‘Ju-On’ Director Takashi Shimizu Returns With ‘Village of Eight Gravestones’ [Trailer]

Takashi Shimizu, the filmmaker who helped define the J-horror boom with Ju-On: The Grudge, is back with another journey into Japanese nightmares.

The first full trailer has arrived for Village of Eight Gravestones (Yatsuhaka-mura), a brand-new adaptation of Seishi Yokomizo’s classic mystery novel opening across Japan on September 18, 2026. Rather than a straight ghost story, this one mixes murder mystery, curses, folklore, and supernatural horror, which feels like a pretty ideal playground for Shimizu.

The story follows college student Tatsuya Igawa (Tomoya Oku), who learns of his mother’s death and is drawn by eccentric detective Kosuke Kindaichi, played by Matsuya Onoe, to the remote mountain village of Yatsuhaka. Tatsuya discovers that he is tied to a wealthy local family and a massive inheritance just as a string of inexplicable murders begins. The deeper he and Kindaichi dig, the more the village’s buried history, grudges and legends begin clawing their way back to the surface.

And the trailer looks as creepy as you’d expect. There’s a barrage of eerie masks, graves, blood, and ritualistic imagery, with Shimizu leaning hard into the story’s supernatural side. The official production notes specifically say his version rebuilds the material around its original blend of mystery, strange fantasy, romance and adventure, while maximizing the horror sensibility he’s known for.

Shimizu obviously needs little introduction to horror fans. He created Ju-On and directed both Ju-On: The Grudge and its sequel before bringing the franchise to Hollywood with The Grudge and The Grudge 2. More recently, he returned to Japanese supernatural horror with Howling Village, Suicide Forest Village, Ox-Head Village, Immersion and Sana. At this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival, where Village of Eight Gravestones had its World Premiere, Shimizu was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The cast also includes Mayu Hotta, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Masanobu Takashima, Reiko Takashima, and Kenichi Takitoh.