If you’re like me, you probably experience frustration on a weekly if not daily basis when it comes to getting your fix of Asian horror movies. Sure, famous titles like RING and JU-ON are available on DVD if you look hard enough, and a ton of lesser known titles show up on shelves here or there. But a lot of stuff simply isn’t out there – not on Netflix, not at your local Blockbuster, not at your specialty shop (should you be so lucky to have one nearby), maybe not enough on Region 1 DVD at all.
Ergo, you may want to check out this website: www.asian-horror-movies.com, which offers streaming movies online. Their amusing motto, obvously inspired by RING, is “Warning: May Cause Death in Seven Days.”
A quick glance revealed that they have GHOST OF YOTSUYA, the 1959 classic from Nobuo Nakagawa (director of THE SNAKE WOMAN’S CURSE), who is more or less the godfather of the modern Japanese horror film. I have never seen YOTSUYA available anywhere in the U.S., although you might be able to purchase an import VHS or DVD if you look hard enough online.
The streaming video quality looks okay (about VHS level) on my 22-inch flat screen computer monitor, but I doubt it would look great on my new 50-in plasma TV (which will connect to the computer for watching online movies).
If you’re less interested in older classic films, don’t worry. Asian Horror Movies is loaded with more modern titles like A TALE OF TWO SISTERS and PHONE.
Is this a bootleg website? I don’t know. But when you click to view a title, you do have to view an ad first, which suggests that this is a professional website.