10 Worthwhile Asian Horror Films Currently Without Remakes
Before the success of Paranormal Activity made found-footage horror the next "big thing" in fright flicks, Hollywood's go-to place for ideas was eastern Asia. Following the 2002 smash hit The Ring, based on Hideo Nakata's 1998 Japanese success Ring, no fewer than 10 additional wide release American features based on Asian horror films were released up through 2009, with four in 2008 alone. Some - The Grudge, mainly, and The Ring Two to a lesser extent - were big hits, while others like Pulse disappointed at the box office. With critical reception no better than any other horror subgenre (2008's One Missed Call remake got a pitiful 0% on RottenTomatoes) and dwindling consumer interest, the fad died off after the early 2009 release of The Uninvited.
Although it's not totally over - the Japanese film Apartment 1303 has a 3D remake coming to limited release and on-demand services this summer - this period ended before many other interesting offerings from the region got the chance to be redone for Western audiences.
Here are ten Asian thrillers worth a look that, for better or worse, were never given a Hollywood do-over...