Japanese Hell

From the king of the Japanese cult movie, Teruo Ishii! A controversial film in which actual cases that rocked modern-day Japan—including the sarin gas attack by the Aum Shinrikyo Cult—are dramatized with gruesome detail as their perpetrators stand trial in Hell. An angst-ridden girl, Rika, is carried off to Hell by an old woman she meets in a neighborhood park. There she gets a first-hand look at the excruciating agony of those found guilty—by Lucifer himself—of committing heinous crimes during their time on Earth.

Directed by Teruo Ishii, Japanese Hell leans on a strong ensemble — Mutsumi Fujita, Hisayoshi Hirayama, Yoko Satomi — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about horror titles of 1999.