner relays gossip that a…
Director: Hong-jin Na
Stars: Do-won Kwak, Jung-min Hwang, Jun Kunimura, Woo-hee Chun, Hwan-hee Kim

Score: 7.9/10 IMDB: 7.7/10 | IMDB Votes: 43,898

MPAA Rating: Not Rated | Gross:
Plot / Synopsis: A psychological thriller of a grieving mother turned cold-blooded avenger with a twisty master plan to pay back those who were responsible for her daughter's…
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima
Stars: Takako Matsu, Yoshino Kimura, Masaki Okada, Yukito Nishii, Kaoru Fujiwara

Score: 7.85/10 IMDB: 6.5/10 | IMDB Votes: 21,439
Found Footage, Twisted Mystery, Asylum, Dangerous Exploration, Paranormal Proof
MPAA Rating: Not Rated | Gross: 115252
Plot / Synopsis: An internet broadcaster recruits a handful of people for their 'experience the horror' show at Gonjiam. They are to explore the haunted asylum and stream…
Director: Beom-sik Jeong
Stars: Yoo Je-Yoon, Seung-Wook Lee, Ye-Won Mun, Ah-yeon Oh, Ji-a Park

Score: 7.8/10 IMDB: 6.5/10 | IMDB Votes: 12,839
Psychological, Twisted Mystery, Dangerous Exploration, Haunted House - Inherited, Satanic, Folk Horror
MPAA Rating: Not Rated | Gross:
Plot / Synopsis: The family of Rini is financially broken and she lives with her father, her mother that is ill, her grandmother that is crippled, and her…
Director: Joko Anwar
Stars: Tara Basro, Bront Palarae, Dimas Aditya, Endy Arfian, Nasar Annuz

Full Review of I Saw the Devil (2010)
Score: 7.72/10 IMDB: 7.8/10 | IMDB Votes: 158,126
Killer, Police, Revenge
MPAA Rating: Not Rated | Gross: 129210
Plot / Synopsis: SPOILER: Jang Kyung-chul (Choi Min-sik) is a dangerous psychopath serial killer. He has committed infernal serial murders in diabolic ways that one cannot even imagine…
Director: Jee-woon Kim
Stars: Byung-hun Lee, Choi Min-sik, Min-sik Choi, Joon-hyuk Lee, Gook-hwan Jeon

Detailed Review: Thirst (2009)
Score: 7.68/10 IMDB: 7.1/10 | IMDB Votes: 53,362
Mystery, Vampires, Medical, Virus
MPAA Rating: R | Gross: 318574
Plot / Synopsis: Sang-hyun, a priest working for a hospital, selflessly volunteers for a secret vaccine development project intended to eradicate a deadly virus. However, the virus eventually…
Director: Chan-wook Park
Stars: Kang-ho Song, Hee-jin Choi, Dong-soo Seo, Hwa-ryong Lee, Mi-ran Ra

Score: 7.47/10 IMDB: 7.8/10 | IMDB Votes: 77,266

MPAA Rating: Not Rated | Gross:
Plot / Synopsis: Joong-ho is a dirty detective turned pimp in financial trouble as several of his girls have recently disappeared without clearing their debts. While trying to…
Director: Hong-jin Na
Stars: Yoon-seok Kim, Jung-woo Ha, Yeong-hie Seo, Kim Yoo-jung, Yoo-Jeong Kim

What We Thought of Dark Water
Score: 7.36/10 IMDB: 6.7/10 | IMDB Votes: 36,430
Supernatural, Dysfunctional Family, Haunted, Single Moms, J-Horror
MPAA Rating: PG-13 | Gross:
Plot / Synopsis: In the final stages of a messy divorce, Yoshimi struggles to build a new life for herself and her daughter. Unfortunately, the challenges of single…
Director: Hideo Nakata
Stars: Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi, Asami Mizukawa, Fumiyo Kohinata

Our Take on Audition (1999)
Score: 7.28/10 IMDB: 7.1/10 | IMDB Votes: 95,449
Psychological, Vengeance, Drama, Madness, Torture, J-Horror
MPAA Rating: R | Gross: 131296
Plot / Synopsis: In Tokyo, Shigeharu Aoyama is a widower that grieves the loss of his wife and raises his son Shigehiko Aoyama alone. Seven years later, the…
Director: Takashi Miike
Stars: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura, Renji Ishibashi

Score: 7.25/10 IMDB: 6.5/10 | IMDB Votes: 16,154
Demons, Possession, Psychological, Twisted Mystery, Dysfunctional Family, Folk Horror, Psychic, Religion, Wilderness
MPAA Rating: Not Rated | Gross:
Plot / Synopsis: Convinced she embodies the spirit of benevolent deity Ba Yan, Nim, a local healer and devoted shamaness, catches the attention of a small documentary crew.…
Director: Banjong Pisanthanakun
Stars: Narilya Gulmongkolpech, Sawanee Utoomma, Sawanee Utoomma, Sirani Yankittikan, Yasaka Chaisorn

Exploring Three... Extremes – Full Review
Score: 7.17/10 IMDB: 6.9/10 | IMDB Votes: 21,448
Anthology, Thriller, Cannibalism, Drama, Dysfunctional Family, Madness
MPAA Rating: R | Gross: 77532
Plot / Synopsis: An Asian cross-cultural trilogy of horror films from accomplished indie directors.
Directors: Fruit Chan, Takashi Miike, Chan-wook Park
Stars: Bai Ling, Pauline Lau, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Meme Tian, Miriam Chin Wah Yeung

Score: 7.07/10 IMDB: 7.1/10 | IMDB Votes: 15,449
Twisted Mystery, Slasher, Dysfunctional Family, Madness, J-Horror
MPAA Rating: Not Rated | Gross:
Plot / Synopsis: When Syamoto's teenage daughter is caught stealing, a generous middle-aged man helps resolve the situation. The man and his wife offer to have Syamoto's troublesome…
Director: Sion Sono
Stars: Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Denden, Asuka Kurosawa, Megumi Kagurazaka, Hikari Kajiwara

What We Thought of Shutter
Score: 7/10 IMDB: 7.0/10 | IMDB Votes: 51,775
Supernatural, Female Revenge, Haunted
MPAA Rating: Not Rated | Gross:
Plot / Synopsis: A young photographer Thun and his girlfriend Jane discover mysterious shadows in their photographs after fleeing the scene of an accident. As they investigate the…
Directors: Banjong Pisanthanakun, Parkpoom Wongpoom
Stars: Ananda Everingham, Natthaweeranuch Thongmee, Achita Sikamana, Unnop Chanpaibool, Titikarn Tongprasearth

Score: 6.97/10 IMDB: 6.5/10 | IMDB Votes: 29,593
Featured Supernatural, Psychological, Supernatural, Haunted, Internet, Isolation, Mind Bender, Ghosts, J-Horror
MPAA Rating: R | Gross: 51420
Plot / Synopsis: After one of their friends commits suicide, strange things begin happening to a group of young Tokyo residents. One of them sees visions of his…
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Stars: Haruhiko Katô, Kumiko Asô, Koyuki, Kurume Arisaka, Masatoshi Matsuo

Score: 6.95/10 IMDB: 5.9/10 | IMDB Votes: 13,483
Gore, Police, Sci-Fi, J-Horror
MPAA Rating: Not Rated | Gross:
Plot / Synopsis: Set in a future-world vision of Tokyo where the police have been privatized and bitter self-mutilation is so casual that advertising is often specially geared…
Director: Yoshihiro Nishimura
Stars: Eihi Shiina, Itsuji Itao, Yukihide Benny, Jiji Bû, Ikuko Sawada

Score: 6.95/10 IMDB: 6.2/10 | IMDB Votes: 26,251
Found Footage, Possession, Supernatural, Thriller, Twisted Mystery, Cult, Cursed, Cursed Images, Dangerous Exploration, Drama, Single Moms, Witchcraft
MPAA Rating: TV-MA | Gross:
Plot / Synopsis: My name is Ruo-Nan, the reason why I'm making this video is I hope that people could help me lift the curse bestowed upon my…
Director: Kevin Ko
Stars: Hsuan-yen Tsai, Mohamed Elgendy, Sin-Ting Huang, Ying-Hsuan Kao, Sean Lin

Full Review of A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
Score: 6.91/10 IMDB: 7.1/10 | IMDB Votes: 71,801
Mystery, Psychological, Dysfunctional Family, Female Revenge, Medical, Teens
MPAA Rating: R | Gross: 72541
Plot / Synopsis: Two sisters who, after spending time in a mental institution, return to the home of their father and cruel stepmother. Once there, in addition to…
Director: Jee-woon Kim
Stars: Kap-su Kim, Jung-ah Yum, Soo-jung Lim, Geun-young Moon, Dae-yeon Lee

166 Asian Horror films sorted alphabetically from A-Z

Click any of movies below from the full list of asian movies list to see that films' synopsis, plot, cast/actors, directors, full poster, movie trailer, and review.

1). 4bia (2008) (Movie Info + Poster + Trailer)

Score: 5.47/10 | IMDB Rating: 6.6/10 | IMDB Votes: 3,832 | MPAA Rating: R

Anthology, Supernatural, Drama, Phobia, Sci-Fi

Plot / Synopsis: 4BIA is a Horror Anthology. The first segment, "Happiness" is about a lonely girl who corresponded with... Tagline: Face Your Fears...

Directors: Banjong Pisanthanakun, Paween Purikitpanya, Yongyoot Thongkongtoon …
Stars: Maneerat Kham-uan, Witawat Singlampong, Apinya Sakuljaroensuk, Chon Wachananon, Nattapong Chartpong

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2). A Page of Madness (1926) (Movie Info + Poster + Trailer)

Score: 5.79/10 | IMDB Rating: 7.3/10 | IMDB Votes: 4,970 | MPAA Rating: R

Plot / Synopsis: A husband picks up a job as a janitor at an insane asylum scheming all the time to be close to and free his wife from the institution where she recently attempted suicide. A score was added when in 1970 the reels were unearthed after they were considered lost for decades. The director approved and subsequently repudiated this version...

Director: Teinosuke Kinugasa
Stars: Masuo Inoue, Ayako Iijima, Yoshie Nakagawa, Hiroshi Nemoto, Misao Seki

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3). A Slit-Mouthed Woman (2007) (Movie Info + Poster + Trailer)

Score: 4.93/10 | IMDB Rating: 5.4/10 | IMDB Votes: 3,321 | MPAA Rating: R

Killer, Urban Legend, J-Horror

Plot / Synopsis: A suburban town in Japan is the victim of what is supposedly just an urban legend, a woman's spirit with a horribly disfigured face who is intent on kidnapping children for unknown reasons. Tagline: Am I pretty?...

Director: Kôji Shiraishi
Stars: Eriko Satô, Haruhiko Katô, Chiharu Kawai, Rie Kuwana, Kazuyuki Matsuzawa

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4). A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) (Movie Info + Poster + Trailer)

Full Review of A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)

Score: 6.91/10 | IMDB Rating: 7.1/10 | IMDB Votes: 71,801 | Rotten Tomatoes: 8.6/10 | Metascore: 6.5/10 | MPAA Rating: R | Gross: $72,541

Mystery, Psychological, Dysfunctional Family, Female Revenge, Medical, Teens

A Tale of Two Sisters is Streaming on Shudder

Plot / Synopsis: A family is haunted by the tragedies of deaths within the family. Tagline: Our sorrow was conceived long before our birth...

Director: Jee-woon Kim
Stars: Kap-su Kim, Jung-ah Yum, Soo-jung Lim, Geun-young Moon, Dae-yeon Lee

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5). Ab-normal Beauty (2004) (Movie Info + Poster + Trailer)

Score: 5.9/10 | IMDB Rating: 5.8/10 | IMDB Votes: 2,635 | Rotten Tomatoes: 6.0/10 | MPAA Rating: R

Mystery, Psychological, Supernatural, Cursed, Drama, Female Revenge

Plot / Synopsis: Jiney is a talented student of Arts with a trauma in her childhood and lack of communication with her mother...

Director: Oxide Chun Pang
Stars: Race Wong, Rosanne Wong, Anson Leung, Michelle Yim, Ekin Cheng

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6). Acacia (2003) (Movie Info + Poster + Trailer)

Score: 5.02/10 | IMDB Rating: 5.6/10 | IMDB Votes: 2,102 | MPAA Rating: R

Plot / Synopsis: After unsuccessfully trying to have a baby of their own, Dr. Kim Do-il and his father convince his wife Choi Mi-sook to adopt a child in an orphanage...

Director: Ki-hyeong Park
Stars: Hye-jin Shim, Jin-geun Kim, Oh-bin Mun, Na-yoon Jeong, Hee-tae Jeong

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7). Alive (2020) (Movie Info + Poster + Trailer)

Alive Horror Movie Review

Score: 6.9/10 | IMDB Rating: 6.3/10 | IMDB Votes: 52,331 | MPAA Rating: TV-MA

Gore, Survival, Asylum, Confined, Extreme, Medical, Torture

Alive is Streaming on Netflix

Plot / Synopsis: Without warning, people in the streets of Seoul become extremely violent, cannibalistic, attacking passersby, behaving like zombies. A young man alone in his parents' 4th floor apartment becomes spectator to all this. There're no groceries left in the apartment. He foolishly opens the door and a neighbor forces himself in. He's infected but is finally forced out. TV informs...

Director: Il Cho
Stars: Ah-In Yoo, Park Shin-Hye, Bae-soo Jeon, Hyun-Wook Lee, Hye-Won Oh

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8). Alone (2007) (Movie Info + Poster + Trailer)

Score: 5.38/10 | IMDB Rating: 6.4/10 | IMDB Votes: 5,967 | MPAA Rating: R

Possession, Dysfunctional Family, Female Revenge, Haunted

Plot / Synopsis: Deceased Siamese twin returns to haunt surviving sister Tagline: We promised to stay together forever...

Directors: Banjong Pisanthanakun, Parkpoom Wongpoom
Stars: Marsha Wattanapanich, Vittaya Wasukraipaisan, Rachanu Boonchuduang, Hatairat Egereff, Rutairat Egereff

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9). Animal World (2018) (Movie Info + Poster + Trailer)

Rotten Tomatoes: 6.9/10 | MPAA Rating: 0

Plot / Synopsis: Muddling along without any aim, the hero Zheng Kaisi accomplishes nothing and is in debt of several millions because of borrowing money from friends. In order to pay the debt, he boards a ship called "Destiny" to attend a mysterious gambling party at the instigation of someone. Once he wins, his debts can be canceled.The game rule seems very...

Director: Yan Han
Stars: Yifeng Li, Yunhe Yi, Bingkun Cao, Yijuan Li, Dongyu Zhou

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10). Apartment 1303 (2007) (Movie Info + Poster + Trailer)

Score: 4.62/10 | IMDB Rating: 4.7/10 | IMDB Votes: 1,980 | MPAA Rating: R

Haunted House, Cursed, Dysfunctional Family, Haunted House - Cursed, J-Horror

Plot / Synopsis: While celebrating with her friends in her new cheaply rented apartment (with balcony and view of the sea) on the thirteenth floor of a building, the young Sayaka unexpectedly jumps off the balcony committing suicide. Her mother goes insane and her older sister, Mariko, decides to investigate the mysterious death of her sister. She finds that there have been...

Director: Ataru Oikawa
Stars: Noriko Nakagoshi, Arata Furuta, Eriko Hatsune, Yuka Itaya, Naoko Ôtani

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11). Apt. (2006) (Movie Info + Poster + Trailer)

Score: 5.02/10 | IMDB Rating: 5.6/10 | IMDB Votes: 1,157 | MPAA Rating: R

Plot / Synopsis: Se-jin, a young woman who lives in an old apartment in a Seoul suburb, amuses herself by observing the windows of the apartments on the other side...

Director: Byeong-ki Ahn
Stars: So-Young Ko, Seong-jin Kang, Hie-jin Jang, Ha-seon Park, Yûko Fueki

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12). Arang (2006) (Movie Info + Poster + Trailer)

Score: 5.16/10 | IMDB Rating: 5.9/10 | IMDB Votes: 1,890 | MPAA Rating: R

Mystery, Psychological, Police

Plot / Synopsis: A salt storehouse near the sea may be haunted. A penniless ex-con dies a gristly death in a house he can ill afford...

Director: Sang-hoon Ahn
Stars: So-yeong Choo, Lim Il-Gyu, Won-joong Jung, Hae-in Kim, Ok-bin Kim

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13). Art of the Devil 2 (2005) (Movie Info + Poster + Trailer)

Score: 5.16/10 | IMDB Rating: 5.9/10 | IMDB Votes: 1,772 | MPAA Rating: R

Plot / Synopsis: A group of high school friends reunite after two years when one of their fathers' committed suicide... Tagline: The Devil never leaves You Alive...

Directors: Pasith Buranajan, Kome Kongkiat Komesiri, Kongkiat Khomsiri …
Stars: Napakpapha Nakprasitte, Hataiwan Ngamsukonpusit, Akarin Siwapornpitak, Chanida Suriyakompon, Namo Tongkumnerd

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14). Audition (1999) (Movie Info + Poster + Trailer)

Our Take on Audition (1999)

Score: 7.28/10 | IMDB Rating: 7.1/10 | IMDB Votes: 95,449 | Rotten Tomatoes: 8.2/10 | Metascore: 7.0/10 | MPAA Rating: R | Gross: $131,296

Psychological, Vengeance, Drama, Madness, Torture, J-Horror

Plot / Synopsis: A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all. Tagline: She always gets a part...

Director: Takashi Miike
Stars: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura, Renji Ishibashi

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15). Battle Royale (2000) (Movie Info + Poster + Trailer)

Score: 8.2/10 | IMDB Rating: 7.5/10 | IMDB Votes: 201,926 | Rotten Tomatoes: 9.0/10 | Metascore: 8.1/10 | MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Survival, Survival Games, Teens, Urban Decay, Wilderness, J-Horror

Battle Royale is Streaming on Shudder

Plot / Synopsis: In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act. Tagline: Their Game, No Rules, No Prisoners...

Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Tarô Yamamoto, Takeshi Kitano, Chiaki Kuriyama

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