Editorials
6 J-Horror Games to Play While We Wait For ‘Silent Hill f’
The late 90s and early 2000s were dominated by J-Horror. Be it through international home video sales or blockbuster remakes, franchises like The Grudge and The Ring became household names once horror fans realized that scary stories could come from places outside their own backyard. Unfortunately, things weren’t so simple when it came to mainstream horror gaming. While nearly all Survival Horror classics were produced in Japan, popular titles like Clock Tower and Resident Evil usually preferred to add a coat of Western paint to their stories, with only a handful of horror games daring to explore the regional terrors of East Asia itself.
That’s why it’s so surprising that NeoBards’ upcoming Silent Hill spin-off is finally embracing the franchise’s Japanese roots with a title that takes place far away from the Stephen-King-inspired terrors of Maine. And in honor of the title’s impending release later this month, we’ve decided to come up with a list highlighting six J-Horror games to play ahead of Silent Hill f! After all, there’s plenty of quality interactive J-Horror out there if you know where to look.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll be defining J-Horror games as scary titles produced in Japan that also take place within the country. This means that we won’t be including western releases that just so happen to set their stories in Japan, such as J. R. Hudepohl’s excellent Labyrinth of the Demon King or even Paweł Koźmiński’s Junji-Ito-inspired World of Horror. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own J-Horror favorites if you think we missed a particularly memorable one.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
6. Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly (2003)
It would be a crime to publish a list recommending interactive East-Asian scares without bringing up the gold standard for J-Horror gaming, Tecmo’s masterpiece Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly. While the first Fatal Frame (originally known as Project Zero) is a classic and the later sequels are nothing to scoff at, the second entry really nailed that elusive balance between narrative, gameplay, and unexpected scares.
Crimson Butterfly is also one of the few horror games to make combat just as fun as it is frightening, as getting better at taking pictures of the ghosts and racking up damaging combos doesn’t necessarily make your encounters with them any less scary. To be honest, the only reason this title ranks so low on the list is the fact that you really should have played it by now if you’re into Survival Horror!
5. Siren (2003)
Another classic from the sixth console generation, Siren remains one of the scariest Survival Horror experiences out there, even two decades later. Putting players in control of an ensemble of desperate survivors as they attempt to navigate a supernatural disaster that has transformed the denizens of a rural town into immortal killing machines, this infamous title makes up for its janky controls and unforgiving difficulty with impeccable atmosphere and a riveting narrative!
In fact, I actually prefer the original game to its next-gen remake Siren: Blood Curse, and I appreciate the fact that Sony has made it easier for horror fans to play this one through their ever-expanding catalogue of remastered PS2 games. I’m also a fan of Siren’s uncanny live-action textures that are often pasted onto low-poly models – an idea that more contemporary developers should consider when making retro horror games!
4. Ao Oni (2008)
No list celebrating interactive J-Horror would be complete without mentioning noprop’s infamous RPG-Maker classic Ao Oni, the freeware horror game that took the internet by storm during the late 2000s due to the developer’s knack for extracting terror from primitive gameplay and uncanny graphics.
While the titular Blue Demon that pursues players within the game doesn’t seem that scary in retrospect (with its distorted facial features and exaggerated proportions looking downright comical out of context), I assure you that, if you allow yourself to become immersed in this minimalist experience, you’ll soon find that this blue face will haunt your nightmares for years to come.
It’s just a shame that the game’s movie adaptations aren’t as scary as their lo-fi source material!
3. Yomawari: Midnight Shadows (2017)
Despite its frequently frustrating levels of indie jank, the original Yomowari (Night Alone) is still one hell of a great survival horror experience. However, the developers over at Nippon Ichi Software really made an effort to turn the sequel into an all-out masterpiece. And with the game following a new pair of main characters that lose their way after attending a fireworks festival, you don’t even have to play the first title to enjoy its eerie follow-up!
Boasting improved gameplay and visuals as well as a more compelling narrative, Midnight Shadows is the way to go if you only plan on trying out one game in the Yomowari trilogy. Of course, I’d personally recommend playing through all three entries in this criminally underrated series.
2. Unsought (2024)
I’ve been a sucker for first-person point-and-click horror ever since I discovered free-to-play flash games like Exmortis and Goliath the Soothsayer during the 2000s. Unfortunately, this niche genre mostly disappeared alongside support for Adobe Flash Player back in 2020. One exception to this genre extinction is Uruta Kobito’s Unsought, a panoramic horror-adventure game that places you in an abandoned Japanese town during the 1990s.
Featuring atmospheric visuals inspired by vintage photographs and a genuinely interesting story that touches on themes of toxic nostalgia and childhood trauma, this is a must-play for horror fans who don’t mind slower-paced gameplay.
1. [Chilla’s Art] Aka Manto (2019)
To be honest, this entire list could be exclusively comprised of Chilla’s Art games, and every single entry would still be worth your time. However, in the interest of keeping things varied, we’ve decided to limit the developer to a single title. And while narrowing this decision down wasn’t an easy task, I’d argue that 2019’s Aka Manto (which literally translates to “Red Cloak”) is a great introduction to Chilla’s Art mythos.
Based on a Japanese urban legend about a masked phantom that stalks young women in public bathrooms, this feature-length experience is just as frightening as it is difficult, but it’s worth powering through the frustration in order to fully immerse yourself in Aka Manto’s deliciously crunchy atmosphere.
A new month means a new guide as titles are added (and dropped) from streaming services. Let’s unpack the most exciting titles that are available to watch on Tubi in July 2026.
New to Tubi July Horror Films
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
- Premise: Searching for a cure to Alzheimer’s disease, a group of scientists on an isolated research facility become the prey as a trio of intelligent sharks fight back.
- Why Watch It? Let’s be frank: Director Renny Harlin has made some absolute dogs in the last few years (the less said about The Strangers trilogy the better, though this year’s Deep Water was actually ok). Deep Blue Sea remains one of the Finnish director’s best contemporary efforts, though. Between the great cast (Samuel L. Jackson, Saffron Burrows, Stellan Skarsgård, Michael Rapaport, LL Cool J, Thomas Jane, and Jane’s sleeveless wetsuit), the ridiculous premise, and that damn/dumb song (“My hat is like a shark’s fin”), you basically can’t go wrong with Deep Blue Sea. It’s one of two great shark films gliding onto Tubi this month, so why not stay out of the water and watch this instead?
- Streaming: July 1
Exorcist II: Heretic (1977)
- Premise: Reagan (Linda Blair), a girl once possessed by a demon, finds that it still lurks within her. Meanwhile, Father Lamont (Richard Burton) investigates the death of the priest who performed her exorcism.
- Why Watch It? August sees the release of documentary Boorman and the Devil, which is about the troubled production of this sequel. The notoriety surrounding Heretic has undoubtedly kept plenty of horror fans away from the sequel, but this truly is a “seeing is believing” kind of film. Real talk: it’s undeniably a disaster, but the John Boorman film has also become a minor cult film. Don’t you want to see it to make up your own mind?
- Streaming: July 1
Hostel: Part III (2011)
- Premise: Four men attending a bachelor party in Las Vegas fall prey to the Elite Hunting Club, who are hosting a gruesome game show of torture.
- Why Watch It? What does Hostel look like without Eli Roth? Part III kinda answers the question. Technically Roth is still a writer, but he hands over the directorial reins to Scott Spiegel (best known for acting in Evil Dead films). The result is a film with a terrible pedigree; it’s also the first (and last) entry to skip theatres before the franchise was permanently shelved (until that TV show with Paul Giamatti shows up?). For some horror fans, however, there’s something exciting about a bad low-budget sequel. Just bear in mind that the Hostel: Part III‘s biggest star is Kip Pardue…so adjust your expectations accordingly before hitting play.
- Streaming: July 1
Insidious 1-3 (2010/2013/2015)
- Premise: A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.
- Why Watch It? It’s hard to believe that the sixth (!) Insidious movie is coming out in a month and a half, but James Wan and Leigh Whannell‘s other horror franchise has been steadily chugging along for sixteen years. It’s a shame that Tubi doesn’t have all five films available to watch, but in terms of quality, you can do far worse than the original trio. The first film is iconic, and the second is basically an extended coda (with some admittedly problematic stuff going on). I’ll go to bat for Whannell’s 2015 directorial debut, though: there’s a few banger sequences in that film that people slept on.
- Streaming: July 1
Man Finds Tape (2025)
- Premise: After finding mysterious video clips, siblings investigate the strange recordings and uncover a disturbing secret spreading through their Texas town.
- Why Watch It? Writer/directors Paul Gandersman and Peter S. Hall‘s well-received found footage film did an extensive tour of the festival circuit, so now is a great time to check out one of the most contemporary titles debuting on Tubi this month. Surely a title that hails from producers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Spring and The Endless) is worth a free look?
- Streaming: July 2
Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
- Premise: A depressed musician Adam (Tom Hiddleston) reunites with his lover Eve (Tilda Swinton). However, their romance, which has already endured several centuries, is disrupted by the arrival of her uncontrollable younger sister Ava (Mia Wasikowska).
- Why Watch It? This beautiful, melancholy vampire film is courtesy of writer/director Jim Jarmusch, who doesn’t often dabble in genre fare. As always, some will quibble if this artsy drama qualifies as horror, but the existential ennui of an eternal life certainly qualifies (bonus: there’s also something inherently sexy about watching Hiddleston and Swinton just lay about). Plus: if Leviticus has you hankering for more Wasikowska, this is an under the radar pick.
- Streaming: July 1
The Shallows (2016)
- Premise:A mere 200 yards from shore, surfer Nancy (Blake Lively) is attacked by a great white shark, with her short journey to safety becoming the ultimate contest of wills.
- Why Watch It? What better time to watch a shark movie than July? The temperatures are soaring and the idea of escaping into the water is so tantalizing. This tight, contained thriller features a great performance by Lively (and that damn seagull!), but it’s the direction from genre fave Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan; the House of Wax remake) that keeps the movie clicking along like clockwork. At 86 minutes, this is a perfect summer flick.
- Streaming: July 1
Vacancy (2007)
- Premise: Stranded in an isolated motel, a couple (Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale) become the unsuspecting subjects of a snuff film.
- Why Watch It? I’m not going to pretend that this Nimród Antal-directed home invasion film is high art, but it is a good time. You’ll likely wish there were deeper characterizations for Wilson and Beckinsale’s David and Amy in Mark L. Smith‘s screenplay, but this mid-aughts thriller is tense, exciting, and just the right amount of grimy. Plus: another short runtime, clocking in at an expeditious 85 minutes!
- Streaming: July 1
July Tubi Originals
The One Next Door (2026)
- Premise: When a mysterious stranger moves in next door to Robert and Tabitha, boundaries are tested, loyalty is questioned, and danger comes for all.
- Streaming: July 10
I Know Where You Live (2026)
- Premise: Sarah thinks she’s found “the one” until his flaws emerge. When she pulls away, chilling threats suggest he’s watching her from inside her own home.
- Streaming: July 24
What’s your favorite from the list above? Will you check out the new Original? Sound off in the comments below
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