5 Best & 5 Worst Asian Horror Movie Remakes Ever Made

4. The Ring Virus

The good ole US of A isn’t the only country to tackle J-Horror. In fact, this South Korean take on Koji Suzuki’s Ring novel proves the Asian remake machine churns even within Asia itself. Released a year after Hideo Nakata’s Ringu, The Ring Virus purports to be a separate adaptation of Suzuki’s book but the similarity between certain scenes and characters suggest it may be more influenced by Nakata’s movie than its makers would like to admit.

Though fans of Nakata’s original and Gore Verbinski’s American remake might find the movie’s slower pace and plot-driven focus off-putting, The Ring Virus does feature some stunning cinematography and some interesting storylines that the other two movies don’t touch upon. Indeed, one element of The Ring Virus that veers closer to its source material is it depiction of antagonist Sadako’s (here renamed Park Eun-Suh) intersexuality, rape and murder – a theme from Suzuki’s book that both Nakata and Verbinski shied away from.

While The Ring Virus is by no means superior to Nakata and Verbinski’s films, it’s nevertheless an interesting counterpoint to the other two Ring films and worthy viewing as a non-American take on Japanese horror. If that isn’t a convincing enough argument, it’s arguably a better way to spend an hour or two than watching the disappointing remake of The Ring 2.