Occult Boom Day

What Is Occult Boom Day?

Every July 13th is "Occult Day" (オカルト記念日, Okaruto Kinenbi) in Japan. On July 13, 1974, the American horror film "The Exorcist" (エクソシスト, Ekusoshisuto, directed by William Friedkin, 1973) was released in Japan — triggering what Japanese media described as an "occult boom" (オカルトブーム) as audiences sought out further occult-themed entertainment, books, and media. The film's Japanese release is widely remembered as a spark for public interest in demonic possession, paranormal phenomena, and supernatural horror.

The Exorcist's Impact on Japan

The Exorcist was already a global phenomenon when it reached Japan in 1974, having terrified and fascinated American audiences since its December 1973 release. Its Japanese reception was equally intense — the film's graphic depiction of demonic possession and exorcism made a strong impression, and its box office success was accompanied by a wave of occult-themed books, television programs, and cultural phenomena. Japanese publishers rushed to produce books on supernatural phenomena, UFOs, Nostradamus, and mysterious powers — content that found enormous appetite among readers excited by the possibilities the film suggested.

Japanese Horror's International Success

The occult interest of the 1970s is sometimes seen as part of the background to Japan's own distinctive horror tradition — J-horror (Jホラー) — which produced internationally acclaimed films including "Ringu" (リング, The Ring, 1998) and "Ju-On: The Grudge" (呪怨, 2003). These Japanese horror films, with their distinctive imagery of pale, hair-obscured ghosts, supernatural curses transmitted through media, and atmosphere of inexplicable dread, reversed the cultural flow — influencing Western horror in return.

Fun Facts

• Nostradamus boom: Around the same time, Japan saw extraordinary public interest in Nostradamus — the 16th-century French astrologer whose cryptic quatrains were interpreted as predicting various future events. Goto Ben's bestseller "Nosutoradamusu no Daiyogen" (The Prophecies of Nostradamus), published in late 1973 — shortly before The Exorcist reached Japan — fueled a boom that lasted until the predicted "1999" had passed.
• Award-winning horror: The Exorcist won the Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound at the 46th Academy Awards, and in Japan it is said to have been the top-grossing foreign film of 1974.
• What "exorcist" means: An exorcist is a person who performs exorcisms — rites to drive out evil spirits.
• Where "occult" comes from: The word derives from the Latin for "hidden" or "secret."