20 Most Disturbing Japanese Horror Movies Of All Time

8. Audition (1999)

The Plot: A middle-aged widower, Aoyama, tries to get back into the dating scene, with his friend organising women to "audition" to become his new wife. He falls head over heels for one of the women, Asami, though of course, she is not at all as she seems. Why It's Disturbing: Though much of Takashi Miike's slow-burn horror is incredibly restrained, the latter part of the movie is undeniably horrifying. The most memorable sequences include a man with various missing appendages eating vomit out of a dog bowl, and Aoyama's extended torture, in which Asami pushes needles into his eyes and ends up methodically amputating his left foot with piano wire. It's easily Takashi Miike's best and most disturbing film, with the leg-slicing scene being undeniably cringe-inducing, if a good deal more classy and artistic than many of the movies on this list (and therefore not quite as disturbing). Still, a good start for those wanting to become acquainted with Japanese horror.