As a whole, the Asian horror scene in 2023 is typified by an unexpected shift in the landscape where the amount of content produced has been spread around more evenly that the past few years that counted on heavy-hitters from a few places to generate these kinds of lists. While there's still plenty of high-end quality on display, especially from Thailand which has seen a large quantity of quality titles emerge recently and is ably displayed here with the country scoring an impressive number of entries, the cultivated choices showcase the amount of quality working in the genre currently. As most countries are represented by at least one entry, the diversity on offer is impressive and helps to raise up a crop of genre fare that's quite enjoyable overall.
To that end, here are our selections for the Top 20 entries of the year. Some films may have premiered in 2022, but since they mostly circulated in 2023, we decided to include them.
20. Visitors Complete Edition (Kenichi Ugana, Japan)
The additional arcs add even more aspects. The concept of immigration and the alienation of foreigners frequently is hinted upon, with Ugana also touches upon the whole idea of racism throughout. Furthermore, music becomes a central factor, with the punk sounds of ILA MORF OEL and Keefar becoming a central part of the narrative, adding both to humor and the grotesqueness here, but definitely in the entertainment the movie offers. Particularly the scenes that function as music videos are bound to stay in mind, also due to the accomplished editing of Masashi Komino, which results in a very fitting fast pace overall. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
19. Mandoob (Ali Kalthami, Saudi Arabia)
Probably the best aspect of Ali Kalthami's direction is the overall neo-noir atmosphere he creates, where danger seems to lurk all over the place, either deriving from the criminal underbelly Fahad eventually stumbles upon or his own mental instability which frequently makes him violent and unreasonable, and has him constantly lying. This last aspect in particular is excellently implemented throughout the story, creating a very appealing sense of disorientation about what is actually happening, and even more, what will happen next, and also manages to cover some of the plot holes here and there, in a way that ends up being quite entertaining. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
18. Rock A Bye Baby (Le Binh Giang, Vietnam)
For people who did watch “KFC”, which also got physical releases from Dekanalog and Spectrum, you might have thought that Le went too far, with the worms scene in particular being quite grotesque. Here, however, the Vietnamese filmmaker went much further, probably because he had a bigger budget in his hands (or maybe because he realized how to implement it better) coming up with a movie that starts in relatively tame fashion, but becomes more grotesque and more blood-soaked as time passes. In that fashion, by the third segment, the movie has become a b-movie slasher, reminding of similar productions from the US, retaining, though, the aforementioned avant-garde/meta level, a chaotic style of storytelling, and a sense of sensualism that eventually becomes part of the narrative through a lengthy and rather steamy sex scene. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
17. Re/Member (Eiichiro Hasumi, Japan)
With this setup in place, “Re/Member” manages to come off rather nicely with its ghostly encounters. The initial sight of the ghost is genuinely terrifying with the scarred face, blood-covered appearance, and association with the creepy doll. This all leads to a fantastic first appearance in the prologue that sets everything in motion. The later scenes with the massive figure towering over Asuka and the group while hunting them down through the school grounds and hallways is just as much fun with the incorporation of group battles against the massive being which signals the start of a secondary twist in the storyline that's introduced naturally while adding a nice bit of spice to everything. This adds plenty of frenetic action in the second half where the battle to stop the ghost takes place alongside the intriguing means of finally enacting the means of stopping the curse as well as the wholly effective practical effects for the main ghost-form shown here. (Don Anelli)
16. Day Zero (Joey De Guzman, Philippines)
Overall, “Day Zero” has quite a lot to like about it. Among the better elements here are a serviceable and enjoyable enough storyline by writer Ays De Guzman that presents a simple enough scenario and those who are trapped within it. The whole setup of Emon being ready for parole from jail and trying to get back to see his family, including the brief bits shown with Timoy to help him adjust to life on the outside, serve this one well enough. Since this is all handled well enough and gets each of the characters established, the sudden influx of the zombie invasion and the chaos that emerges as they overrun the city provides the appropriate obstacles that will be overcome later. Having to work through the city against the hordes of undead while trying to keep his friends alive in order to save his family is all solid enough and ensures that the fast, breezy pace never slows down for too long. (Don Anelli)
15. Deleter (Mikhail Red, Philippines)
Probably having studied some of the masters of J-horror who have dealt with similar concepts, and particularly Hideo Nakata (as in “Ring) and Kiyoshi Kurosawa (as in “Pulse), Mikhail Red shoots a horror movie with intense social extensions, that deals mostly with two topics. The first one is the penetration of the internet in our lives, which, as portrayed in the film, has not only affected them significantly, but currently even dictates them, particularly if one considers how many people work in jobs associated with the web. The second topic is the exploitation of workers by many companies at various levels, starting from overworking and even ending with workplace harassment. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
14. Disorder (Byambasuren Batdelger, Mongolia)
This sense that something wrong is going on gets even more heightened when we learn more of the past of the students, while Garid's shant music definitely adds to the atmosphere, in a tactic that is both cheeky (having one of the protagonists actually performing the music, instead of it being just heard on the background) and imposing. When the violence eventually ensues, the movie moves into almost exploitation paths, with the screams and the tortures adding another notch to the horror the narrative presents. All of the aforementioned are excellently captured by DP Ganhuyag Guyenbaatar, who makes the most of the various settings inside the building to add to the sense of disorientation and horror that permeates the narrative. The same applies to Batikhagva Undrakhbayar's editing, which, additionally, induces the movie with a rather fast pace that suits its overall aesthetics. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
13. Detrimental (James Hung, China)
As well, “Detrimental” comes together with some solid creature action in the second half. While initially appearing as a hindrance to the escape attempts to secure shelter and supplies following the accident, the difference in the second half, when it becomes a more ominous and impactful threat is generally fun. Shown stalking the team in the facility's confines or the underground tunnels where the Ataca is removed, these fun scenes are the perfect setup for the later ambushes where it springs on the sleeping team at their beach camp or the big battle to take it out. These scenes feature some creative weaponry, ingenious defensive and offensive tactics as well as several high-energy confrontations. In addition, we get to see the impressive design of the creature in full force as the unnatural design allows it to fit quite well with the action depicted. These all manage to come together for some likable qualities. (Don Anelli)
12. The Ghost Station (Jeong Yong-ki, South Korea)
One of the more likable aspects of the movie is the solid setup from Shiraishi, Takahashi, and Jeong which is based on the webtoon by Horang that brings about some rather intriguing elements. The opening with Na-young getting into trouble for her report and finding a new article to keep her job intact serves as a decent enough way to allow for the series of accidents at the specific train station to come into her life. Learning about the mysterious deaths involved at the station and the various supernatural means that get brought up as a result of the investigation causes a rather chilling sense of dread to emerge. With the revelations giving way to genuine supernatural beings and curses involved, the setup here is quite likable and intriguing. This interweaving storyline comes off rather well as the layers unearthed during the investigation are logically integrated with each other to provide a strong starting point. (Don Anelli)
11. Hunger (Sitisiri Mongkolsiri, Thailand)
Although food and cooking is the base of the movie, the most impressive aspect of Mongkolsiri's direction is the way he uses the concept to present a number of sociophilosophical comments, and to also as the standard for the impressive visuals appearing throughout the movie. The first comment one will notice is how chef Paul's kitchen is a toxic environment, with him implementing military-like discipline while not being shy of becoming verbally abusive and even violent, for any kind of mistake anyone makes. As the story progresses, his overall attitude and methods and the results they produce, as the meals he prepares are truly masterpieces, pose two questions central to the narrative. Why do his employees stay with him despite the abuse they suffer and if excellence is actually only the result of intense pressure. The way the story progresses gives a clear answer to the former, as the second part of the movie takes place in a completely different setting, but to the latter, the answer remains ambiguous, with Mongkolsiri avoiding it by stating that excellence is not something people should necessarily strive for, and that the simple pleasures in life, as being with your friends and family, are of a higher value, in an approach, though, that is essentially cliched. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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