Embalming

Embalming

1999 · 96 min · ★ 4.7 · Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Miyako, a young female embalmer, is called to restore the body of a recent suicide. While performing her duties, she pricks herself on a needle buried deep within the boy’s flesh. When the head is stolen during the night, Miyako begins a desperate search to recover it and finish her work, encountering organ harvesting, religious cults, and dark secrets from her own past along the way.

Directed by Shinji Aoyama · Written by Michiko Matsuda

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

U-NEXT

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 18m together

Embalming

Wild Life

Both from Shinji Aoyama.

More from Shinji AoyamaSee all →

To the Backstreet: The Films Kenji Nakagami Left OutTo the Backstreet: The Films Kenji Nakagami Left Out · 2001
To the Backstreet: The Films Kenji Nakagami Left Out
10.02001
MovieDocumentary
Kenji Nakagami, one of the most notable Japanese writers of the post-war, died in 1992. His work reveals a strong connection to his homeland, Kishu: a mountainous region that connects to the Pacific Ocean through a river. "To The Alley" (alternative title) is a documentary about Kenji's life. Incorporating 16 mm images from the writer's personal archive and adding new footage, director Shinji Aoyama travels through the paths of the life and art of the Japanese writer.
Not in the Textbooks!Not in the Textbooks! · 1995
Not in the Textbooks!
10.01995
MovieComedy
Pinku film adapted from popular adult comic series “Not in the textbooks!”. This direct-to-video “v-cinema” is the directorial debut of Shinji Aoyama.
BAUS: The Ship's Voyage ContinuesBAUS: The Ship's Voyage Continues · 2025
BAUS: The Ship's Voyage Continues
9.42025
MovieDrama
Two brothers start working as benshi narrators of silent films in a cinema in the early 20th century. This premise is the jumping-off point for an epic family saga that follows the protagonists and their descendants through wars and technological developments.
The Private Detective MikeThe Private Detective Mike · 2002
The Private Detective Mike
8.52002
SeriesCrime
Mike Hama, Private Detective, is a chain-smoking, wisecracking tough guy with a weakness for the ladies and a soft spot in his heart, especially for his kid sister Akane. Mike's so down on his luck he'll take any case, from finding a lost pet to spying on cheating spouses. But every now and then, along comes a client with dubious and dangerous case… and that's when Mike shows his stuff.
The Written FaceThe Written Face · 1995
The Written Face
8.01995
MovieDocumentaryTV Movie
In Japanese theater, women's roles are traditionally played by men. The man playing the woman's role, the Onnagata, does not imitate the woman, as in the West, but tries to capture her significance. He need not stick close to his model, but draws far more from his own identity - a shift of value takes place, which is nonetheless not a step beyond. THE WRITTEN FACE is an attempt to offer an insight into the Japanese Kabuki star Tamasaburo Bando, one of the last defenders of this ancient and disappearing performing tradition.
Wild LifeWild Life · 1997
Wild Life
8.01997
MovieDramaThriller
An ex-boxer working for a game parlor owner gets caught up in a complex blackmail operation he doesn't understand. Before long he's caught between two yakuza bosses and a mysterious thief who motivation is unknown. Add in the boss' daughter who has a crush on him and watch him struggle to make sense of it all and come out alive.
EurekaEureka · 2001
Eureka
7.82001
MovieDrama
In rural Japan, the survivors of a tragedy converge and attempt to overcome their damaged selves, all while a serial killer is on the loose.
Shokuzai no SonataShokuzai no Sonata · 2015
Shokuzai no Sonata
7.72015
SeriesDramaCrime
The seemingly shrewd and cunning Reiji Mikoshiba is a heavyweight lawyer in the legal and political worlds. There’s no case he can’t win, and he occasionally takes on unprofitable cases to make a name for himself, making him a cunning man who can take on both sides of the fence. Also shown as TV Movie.
Living in the SkyLiving in the Sky · 2020
Living in the Sky
7.42020
MovieDramaRomance
Following her parents' sudden death, publishing company employee Naomi Kobayakawa moves into a high-rise occupied by those close to her. However, she is still lonely, but one day, she meets popular actor Morinori Tokito, with whom she develops a romance.
CricketsCrickets · 2006
Crickets
7.02006
MovieDrama
Kaoru, a wealthy woman whose youth is fading, abandons the hustle and bustle of the city to live peacefully in a home on the coast. There, she takes care of an old deaf, dumb and blind man as if he were an insect, a child or a pet. He can’t do anything for himself, so she feeds him and accompanies him on his walks. This strong mutual dependency offers Kaoru an escape from society and allows her to free herself from restrictions imposed by common sense.
Sad VacationSad Vacation · 2007
Sad Vacation
7.02007
MovieDrama
Abandoned by his mother, Kenji scrapes out a meager existence doing odd jobs, including driving bar hostesses and their customers home. Besides this, he cares for the sister of an incarcerated friend and a young illegal immigrant. Eventually, his life reaches a turning point.
The Lakeside Murder CaseThe Lakeside Murder Case · 2005
The Lakeside Murder Case
6.52005
MovieMysteryCrime
Three couples stay at a lakeside cottage with their children. They want them to prepare intensely for a prestigious high school entrance exam with the help of a private tutor. One night, one of the wives confesses to her husband that she has killed his mistress.
HelplessHelpless · 1996
Helpless
6.41996
MovieDramaCrime
Believing his boss double-crossed him, recently released gangster Yasuo is on his way to find the betrayer, but before setting out, he asks Kenji to care for his mentally challenged sister and a mysterious black bag.
License to LiveLicense to Live · 1999
License to Live
6.31999
MovieDramaComedy
Having fallen into a coma following a car accident at 14, Yutaka wakes ten years later and realizes that his family is no longer intact: father, mother and sister live at different places, so he decides to reopen the farm that his family once ran.
Two PunksTwo Punks · 1996
Two Punks
6.21996
MovieCrime
A young drifter is casually drawn into violence – a crime drama about a boy and a man equally ill-equipped for criminal life and straight society. Neither wants to be a Yakuza, but normal life presents problems.
Tokyo ParkTokyo Park · 2011
Tokyo Park
6.22011
MovieDrama
University student and budding photographer Koji is asked by a man to secretly take pictures of his wife Yurika. As a result, his relationships with a girl who visits his workplace and his stepsister Misaki begin to change subtly.

More Like This

HellraiserHellraiser · 1987
Hellraiser
6.91987
MovieHorrorThriller
A hedonistic man finds a mysterious puzzle box that summons a group of gruesome beings known as the Cenobites. These otherworldly entities open the doors to a dominion where pain and pleasure are indivisible.
The CellThe Cell · 2000
The Cell
6.32000
MovieHorrorScience Fiction
A psychotherapist journeys inside a comatose serial killer in the hopes of saving his latest victim.
The HappeningThe Happening · 2008
The Happening
5.42008
MovieThrillerScience Fiction
When a deadly airborne virus threatens to wipe out the northeastern United States, teacher Elliot Moore and his wife Alma flee from contaminated cities into the countryside in a fight to discover the truth. Is it terrorism, the accidental release of some toxic military bio weapon -- or something even more sinister?
Dead ShackDead Shack · 2017
Dead Shack
5.62017
MovieActionComedy
On a weekend getaway at a rundown cabin in the woods, Jason, a cautious teen, his crude best friend Colin and his fearless older sister Summer are forced to work together, grow up and save their hard-partying parents from their predatory neighbor intent on feeding them all to her undead family.
The Wizard of GoreThe Wizard of Gore · 2007
The Wizard of Gore
4.72007
MovieMysteryHorror
In the darkly phantasmagorical world of the carnival magician and sideshow hypnotist, the gruesome "illusions" of Montag the Magnificent are unique in that they seem to become retroactive reality long after the the tricks are done. Is it coincidence, or circumstantial evidence of the world's most diabolically ingenious murders? When an underground journalist begins to investigate the strange deaths, the truth proves to be far more bizarre and disturbing than anything he or his readers might have imagined.
DemonsDemons · 1985
Demons
6.61985
MovieHorror
A group of people are trapped in a West Berlin movie theater infested with ravenous demons who proceed to kill and possess the humans one-by-one, thereby multiplying their numbers.
Snow AngelsSnow Angels · 2007
Snow Angels
6.52007
MovieDramaRomance
Waitress Annie has separated from her suicidal alcoholic husband, Glenn. Glenn has become an evangelical Christian, but his erratic attempts at getting back into Annie's life have alarmed her. High school student Arthur works at Annie's restaurant, growing closer to a new kid in town, Lila, after class. When Glenn and Annie's daughter goes missing, the whole town searches for her, as he increasingly spirals out of control.
The ChaserThe Chaser · 2008
The Chaser
7.82008
MovieCrimeThriller
Joong-ho is a dirty detective turned pimp, who's in financial trouble as several of his girls have recently disappeared without clearing their debts. While trying to track them down, he finds a clue that the vanished girls were all called up by the same client, whom one of his girls is meeting with right now.
The ChumscrubberThe Chumscrubber · 2005
The Chumscrubber
6.52005
MovieComedyDrama
The Chumscrubber is a dark comedy about the lives of people who live in upper-class suburbia. It all begins when Dean Stiffle finds the body of his friend, Troy. He doesn't bother telling any of the adults because he knows they won't care. Everyone in town is too self consumed to worry about anything else than themselves. And everybody is on some form of drug just to get through their days.
Pulse 3Pulse 3 · 2008
Pulse 3
4.62008
MovieHorrorThriller
Seven years after the last attack by the "soulless ghosts" who haunted the human race twice before, the world is left void of all deadly electronics that almost destroyed it... or so we thought. Living a primitive existence on the outskirts of the city, human survivors are surviving without any trace of technology. That is until 16 year old Justine enters the city and, letting her curiosity get the best of her, opens a working laptop and unknowingly unleashes the most terrifying attack the survivors have ever faced. In a world already torn and without hope, can humanity make it through the toughest struggle of all time?
ControlControl · 2007
Control
7.52007
MovieDrama
The story of Joy Division’s lead singer Ian Curtis, from his schoolboy days in 1973 to his suicide on the eve of the band's first American tour in 1980.
HustleHustle · 1975
Hustle
5.71975
MovieCrimeThriller
The body of teenager Gloria Hollinger is found dead on a Los Angeles beach, and Lt. Phil Gaines is in charge of the investigation. Gaines learns that the girl, a stripper and prostitute, committed suicide, but he ignores the connection between her and a powerful mob lawyer, Leo Sellers. Hollinger's father, however, is not satisfied with Gaines's results, and attempts to investigate the case on his own.
Before Night FallsBefore Night Falls · 2000
Before Night Falls
6.72000
MovieDrama
Spanning several decades, this powerful biopic offers a glimpse into the life of famed Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas, an artist who was vilified for his homosexuality in Fidel Castro's Cuba.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter