October is upon us, and you know what that means. That’s right: Halloween season is upon us, and the Criterion Channel is once again joining the festivities! The streamer has released the trailer for an upcoming collection of Japanese horror films set to be added to the service on Tuesday, October 1, along with a companion collection of films focusing on Hollywood creature features with an emphasis on practical special effects.
If you’ve ever wanted to brush up on your knowledge of Japanese horror films, this new collection is the perfect opportunity to learn about the genre’s origins and history. There are some great titles here: foundational films like Kaneto Shindo’s striking historical horror drama Fathers and his supernatural folk tale Kuronekoas well as unusual cult classics such as Nobuhiko Obayashi’s psychedelic horror comedy House and Shinya Tsukamoto’s Tetsuo: The Iron ManSome of them you may remember from previous episodes of our annual Halloween countdown series.
There are plenty of great films to choose from in this whole collection, but if you can’t decide what to watch, I recommend Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s cureone of my favorites, which for me personally is his masterpiece and the perfect choice for fans of Long-legged; Tetsuo: The Iron Mana body horror romance nightmare; and Kuronekoa chilling and tragic ghost story about a family torn apart by the cruelty of a gang of ronin bandits. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of the films in this collection if you’re looking for some spooky entertainment!
The Criterion Channel’s Japanese horror collection will premiere on the streamer on October 1st.
