10 Best Apocalyptic Horror Movies You Need To See

The virus that spreads through Tokyo in Kiyoshi Kurasawa’s understated masterpiece has nothing to do with zombies. Rather, this viral outbreak is more abstract in nature within its nihilistic examination of technology. The sickness that infects those in Pulse is loneliness, and it’s spread through the internet.

This 2001 film follows two groups of young people who begin to experience strange phenomena surrounding technology. There are ghostly images on computer screens, a mysterious website, and “Forbidden Rooms” marked with red tape that are inhabited by spirits.

The ghosts in this film aren’t the vengeful type seen in other J-Horror classics. Instead, they’re infinitely lonely beings who’ve began to use the internet to infiltrate the world of the living.

Anyone who encounters these spirits becomes overwhelmed with despair until they lose all will to live, leaving only a shadowy streak behind. More and more people start to disappear until only a handful of survivors are left wandering Tokyo’s streets.

A bleak and sombre reflection on how technology has only managed to alienate and disconnect humans further, Pulse is just as relevant 20 years after its release. It just takes noticing how long people spend staring at their phones to see how right Kurasawa was.