BellaOnline Forums TV and Movies Horror Movies Japanese or American Horror Movie Versions

In answering a post in Sci-Fi section about favorite Sci-Fi movies, a question came up in my mind. A couple of movies that came out had Japanese versions and it made me wonder if people perfer the foreign version or the American Remakes? Personally, I saw two recently:

Ju-On (Japanese version of "The Grudge")
Ringu (Japanese version of "The Ring")

Now BOTH of these movie versions frightened me more than their American counterparts. I just wondered if anyone else had the same experience and if they could recommend any more foreign versions of movies (sci-fi, horror, etc)

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I certainly agree that the Japanese versions of both those movies were more atmospheric than their US counterparts, however, I still enjoyed them greatly.

You may like to watch the original Dark Water which was recently badly remade. Other than that it may be worthwhile catching Battle Royale before it is remade along with the original Suspiria. I am shuddering at the though of THAT remake!!

It is my opinion that the best horror is made outside the US mainstream film system, but luckily few have been remade! One that is going to be updated at sometime I think is the Russian sci-fi Night Watch...you may like that too.

The Japanese versions are far more terrifying. In fact the entire series of Japanese Ring movies are far more scary than the American re-makes. I actually had a grown man refuse to leave my house until dawn after making him watch the Japanese Ring 1, Ring 2 and Ring 0 in succession. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I really enjoyed Night Watch. In a way I really hope that there isn't a US version made. Somehow, judging by the re-makes of The Ring, The Grudge and Dark Water, I don't think the US really "gets it". They just never seem to be able to maintain the same level of unease and panic that the originals instil.

I find the same problem when they try to remake British comedies. Whatever they try to "remake" seems to lose something in the translation.

When I read this topic heading, I immediately thought of British comedies, esp tv. I almost always prefer the original versions of anything that gets remade. I find American remakes often add too much "formula" to the mix and lose some of the originality.

Finally someone said the same thing I been saying for a long time. The effects were horribly cheesy but the movies were scary! I thought- "this is what one should be feeling when they watch a horror flick."

You forgot to meantion the remake of "The Eye".

I really enjoyed the American re-makes of 'The Ring' and especially of 'The Grudge' - after all it was done by the original director (they had a translater on set.) I think that sometimes these movies seem scarier because they're subtitled. I thought that either version of 'Dark Water' was terrible - I'm sick of seeing little girls or woman with long black hair all over their face trying to appear scary. It worked the first two times and then just got very boring. Although, 'The Ring' is a very powerful movie - it terrified a lot of ppl I know. I was far more spooked by 'The Grudge.' Agree with British comedy getting completley lost in translation - why American TV cant simply show the British versions is beyond me.