This is a comparative review based on the original Ju-On and the American remake. I am ashamed to say I saw the remake first but let me get one thing clear straight off I am a BIG fan of Asian horror - I love films like Ringu, Dark Water and Audition. I was saddened and disgusted by the pointless Ringu and Dark Water remakes, but I feel the American remake of this film is a whole lot better.
I liked this film a lot because, basically, I love pretty much all things Japanese. It was a good ghost story with a nice dreamlike quality to it, but I'm afraid that's it. The remake scared me sh*tless where as this did nothing. The Grudge (remake) scared me so much it took me two weeks before I got it together to watch the second instalment (a little disappointing). The only thing that scared me about this film, was the last two seconds. In fact it was so unscary I'm not even sure if it was meant to be.
The Americanised version has benefited greatly from the bigger budget it got. It looks beautiful where as this looks cheap and drab, the sound effects and make-up are better, and the scares are bigger. The plot was straightened out, it's a bit all over the place here but it adds to the dreamlike quality of the film. This was a real disappointment, but Takashi Shimizu got it right the second time around. Thanks
I liked this film a lot because, basically, I love pretty much all things Japanese. It was a good ghost story with a nice dreamlike quality to it, but I'm afraid that's it. The remake scared me sh*tless where as this did nothing. The Grudge (remake) scared me so much it took me two weeks before I got it together to watch the second instalment (a little disappointing). The only thing that scared me about this film, was the last two seconds. In fact it was so unscary I'm not even sure if it was meant to be.
The Americanised version has benefited greatly from the bigger budget it got. It looks beautiful where as this looks cheap and drab, the sound effects and make-up are better, and the scares are bigger. The plot was straightened out, it's a bit all over the place here but it adds to the dreamlike quality of the film. This was a real disappointment, but Takashi Shimizu got it right the second time around. Thanks