5 Best & 5 Worst Asian Horror Movie Remakes Ever Made

2. The Grudge

Ju-On, the franchise upon which the American remake series is based, has a lengthier background than most actually know so settle in for a brief history. The foundations of the story were laid in 1998 in two Japanese shorts by director Takashi Shimizu and revisited in two made-for-video movies before Shimizu made Ju-On: The Grudge, the film that really had people sh*tting their pants, as a theatrical sequel in 2002.

Then of course, the American remake followed but whereas a lot of remakes have opted to recruit fresh directorial blood this production, spearheaded by Sam Raimi and his company Ghost Pictures, kept Shimizu on as director. Potentially, this is what makes The Grudge a far superior remake to many of its counterparts.

The same vengeful spirits, creeping atmosphere and Tokyo setting are all still there, but certain differences – notably the introduction of American characters and the episodic narrative of the original being toned down somewhat – are included, presumably to make the whole affair more palatable and relatable for US audiences. While it certainly suffers from its fair share of Hollywoodization, The Grudge is definitely among the better remakes.

Interestingly, or perhaps regrettably as the case may turn out to be, a reboot of The Grudge is in the works with Raimi and Ghost House Pictures producing again and Jeff Buhler (The Midnight Meat Train, ABCs of Death 2) as screenwriter. Entirely new characters and ghouls are promised, but whether it will be a patch on Shimizu’s remake of his own original remains to be seen.