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It’s an old story, but it seems like we’ll never stop hearing it told again: You can wow audiences and even earn a certain cult acclaim by in the horror genre, but it you won’t win awards until you go mainstream; then all the critics who liked your work but didn’t want to bestow accolades [...]

This 2005 publication is an excellent book that should be on the shelf of every fan of the RING films; in fact, J-Horror fans in general will find it supremely rewarding. Author Denis Meikle explores the RING phenomenon in such depth (the cultural context, the novels, the the adaptations for film and television, the sequels and spin-offs) that [...]

Recall your worst nightmares as a child: your fear of the dark, of being alone in bed at night, of shadows without substance lurking in corners, beneath the bed, outside your door, or in your closet. Remember the creaking floorboards, the rustle of wind or the moan of some animal – a cat, perhaps? – [...]

Once upon a time there was a little eight-volume Japanese manga that was very popular. It was so popular in fact that the powers that be decided there should be a live-action version (and a sequel) of it. And thus it came to be so.
The end? Oh, contraire, my friends. DEATH NOTE (DESU NOTO) made [...]

So, you’re a horror movie maniac. You just can’t get enough of ‘em. You love the thrill of fear, the scream of terror, the sight of blood. But you have a problem: Your boxed set of BLIND DEAD movies does not enamor your girlfriend. Your Lucio Fulci collection does not send your paramour swooning with [...]

Remaking Asian horror films is a thankless job, but Hollywood keeps on trying. Fans of the originals hate the new versions, and general audiences seem to be losing interest: ONE MISSED CALL and THE EYE, both released earlier this year, made only $26.9-million and $31.0-million, respectively. Hoping to reverse this trend is SHUTTER, starring Joshua Jackson [...]

SHUTTER, the new film starring Joshua Jackson (DAWSON’S CREEK) and Rachael Taylor (TRANSFORMERS) is based on an Asian horror film, as is all too often the case these days. However, there is a difference from the usual remake: the new version is an American-Japanese co-production, based not on a Japanese film but on an excellent effort from Thailand. The screenwriter [...]

THE EYE (based on the 2002 film by the Pang Brothers) is the lastest in a series of remakes inspired by horror films from Japan, Korea, and China. American audiences first became aware of this trend in 2002, when THE RING (a remake of Japan’s 1998 gem RING) was released to blockbuster success – nearly [...]

Despite the numeral 10 in the title, this is only the second sequel to THE EYE; the title actually refers to ten methods for viewing the dead, one of which was seen in each previous film, leaving eight for this movie to explore. This interesting concept helps retroactively turn the first two EYES into more of a [...]

This follow-up to THE EYE provides another glimpse into the land of the dead. Fans may enjoy the “second sight,” but this EYE lacks the compelling vision of its predecessor. Less a sequel than a variation on the theme, the story has nothing to do with the original except for the basic concept of a young [...]

Although a bit late, we decided to turn today into “J-Horror Day” at Cinefantastique Online in honor of the release of ONE MISSED CALL, a remake of the interesting 2004 Japanese film directed by cult auteur Takashi Miike. The recent wave of Japanese horror films was launched in 1998 with RING, an “Instant Classic” that [...]

Directed by Takashi Miike, THE GREAT YOKAI WAR (a.k.a. “Yokai Daisenso”) is an attempt to revive the spirit monsters that starred in three 1960s fantasy films (one of which was also titled YOKAI DAISENSO, although the new one is not a direct remake). The new version has a great trailer that makes the film look [...]

There is a a somewhat disappointing effort from the creator of THE GRUDGE. The screenplay has an intriguing premise; however, director and co-writer Takashi Shimizu’s strength has never been for narrative but for effortlessly spinning endless spooky vignettes tied together only by a central idea. As a result, REINCARNATION’s attempt to build suspense over the [...]