Old vs New: The Grudge

Recently, I have been watching a few Asian horror films like the Korean White, and the Japanese Sadako 3D (review to come!). These are the films that still scare me. Even after being watched a few times White remains my favorite and still gives me chills.

But why? Why do American films do so little while the Japanese have me using much more of my flashlight app on my phone?

Perhaps we can answer this by comparing a Japanese original and the American attempt. 

In the year 2000 Japanese director Takashi_Shimizu helmed the movie Ju-On. This is a film in a series of creations following a ghost, or curse as it affects those who come in contact with it. 

You see, in Japanese lore, if a person dies a tragic or violent death, then the place it occurs in becomes tainted with the evil spirits of the dead. Should anyone enter the place, then the spirit will some after them and, sometimes, harm their loved ones. 

Ju-On follows those who enter a house in which a horrific crime has been committed. The house seems innocent enough until those who enter it either die or vanish. 

The American remake starring Buffy the Vampire slayer's Sarah Michelle Geller and directed by the same man as the original follows a similar plot with similar characters, just changing a few to more relatable American characters. 

So if they are so similar why does one scare me and one is just meh?

One could argue that it's the foreign aspect. The fact that one of these films is in another language and must be read could, subconsciously be unnerving for me. To be placed in an atmosphere that is unknown to me could add to the effect the movie has. 

It could also be the way it is shot. I have seen most if not all of the Ju-On films (a sequel and two short spin off films were made) and they all have similar ways of telling the story. Sort of like end to beginning. 

The story begins not with how the curse begins, but with one of it's latest victims. You are then taken backwards to who they got the curse from and onwards until you are shown how the curse began. In this fashion you know only slightly more than the characters you see as they encounter the curse. This adds to the atmosphere and engrosses you into what is happening. 

The American remake loses both of these by making the main characters American and keeping a linear timeline (perhaps to not confuse some people). 

Plus I just kept seeing Buffy the whole time! This came out not soon after the show ended and I just could not separate the two just yet!

My advice? If you like one, check out the others! That is, if you don't mind a bit of reading!!