The Grudge
In the past I've used this weblog to comment extensively on Hollywood movies with Japanese themes. This one took me a bit by surprise, because I didn't even know about it until I saw the review in the Japan times. My interest sufficiently arisen, I went this weekend to check it out.

With last year's remake of the Japanese horror film "The Ring", Japanese horror has recently been attracting Hollywood's attention. However, as this article in the Japan times indicates, "The Grudge" is an interesting Hollywood remake because it keeps the Japanese setting the same. The difference is that in the American remake, it is American expatriates living in Japan who are terrorized by the ghosts.

A Japanese friend once explained to me why she thought Japanese horror films were scarier than American horror films. She said that in a Japanese horror film the setting was very familiar to her, and so the film seemed so much scarier because it seemed more related to her every day life.

If that is true, if we are scared by what is familiar, than this combination of horror film and "lost in translation" type Americans bumbling around Japan is an interesting choice. Obviously the American audience can't identify with the Japanese setting, and the Japanese audience can't identify with the American protagonists.

And yet the damn thing flies. I thought it was one of the scariest films I've seen in a long time. Although, as an American living in Japan, I guess I'm one of the few people who can actually identify with the setting. So I'd be curious on other people's takes on the movie. What did you think?

Video Version