8 Mysterious Horror Movies That Give Nothing Away

Those familiar with Takashi Miike's particular brand of horror will know Audition well, a film that appears on the surface as something of a light-hearted drama before devolving completely into a sadistic nightmare. Aoyama wants to begin dating again after the death of his wife, and decides that the best way to do this is to build a lovely foundation on lies and deceit in a TV casting that doubles up as a speed dating round for his perfect woman. When the captivating Asami attends and seems to be the ideal fit for his particular tastes, he thinks he's won the jackpot - until both come clean about their true natures.

Asami is a dab hand with a set of needles, and very accurately, very painfully sticks them into Aoyama's paralysed body at the close of the film in a tortuously long revenge sequence that comes largely out of nowhere. Audition seeds clues in flashbacks and hazy scenes of Asami's past, and a strange man that she keeps in a bag and sometimes feeds with vomit, making for a confusing, disturbing finale that's as repellent as it is harrowing.

The true motives of Asami aren't ever spelled out for an audience, instead falling back on visuals that evoke pain in all its forms. You have to work to piece together this film by its end, but it's entirely worth it.