Japanese horror (or J-horror) films are their own kind of scary. Whether they’re ridiculous horror comedies to harrowing tales of ghostly viruses, these films are steeped in existential dread about what it means to exist. They aim to capture the extensive presence of horror in Japan, which is intrinsically linked to folklore traditions involving spirits, monsters, and demons. This link is what makes these films so hard to adapt to a Western perspective. They are so explicitly Japanese that removing the cultural context in turn removes the horror. If you’re new to J-horror, this series is a perfect place to start your adventure into this wild and wonderful world.