10 Terrifying Japanese Horror Movies You've Probably Never Seen

Not to be confused with the upcoming Saw sequel!

It's time to return to the horrifying world of Junji Ito now, with an adaptation of his magnum opus, Uzamaki - which is translated here to Spiral. While this film is certainly not perfect, it still captures a pervasive sense of dread thanks to the fact that - like in the manga - the characters are doomed to inescapable insanity.

The story follows a small Japanese town whose residents become increasingly obsessed with spirals, culminating in a torturous amount of body horror, death and paranoia. Every character responds to this strange phenomenon in a different way, with some physically breaking their bodies to become closer to the shape, and others driving themselves mad out of fearing them.

It sounds like an absurd idea, and on paper it is, but the film makes it work so well thanks to the horrible death scenes and twisted visuals.

Uzamaki is one of the most original concepts in horror, and this adaptation is a genuinely spine-chilling experience that takes advantage of the great source material.

Watching the maniacal obsessions of the town bubble over into ludicrous degrees, and hoping the protagonist Kirie survives is tense, as you desperately hope the character can find a way out, but know deep down that she can't.