No Sleep Til Tokyo: American Reboots of J-Horror Classics… and their sequels

Back again this month with more j-horror films to trigger latent fears of technology: video cassette tapes, cell phones, cameras, the internet… nothing is sacred. Nothing is safe. Sure, we’re accustomed to haunted houses — that’s old hat — but a possessed eyeball?!

Okay, okay… so maybe not so much a possessed eyeball, but at least an organ that let’s you see into the spirit world.

One of the most fun conventions of j-horror is that it often uses everyday objects and turns them into vessels for terror. The films in this list, excepting Godzilla, all cater to hauntings of some caliber, and all are remakes of classic j-horror films.

In some cases, they’re even more terrifying than the originals (and in some cases, even more hilariously awful.)

It’s good to keep a sense of humor about things… especially if you might end up losing sleep because of them.

Summaries are from IMDB. Enjoy. 🙂

The Ring (Ringu)

A journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone in a week of viewing it.

The Ring 2

Six months after the incidents involving the lethal videotape, new clues prove that there is a new evil lurking in the darkness.

The Grudge (Ju-on)

An American nurse living and working in Tokyo is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse, one that locks a person in a powerful rage before claiming their life and spreading to another victim.

The Grudge 2

Three interwoven stories about a terrible curse. A young woman encounters a malevolent supernatural force while searching for her missing sister in Tokyo; a mean high school prank goes horribly wrong; a woman with a deadly secret moves into a Chicago apartment building.

Dark Water

A mother and daughter, still wounded from a bitter custody dispute, hole up in a run-down apartment building. Adding further drama to their plight, they are targeted by the ghost of former resident.

The Eye (Gin gwai)

A woman receives an eye transplant that allows her to see into the supernatural world.

One Missed Call (Chakushin Ari)

Several people start receiving voice-mails from their future selves – messages which include the date, time, and some of the details of their deaths.

Godzilla

The world is beset by the appearance of monstrous creatures, but one of them may be the only one who can save humanity.

*meowing cat*

Happy watching!