Movies like Marebito
If Marebito hooked you with its horror, these are the films to watch next. Every pick says why it matches.
Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)
When a social worker is sent to check on a traumatized elderly woman whose family have moved in at the site of a notorious murder case, she unwittingly unleashes a cycle of terror that transmits via its victims.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisP.O.V. A Cursed Film (2012)
Mirai and Haruna are shooting a show streamed on smartphones which introduces different viewer submitted videos. That day the videos were all of paranormal phenomena, carefully selected alleged accurate accounts of haunted occurrences. In the middle of one video, the image gets interrupted, immediately turning back on to show a footage that was not in the script. The video capture an urban legend rumoured at Haruna’s school. A psychic on the show assesses that a certain demonological ritual must be performed in order to rid the school of this phenomena. The director, agents and the two girls go to the school accordingly to find there is more to the video than meets the eye…
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Unholy Women (2006)
Unholy Women (Kowai onna), is a composite of three unrelated half-hour horror movies. A compilation of 3 separate short horror films (Rattle Rattle, Hagane, The Inheritance) written and directed by Keita Amemiya, Takuji Suzuki, and Keisuke Toyoshima respectively. The first segment, “Rattle Rattle”, tells the story of a young woman who is pursued by an evil other-worldly being. The second movie, “Steel”, concerns a young man who agrees to take the sister of his boss out on a blind date, drawing him into a world more frightening than he ever dreamed possible. The third and final episode, “The Inheritance”, is a supernatural tale of a woman and her young son, scarred by abuse and psychological trauma.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Don't Look Up (1996)
A filmmaker and crew slowly go insane after being continually haunted by the ghost of a dead actress.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Senritsu Kaiki World Kowasugi! (2023)
The submitted footage, taken in a cursed ruin, shows a creepy altar, a "red woman" covered in blood, and the crying of a baby that is nowhere to be seen. The "Too Scary!" team of rough producer Kudo, director Ichikawa, and cameraman Tashiro have reunited. They will now transcend time and space to solve the mystery!
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Eko Eko Azarak II: Birth of the Wizard (1996)
In Meiji-era Japan, a village of witches and wizards is slaughtered. Years later, an archaeologist discovers a mummy from the village, which reanimates, murders, then possesses his assistant. This evil spirit is now searching for Misa, who is protected by a survivor of the original massacre, known only as Saiga.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Cult (2013)
Three female idols appear on a television show to investigate an exorcism. An exorcist with psychic powers named Unsui claims that the show’s subjects, the Kaneda family, are cursed by a demon that’s too powerful for him to banish on his own, so he calls in a fellow exorcist to help. Soon, a reckless ghost hunter enters the fray as the three idols witness a series of terrifying events.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTomie: Unlimited (2011)
Tsukiko is part of the photography club at school, but has always felt less than her sister Tomie. She's cute and very popular among boys. However, one day, Tomie dies in a horrible accident, triggering endless nightmares for Tsukiko. One year later, right when Tomie was supposed to turn 18, someone knocks on the door. Tomie is back.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisRing (1998)
A mysterious video has been linked to a number of deaths, and when an inquisitive journalist finds the tape and views it herself, she sets in motion a chain of events that puts her own life in danger.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPulse (2001)
In the immense city of Tokyo, the darkness of the afterlife lures some of its inhabitants desperately trying to escape the sadness and isolation of the modern world.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCelluloid Nightmares (1999)
A female reporter is filming an investigation report about a missing porn actress in Japan. She hangs around in various video shops and interviews several people.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Occult (2009)
Koji Shiraishi interviews the survivors of an indiscriminate attack at a sightseeing resort and starts investigating the strange events that have been happening to them.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJu-on: The Beginning of the End (2014)
A school teacher visits the home of a boy who's been absent from school for a long period of time, unaware of the horrific tragedy which occurred in the boy's household many years ago.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNoroi: The Curse (2005)
A documentary filmmaker explores seemingly unrelated paranormal incidents connected by the legend of an ancient demon.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPremonition (2004)
While stopped at a roadside phone booth for transmitting his work through the Internet to the university, Professor Hideki Satomi finds a scrap of newspaper with the picture of his five-year-old daughter Nana in the obituary section.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSadako vs. Kayako (2016)
A girl, Yūri Kurahashi, after watching a cursed videotape together with her friend in a haunted house, becomes trapped in a conflict between the two murderous ghosts: Sadako Yamamura and Kayako Saeki.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Complex (2013)
Nursing student Asuka has just moved into an apartment complex with her parents and younger brother. On the first night in her new room, she is awoken by a strange scratching sound coming from the apartment of her neighbor, a reclusive old man who has refused all attempts at communication. Concerned over his well being, Asuka enters his home only to find him dead from malnutrition. Worse, it looks as if he had been trying to claw his way into her room. Asuka learns that there have been a number of strange deaths in the complex over the years from Shinobu, the handyman cleaning up the old man’s apartment. Even the girls at school whisper rumors of it being haunted.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisReincarnation (2005)
A Japanese actress begins having strange visions and experiences after landing a role in a horror film about a real-life murder spree that took place over forty years ago.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBanned from Broadcast: The Movie—Saiko! The Large Family (2009)
Canadian filmmaker Veronica Addison, who makes documentaries on family issues around the world, closely follows a very large family in Japan. Although they appear cheerful on the surface, the family has many problems...
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman (2007)
Legend holds that 30 years ago, a suburban town was terrorized by the spirit of a woman whose horrid face had been grotesquely disfigured. Roaming the streets wearing a long coat and carrying large scissors, the spirit would approach her young victims and, while removing the mask, ask if she was pretty. The victim’s response would almost always lead to their violent death.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUzumaki (2000)
The inhabitants of a small Japanese town become increasingly obsessed with and tormented by spirals.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNightmare Detective (2007)
When a number of suicide victims slash themselves in their sleep, detective Keiko Kirishima is called to investigate.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKINKI (2025)
After an editor of an occult magazine suddenly vanishes, his friend Chihiro and his co-worker Yusei set out to discover the reason behind his disappearance.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
A Record of Sweet Murder (2014)
A murderer in the middle of a killing spree enlists a reporter to interview him as he prepares to finish sacrificing his victims to his god.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Shikoku (1999)
Years after moving to Tokyo with her parents, Hinako returns to her hometown in rural Shikoku. She soon learns that her childhood friend, Sayori, died several years ago and that Sayori's mother, who used to perform seances and exorcisms, has gone almost insane with grief. After seeing Sayori's ghost several times during the night, Hinako consults with some local experts on the paranormal and discovers that Sayori's mother has something planned for her daughter...
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (2003)
When the cast and crew of a paranormal TV reality program decide to shoot in the house of the original Saeki hauntings, a series of strange events unfold at the location.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018)
The crew of a horror web series travels to an abandoned asylum for a live broadcast, but they encounter much more than expected as they move deeper inside the nightmarish old building.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOne Missed Call (2003)
People mysteriously start receiving voicemail messages from their future selves, in the form of the sound of them reacting to their own violent deaths, along with the exact date and time of their future death, listed on the message log. The plot thickens as the surviving characters pursue the answers to this mystery which could save their lives.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHaze (2005)
A man awakes to find himself trapped in a dirty, confined crawlspace. He barely has enough room to move. He also has no memory of why he's there, or why he's bleeding from a stomach wound. Apparently drugged, he occasionally 'zones out' of his surroundings as he tries to edge towards his way to freedom. But the more he explores, the more pain he has to endure, and the more frightening his predicament becomes.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTomie: Replay (2000)
Infected with Tomie's blood, a surgeon disappears, leaving his daughter, Yumi, to try to discover Tomie's identity and to solve the mystery of her father's disappearance.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Marebito?
The closest matches to Marebito are Ju-on: The Grudge, P.O.V. A Cursed Film, Unholy Women.
How are movies similar to Marebito chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Marebito, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.
Are there Japanese movies like Marebito?
Yes: Ju-on: The Grudge, P.O.V. A Cursed Film, Unholy Women.