10 Worthwhile Asian Horror Films Currently Without Remakes

2. Reincarnation

Year: 2005 Country: Japan Director: Takashi Shimizu

Another entry from Grudge director Takashi Shimizu, this one is considerably more conventional than Marebito but still a welcome change from his most famous franchise. Reincarnation tells the story of an actress, Nagisa, who lands a part in a new horror film based on the true story (in the film universe, not reality) of a mass murder at a hotel. She is plagued by ghostly visions of the murder victims, which only get worse when the cast and crew visit the real hotel and build an exact replica to film on. She even seems to remember things she should have no way of knowing... The title obviously gives away one of the key plot elements, but there are still more surprises and twists to come. Reincarnation has some effective scares - anyone freaked out by creepy dolls will be especially traumatized - and is rather intelligently-written, which is a nice departure from the often haphazardly-plotted Grudge / Ju-On films. It's well-made and just different enough to stand out from the pack of overly-similar Ring cash-ins that tend to get a lot of attention (especially from American studios).