Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    EmmysSuperheroes GuideSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideBest Of 2025 So FarDisability Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Occult

Original title: Okaruto
  • 2009
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
Occult (2009)
Koji Shiraishi goes behind the camera to investigate the circumstances surrounding strange occurrences and interview the survivors.
Play trailer1:31
1 Video
12 Photos
Found Footage HorrorHorrorMysteryThriller

Koji Shiraishi is interested in strange indiscriminate murder at a sightseeing resort. He goes behind the camera to investigate the circumstances surrounding strange occurrences and intervie... Read allKoji Shiraishi is interested in strange indiscriminate murder at a sightseeing resort. He goes behind the camera to investigate the circumstances surrounding strange occurrences and interview the survivors.Koji Shiraishi is interested in strange indiscriminate murder at a sightseeing resort. He goes behind the camera to investigate the circumstances surrounding strange occurrences and interview the survivors.

  • Director
    • Kôji Shiraishi
  • Writer
    • Kôji Shiraishi
  • Stars
    • Mika Azuma
    • Horiken
    • Kôen Kondô
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    2.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Kôji Shiraishi
    • Writer
      • Kôji Shiraishi
    • Stars
      • Mika Azuma
      • Horiken
      • Kôen Kondô
    • 12User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:31
    Trailer

    Photos12

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 8
    View Poster

    Top cast12

    Edit
    Mika Azuma
    Horiken
    Kôen Kondô
    Kôen Kondô
    Shinobu Kuribayashi
    • Assistant director
    Kiyoshi Kurosawa
    Kiyoshi Kurosawa
    • Kiyoshi Kurosawa
    Takashi Nomura
    Kôji Shiraishi
    • Director
    Takuji Suzuki
    Akira Takatsuki
    • Akira Wakatsuki
    Shôhei Uno
    Peko Watanabe
    • Self
    Yumi Yoshiyuki
    • Director
      • Kôji Shiraishi
    • Writer
      • Kôji Shiraishi
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews12

    6.52.1K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    8neil-upto11

    It's a killer not a filler

    This director has really got the whole 'camcorder horror' schtick down to a fine art. The film is a great combination of realism, suspense and chills (both supernatural and more tangible terrors).

    The pace is pretty good throughout and picks up nicely towards the dramatic climax.

    All the actors put in a good turn and the lead role is outstanding. His character is difficult to define and this ambiguity adds nicely to the general feel of unease and confusion.

    My only moan would be the special effects. Now I know that you can get away with very cheap effects if they are executed well (indeed, this happens regularly throughout the film) but on a couple of occasions (trust me, you'll know when) it becomes impossible to ignore the realisation that the SFX budget wouldn't have paid for a 2nd-hand television.

    But Im nit-picking. The film really delivers. I am a big fan of Japanese horror and this one is right up there.
    6Dorjee_Wang

    A Decent Watch

    A Mockumentary by the director of the brilliant Noroi, Occult follows a documentary-making crew and a survivor of a cult-like accident. The film is scattered with lovecraftian imagery and themes of a higher being driven world. The score is very eerie and adds to the film's charm. Acting and direction are decent for a low budget film. The ending is incredibly weird and is well worth the watch. The main negative I'd say is the special effect but as it's a low budget film, the flaw is easy to overlook. Another thing is unlike Noroi, the film doesn't delve into the mythos in deep so that's a disappointment. Albeit it's still a decent watch.
    8Jeremy_Urquhart

    Found footage horror done right

    Koji Shiraishi, you absolute madman.

    Occult wasn't quite as good as Noroi: The Curse, but it was almost as engaging and had some parts that were very unnerving, just like that other found footage film. Shiraishi is a director who seems to understand how to make a mockumentary horror movie really well, and I'll have to keep digging into more of his stuff (A Record of Sweet Murder was also good).

    The only complaint I have about Occult is that the middle act sags a bit. It gets off to an intriguing start, is relatively creepy for a while, and then drifts away from its most interesting character for a bit (the survivor of a seemingly random attack that claimed two other lives). Once things center on him again for the final 30 to 40 minutes, I thought Occult got interesting again, not to mention very suspenseful (more of a thriller than a horror film, really). The ending is bizarre on a few different levels, including the fact that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull factors into the plot, and no, I will not elaborate further.

    I also thought the music was incredibly done here. The composer went nuts, and it felt like Aphex Twin but more insane and intentionally unsettling; like how Aphex Twin might sound during a bad trip. It was creepy, flawed, but largely entertaining and interesting stuff. It takes a couple of big swings that don't quite hit, but it works in so many other areas that I feel like those flaws don't end up weighing it down much.
    7arijitbiswas-76811

    A strange sense of nostalgia.

    Since I was a child, I've always been fascinated with sci-fi conspiracy shows and documentaries. This film teleported me to my 13 years old self.

    I would've never discovered this film if I didn't go on a j-horror binging. I started out with Audition (1999), Ringu (1998) and then I saw Noroi: The Curse (2005). And something about the found footage/documentary style of cinematography felt... Humane. So I decided to watch more of Koji Shiraishi's films and I stumbled upon Occult (2009). It's in the same style as Noroi: The Curse(2005), found footage film in the style of a documentary. Even though watching the plot slowly unfold is a sight to admire, at some points it gets too slow. But what truly keeps this film alive is the truly amazing soundtrack. The CGI was horrible but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

    All and all, a wonderful mixture of Sci-fi Conspiracy, J-Horror and Lovecraftian Horror. It gave me nothing short of a strange sense of nostalgia.

    {If you enjoyed this film, you should check out Resolution (2012) and Endless (2017) }
    6grey1066

    Good, but no Noroi

    I enjoyed this film which, as many reviewers have already said, is of the Noroi "POV" variety, shot on hand-held cameras. I adored Noroi which I think is one of the best horror films ever made, which makes for a bad comparison with this film. The characters are interesting and kept me guessing, which is a definite plus, since most of the movie is from their point of view (i.e. their camera). The bad special effects some have spoken of are short and, while yes they are quite bad, really only serve to drive home the end scene; could've been done better, but you still get the point.

    Sum up: Taken on its own, "Occult" is a good POV film, but it pales in comparison to many of its precursors. It's definitely worth at least one watch.

    More like this

    Cult
    5.4
    Cult
    Noroi
    6.8
    Noroi
    Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi File 04: The Truth! Hanako-san in the toilet
    6.8
    Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi File 04: The Truth! Hanako-san in the toilet
    Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi File 01: Operation Capture the Slit-Mouthed Woman
    6.2
    Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi File 01: Operation Capture the Slit-Mouthed Woman
    Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi File 02: Shivering Ghost
    6.1
    Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi File 02: Shivering Ghost
    Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi! Preface: True Theory, Yotsuya Kaidan, the Curse of Oiwa
    6.3
    Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi! Preface: True Theory, Yotsuya Kaidan, the Curse of Oiwa
    A Record of Sweet Murder
    6.3
    A Record of Sweet Murder
    Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi: The Most Terrifying Movie in History
    6.2
    Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi: The Most Terrifying Movie in History
    Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi: Final Chapter
    6.5
    Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi: Final Chapter
    Banned from Broadcast: Saiko! The Large Family
    6.9
    Banned from Broadcast: Saiko! The Large Family
    Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi File 03: Legend of a Human-Eating Kappa
    6.1
    Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi File 03: Legend of a Human-Eating Kappa
    Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman
    5.4
    Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Myogasaki, the location of the start of the film, is not a real location.
    • Connections
      References Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ10

    • How long is Occult?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 21, 2009 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • The Unidentified
    • Production companies
      • Creative Axa Co. Ltd.
      • Image Rings
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Occult (2009)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Occult (2009) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.