Japanese Horror is sort of dumb!

well they're entertaining, i sure am entertained by the stylistic way of killing with HAIR!!! however, if you want to see what true japanese horror is, not the imports. I recommend anything by takashi miike, ie. audition and ichi the killer (not really horror though)his section of three extremes, however all of three extremes is good and one missed call to an extent, however this is becoming an import, as the remake is due 2008, which is a shame, because America remakes one of miikes least shocking movie. anyways, most TRUE japanese horror is to shock, not to scare with loud noises, as basically all american horrors consists of. Japanese horror is not dumb, look for the right ones.

Is this really a Japanese horror pic? The Japanese "Ju-On 2" is nothing like "The Grudge 2". The producers didn't like "Ju-on 2" as sourse material so developed a commercially viable sequel geared towards the north american market.

"There's my buttercup!"

The problem is that it is currently trendy to champion it over other horror . . . so that leads to inflated expectations that aren't going to be met. I think we're beginning to see the end of that trend, though.

Of course, there are plenty of good Japanese horror films, but they're not really better than the good horror films from other countries. However, because it's trendy, people pump up films like the Chakusin ari series (the original One Missed Call films), just because they're J-horror.

It's similar to the 80s and early 90s, when everyone was championing Italian horror (Argento, Bava, Fulci, etc.) over other stuff. You hardly hear people talk about it in the same way any longer--now, that stuff is talked about in the same bag as US horror from that period. There was a lull in the trends, then by the late 90s, Japanese horror became the "in" thing. It will be something else next decade.


Is everyone in this house a total nutzoid or is it just me?

I agree with pretty much everything everyone else has said. First, don't base your opinion off the American remakes (as they tend to differ rather dramatically) and second, don't base an opinion off only a few films...

But as for it being "bad"...Have you ever really *watched* Halloween (the original version) or the Exorcist? I do like both (Halloween more than Exorcist) as well as many other "classic" horror films, but I found the Japanese horror (or any J-horror for that matter) to be far more disturbing, thus far more intense and scary. The classic stuff is just as "bad" as you seem to think this sub-genre of horror is, at least IMHO...

Also, it has something to do with the different cultures--in order for these movies to retain even a semblance of their original incarnations, they have to keep some plot points, ideas, and such. One of these, which the director talked about in the commentary for the first Grudge (the American remake) was that Western and Eastern ideas of horror differ rather dramatically. He said something to the effect that in America and the West, it's all about the monster, the good guys fight, find a way to defeat the monster, in general at least one good guy survives and there are ways to fight (of course that isn't always true, but for the most part, it's a good general description). In contrast, in Japan and the East it's not so much about *fighting back* or winning or anything of the sort--it's more "this is the way things are, we can't change it, we just have to find a way to live with it." Also, (I've noticed in a lot of J-horror and even Western horror) there seems to be a fascination with 'evil' children or children who have been warped in some way--which I heard explained (I can't remember where) that it's because to see something people usually consider to be all innocent and sweet turned to evil...is just fundamentally unsettling...

Please don't take this as an insult or anything, it's simply my opinion--I tend to get tired of the continual slash-n-hack with the obligatory 'let's run away from the monster/bad-guy-and-outwit-him/it-at-the-last-minute!' stuff that tends to be the majority of stuff that comes out of Hollywood (whey they're not remaking another country's horror). Even "Saw" (Which I liked) had so much blood and gore...it overshadowed the cool fact that it was a complex plot with a very intelligent bad guy...For the most part even when J-horror has gore (which it does just look at 'Suicide Club') there is also a strong psychological/intelligent element to it. I like that.

I know everyone disagrees, but I loved the Original Japanese verison of "One missed call." However, it (along with all Japanese horrors) is an aquired taste. I can see why some may hate it.

you know you are wrong. you dont understand horror. it appears you are an igronant racist especially if you found the english version of dark water interesting.

Japanese horror is tailored to people that "get it." I have friends that aren't scared by any sort of ghost/supernatural horror movie, because it just doesn't really get to them, since it's not "realistic" and therefore they are not scared. If you're one of these people you're better off not wasting your time on any more J-horror.

J-horror always runs like a nightmare, so if you never got these REAL nightmares as a little kid, then of course you will never understand why growing long hair really fast scares us to the core.

Half-right, OP, it only becomes dumb when we Americans remake it. Exceptions being the Ring and Dark Water, IMHO.

OBAMA/BIDEN '12