J-Horror Lost In Translation

Last night, I was stricken with a classic case of déjà vu while watching the film 'Pulse'. As the familiar plotline unfolded, I began to question whether I'd already seen this flick. I would've remembered Kristen Bell from 'Heroes', I thought to myself. A quarter-way through, I had to research the film on imdb.com...as it turns out, 'Pulse' is a remake of a 2001 J-Horror hit 'Kairo', which I rented a few years ago.

After learning this, I returned to the movie, but couldn't finish it...the premise was pretty silly to begin with (the supernatural meets the Internet), but like 'Dark Water', 'The Grudge', & 'The Ring', the U.S.-made version had difficulty in translating the delicate psychological suspense crafted in the Japanese classic. For no better explanation, American horror seems at its best when 'rougher in trade'...like 'Halloween', 'Evil Dead', & 'Saw'. Or with Western religious overtones ('The Exorcist', 'The Omen', etc.).

Then again, when is a remake, in general, ever better than the original?

Ciao4Now.

P.S. Seen 'The Descent' yet? My fave horror film in the last few years!