Marebito(2004)
2004 · Takashi Shimizu · 92 min
A fear-obsessed freelance cameraman investigates an urban legend involving mysterious spirits that haunt the subways of Tokyo.
Horror
6.0151 votes
TMDB score
3/5
Intensity
2/5
Gore
4/5
Stays with you
How Marebito scares
Marebito moves like a fever dream, following a man who films everything as his grip on reality slips further away with each scene. The horror here isn't about jolts or chases, it's about a slow, cold unease that creeps in through empty tunnels, blank stares, and a sense that something is deeply wrong under the surface of ordinary life. There's a quiet, clinical detachment to it that makes it feel more like a disturbing fever-dream than a traditional scary movie. It's a slow, strange, unsettling watch best suited for people who like their horror weird and ambiguous rather than loud or bloody.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Marebito rates psychological 5/5, visceral 2/5, gore 2/5, lingering effect 4/5, and overall intensity 3/5.
- Psychological: 5 of 5
- Visceral: 2 of 5
- Gore: 2 of 5
- Lingering: 4 of 5
- Intensity: 3 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 10 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 40 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 85 of 100 — leans Disturbing
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow, dreamlike descent that stays quietly unsettling for most of its runtime before tightening into a more disturbing, claustrophobic final stretch.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 3.
How scary is Marebito?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Marebito rates 3/5 — solidly scary, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. The fear is mostly in your head — it unsettles far more than it assaults. Expect it to be moderately gory and genuinely disturbing. Expect it to stay with you for days.
Watched it? Sign in to confirm whether this profile fits.
