Quick synopsis: Following the suicide of one of their friends, a group of Tokyo college students are haunted by strange apparitions originating from their computer screens.

Why it's worth your time: Don't bother with the needless 2006 American remake, a brain-dead cash-in on the J-horror trend that invaded multiplexes during the mid-noughties. Instead, seek out Kiyoshi Kurosawa's brilliant original, a deeply-disturbing existential horror film that takes the theme of technology's isolating potential to bizarre and unnerving extremes. No cheap shocker, "Kairo" is instead a haunting meditation on the loneliness of modern existence - not to mention one of the most unsettling viewing experiences you're likely to have for quite some time. The technology in the film may feel dated now, but its themes are more timely than ever.

- Chris Eggertsen