Japanese horror audiences

Sun Dec 28 10:10:59 EST 2003

Hi! I'm asking this question because I have no practical experience of Japan itself, so I need a little guidance in answering some questions I have.

One of my main questions is: Who goes to see horror movies in Japan? Obviously Ring, Juon and the legion of high school horrors are aimed at a teenage audience, but what about Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Kairo/Pulse? I think it's a wonderful film, but I cannot imagine a teenaged audience being happy with the metaphysical/existential aspects of the film. The horror elements are certainly as good (if not better) than anything Hideo Nakata has done, so maybe they would find something to watch there, but I don't know.

The same with more experimental films like Uzumaki, Organ and Naked Blood. I don't know how many of these films received a theatrical release, but I'd be interested to know who in Japan watches them. I know they've all found an audience amongst extreme horror fans in the western world, is this the same in Japan? Any help here would be much appreciated!

Thanks,

Jim Harper.

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