Here are this weeks Asian horror cinema releases that I could find, as of writing.
As usual, I’m including new theatrical releases, limited releases, and re-releases in a new country – if I have missed any, you can leave a comment, as no doubt I have! (Hopefully not, though).
On a side note, IMDb is showing the Taiwan horror film Si wang zhi wo: Gui qian shou (Hold to Death: Hand in Hand) as releasing in Cambodia on August 21, but I couldn’t find any cinema chains listing as of writing, so have left it out.
How I source my Asian horror movie information
Indonesia – Harusnya Horror
Release date: August 20, 2026
Country: Indonesia
Genre: Comedy Horror
Indonesian horror gets a slightly ridiculous addition this week with Harusnya Horror, the directorial debut of Indonesian creator Reza Oktovian, and the basic idea is that the ghost is actually rubbish at being scary.
The story follows a wannabe-wibu ghost who dies before getting to finish his favourite anime and is subsequently given a rather inconvenient task from the afterlife – he has to scare 100,000 people.
There is just one fairly significant problem – he’s scared of humans.
The film stars Reza Oktovian, Lula Lahfah, Tierison, Garry Ang, Yukatheo and several members of the Marapthon group, with the film also being one of the final screen appearances of Lula Lahfah.
Thailand – Rinrada: The Influencer
Release date: August 20, 2026
Country: Thailand
Genre: Supernatural Horror / Thriller
If you’ve ever thought social media influencers couldn’t possibly have enough problems already, Rinrada: The Influencer takes that idea in a considerably darker direction – Rinrada‘s life is destroyed by a social-media backlash until the pressure becomes unbearable and she takes her own life, but rather than disappearing completely, Rinrada returns as a supernatural presence.
Directed by Artistaya Arriyawongsa, the film stars Rinrada Thurapan, Khunnarong Pratesrat and Nutthacha Padovan and is produced through THAM Studio 19 and Fearfolks.
Japan – Shars 51
Release date: August 21, 2026
Country: Japan
Genre: Horror Comedy / Creature Feature
And then we have Shars 51, which is quite possibly the stupidest film on this week’s list – and I mean that as a compliment, I think – directed by Minoru Kawasaki, the man behind wonderfully bizarre Japanese genre movies including The Calamari Wrestler and Executive Koala, Shars 51 takes the basic concept of Jaws and asks an extremely important question: What if the shark went into the forest?
The film is a deliberately ridiculous spoof and homage to Spielberg’s classic, with a mutant shark leaving the sea and beginning to terrorise a small Japanese island, but unfortunately for the locals, this isn’t simply a shark swimming around the coastline, as the creature has apparently decided that the forest is now its territory.
Shars 51 was made for the Tokyo International Shark Film Festival and is getting a limited theatrical run beginning August 21.
Cambodia – The Mask One: Faceless
Release date: August 20, 2026
Country: Cambodia
Genre: Supernatural Horror
Runtime: 1h 31m
Cambodian horror has another new addition this week with The Mask One: Faceless, a 91-minute supernatural horror arriving in cinemas on August 20, which follows a group of people who become caught up in a supernatural nightmare, with Cambodian folklore and ghost stories providing the foundation for what looks like a fairly decent little genre film.
The film comes from Sastra Film, one of the Cambodian production companies that has been increasingly active in horror, and while I could not find too much info, Legends Cinemas is listing it for August 20 release, which is good enough for me.
Vietnam – Nghỉ Hè Sợ Nghỉ Hưu
Release date: August 21, 2026
Country: Vietnam
Genre: Supernatural / Comedy
Vietnamese cinema gets a rather unusual supernatural addition with Nghỉ Hè Sợ Nghỉ Hưu (Zero Meets Hero), a film that follows Trí Bình, a Gen-Z young man who returns to a remote rural area to spend his summer with his grandfather Ông Thời, a former soldier who has been living alone for years.
The film seems to mixe family drama, comedy and spiritual/supernatural elements, with Huỳnh Lập directing and starring alongside NSƯT Cao Minh, Cody Nam Võ and Tín Nguyễn. – there is some disagreement over the genre classification though – several Vietnamese cinema sites simply call it comedy, drama or family, while others include horror, but the official synopsis itself talks about strange phenomena, frightening warnings and spiritual elements, so will include it.
Vietnam – The Djinn’s Curse 2
Release date: August 21, 2026
Original country: Thailand
Genre: Supernatural Horror
Thai horror The Djinn’s Curse 2, released in Vietnam as Quỷ Móc Mắt, arrives in Vietnamese cinemas this week on August 21, and this film takes its horror from supernatural and djinn folklore, following Diana, who disappears into the forest near a village at the foot of Mount Budo before eventually returning in a terrifyingly changed state.
Directed by Kriangkrai Monvichit, the sequel stars Yotsawat Tawapee, Rattanawadee Wongthong and Sonthaya Chitmanee.
More recent Asian horror movie releases.
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