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Hideo Nakata

Born: July 19, 1961
Occupation: Director
Active: '90s-2000s
Major Genres: Horror
Career Highlights: Dark Water, Ringu, Ring-Two.html">The Ring Two
First Major Screen Credit: The Cursed Doll (1992)

Born in Okayama, Japan, in 1961, Nakata enrolled at the University of Tokyo to study Journalism. The relocation from the countryside to the city gave Nakata access to about 300 films per year, and numerous odd jobs on movie sets found him increasingly interested by the process of film making.
Following his graduation, Nakata found work as an assistant director at the famous Nikkatsu studios, he showed no particular interest in becoming a horror director at that point in his career, it was under the mentorship of Masaru Konuma that Nakata received his true mentorship in the world of film production. Nakata came into his own behind the camera with his 1992 directorial debut, the made-for-TV God's Hand
After much success with ;
The Ring Three - Director 2009
L: Change the World (Death Note spinoff) - Director 2007
Kaidan - Director 2007
Dark Water (USA) - Writer 2005
Ring-Two.html">The Ring Two - Director 2005
Last Scene - Director, Producer 2002
Dark Water - Director, Writer (screenplay) 2002
Chi wo suu uchuu - Actor 2001
Sotohiro - Director 2000
Chaos - Director 2000
Sleeping Bride (Garasu no nou) - Director 2000
Sadistic and Masochistic (documentary) - Director, Himself 2000
Ringu 2 - Director, Writer 1999
Joseph Losey: The Man with Four Names (documentary) - Director, Writer 1998
Ringu - Director 1998
Tokyo biyori - Actor 1997
Don't Look Up - Director, Writer (story) 1996
Curse, Death & Spirit (video) - Director

He has earned the reputation as master of the macabre , leaving terrified audiences nervously sat on the edge of their seats



What members say | Filmography

Hideo Nakata - what members say


  • Ring
  • Ring review by from Belfast
    Rated - 4.0 stars classic japanese horror...must see 26 November 2004
    ...If your a fan of dark Japanese horror movies then Hideo Nakata's 'Ring' is a real treat. This atmospheric scare fest is the first installment of the Ring trilogy telling th...   Read customer review
  • Ring 2
  • Ring 2 review by from Reading
    Rated - 1.0 stars Gah! 2 July 2005
    ...nto filming this someone at the production studio must have sent a memo telling Hideo Nakata to put a bullet in the brain of this particular trick horse, the better to flog...   Read customer review
  • Dark Water
  • Dark Water review by from READING,ENGLAND
    Rated - 4.0 stars HIDEO DOES IT AGAIN 15 September 2004
    ...AN EXCELLENT SHOWING FRON JAPANESE HORROR DIRECTOR, Hideo Nakata. WHILST THIS NEVER REACHES THE SCARES OF RINGU, IT IS STILL AN EXTREMELY HAUNTING FILM. AN OUTSTANDING PER...   Read customer review

Hideo Nakata - filmography


  • Chatroom - Blu-ray (2010)
    Starring: Aaron Johnson,  Imogen Poots,  Matthew Beard
    Director: Hideo Nakata
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    Watch now: £2.49
    Eva (Imogen Poots) is a young model whose good looks and poise disguise her aching doubts about herself and her wishes she could be more like others. Jim (Matthew Beard) is still wrestling with the demons brought on by a painful childhood and tries to beat back his fears with drugs. Emily (Hannah ..read more »
    2 stars out of 5 42% from 454 members
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  • Chatroom on DVD (2010)
    Starring: Aaron Johnson,  Imogen Poots,  Matthew Beard
    Director: Hideo Nakata
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    Watch now: £2.49
    The story follows five teenagers who meet together on the Internet and encourage each other there to remove their destructive behaviour. The situation gets completely out of control, as one of the boys take the opportunity to wipe his past. Directed by Hideo Nakata, the man behind the Japanese ..read more »
    2 stars out of 5 43% from 1,017 member
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  • Dark Water on DVD (2002)
    Starring: Hitomi Kuroki,  Rio Kanno
    Director: Hideo Nakata
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    Watch now: Included in all packages with LOVEFiLM Instant
    After winning a custody battle for her daughter, Yoshimi tries to make a new start. The apartment she moves into seems perfect at first. Soon though, strange things begin happening. Huge water stains appear on the ceiling and drip constantly, more liquid oozing into the rooms every day. She calls ..read more »
    3 stars out of 5 59% from 16,037 members
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  • Chaos on DVD (1999)
    Starring: Masato Hagiwara,  Ken Mitsuishi,  Jun Kunimura
    Director: Hideo Nakata
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    A man gets involved in a kidnapping scheme with the wife of a wealthy businessman. She lets herself be tied up and confined in his house while he sends the ransom demand. When he returns home that night, however, he finds her laying dead on the floor. In a panic he buries her body deep in the woods ..read more »
    3 stars out of 5 57% from 823 members
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  • Ring 2 on DVD (1998)
    Starring: Daisuke Ban,  Kyoko Fukada,  Kenjiro Ishimaru
    Director: Hideo Nakata
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    Watch now: Included in all packages with LOVEFiLM Instant
    Hideo Nakata's sequel to his notoriously creepy RING continues the chilling tale after the unforgettable finale of the original. Reporter Reiko Asakawa (Nanako Matsushima) continues her investigation of the ghostly Sadako and the cursed videotape. Meanwhile, Reiko's son, Yoichi (Rikiya Otaka), ..read more »
    3 stars out of 5 57% from 7,345 members
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  • Ring on DVD (1996)
    Starring: Nanako Matsushima,  Sato Hitomi,  Miki Nakatani
    Director: Hideo Nakata
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    Watch now: Unavailable
    Exactly one week after staying at a remote cabin, a group of Japanese teenagers all meet sudden inexplicable deaths. A cousin of one of the victims, reporter Reiko Asakawa (Nanako Matsushima), begins an investigation that leads to the discovery of a videotape containing hauntingly bizarre footage. ..read more »
    3.5 stars out of 5 67% from 21,149 members
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Hideo Nakata facts

5 most recent films

Chatroom - Blu-ray - 2.0 stars
Chatroom - 2.0 stars
Death Note - L Change the World - 3.5 stars
The Ring Two - 2.5 stars
Dark Water - 3.0 stars

5 highest-rated films

Ring - 3.5 stars
Death Note - L Change the World - 3.5 stars
Dark Water - 3.0 stars
Chaos - 3.0 stars
Ring 2 - 3.0 stars

5 lowest-rated films

Chatroom - Blu-ray - 2.0 stars
Chatroom - 2.0 stars
The Ring Two - 2.5 stars
Sleeping Bride - 2.5 stars
Ring 2 - 3.0 stars

Most frequent co-stars

Miki Nakatani - 5 times - show films
Nanako Matsushima - 4 times - show films
Youki Kudoh - 3 times - show films
Matthew Beard - 3 times - show films
Shunji Fujimura - 3 times - show films

Most frequent directors

Takashi Shimizu - 1 times - show films
Norio Tsurut - 1 times - show films
Norio Tsuruta - 1 times - show films