With the release and subsequent box office smashing of "The Ring Two" in theaters this past weekend, another nail has been driven into the coffin of Freddy Kruger, Jason Vorhees and their knife-wielding, mask-wearing ilk. While slasher films may have enjoyed their blood-soaked reign in the 80s and again in the late 90s, lately horror movie aficionados have had a taste for foreign cuisine when it comes to their boo-feasts. Hollywood has turned to Japan for guidance when it comes to building a better scare. From "The Ring" to "The Grudge," Hollywood is churning out remakes of Japanese ghost movies with more to come. In August, Jennifer Connelly stars in the urban ghost story, "Dark Water." The next few years promise even more remakes and imitators, each vying for audiences' hard-earned cash.
With the future cast under the shadow of Japan's horrifying influence, American audiences are in need of guidance when deciding how to best approach a film from the land of the rising sun. Luckily, your friendly neighborhood movie geek is here to give you a guided tour through the themes and motifs that surround Japanese-influenced horror films.
DROWNING YOUR SCREAMS
From "The Ring's" Samara's aversion to the compound to the titular role that it plays in the upcoming film "Dark Water," H20 is a mainstay in Japanese horror movies. It may be because Japan is surrounded by water, or it could just be a reflection of the fact that drowning is a really painful way to die, but where there are ghosts, water is surely not far behind. It seems that in Japanese horror films, one can't swing a mewing cat-boy around his head without hitting a bathtub that's mysteriously filled with water. If confronted with this strange phenomenon, you should always remember to listen to that little voice inside your head called common sense. Chances are the bathtub is filled with some kind of ghostly nasty and more often than not, the dirtier the water is, the creepier the ghost will be. Instead of dipping an appendage into the tub to look for the drain, turn around and walk away. You don't need to take a bath, you can just use Febreeze to freshen up.
I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR
It used to be that prepubescent boys could go to a horror film and rest assured that they were about to feast their ever-hungry eyes upon a scantly clad co-ed running from a killer with an almost too-phallic-shaped-to-be-coincidental knife. Today's girl-crazy boys have it tough though. Instead of nubile young females, today's Japanese-influenced horror movies feature strong independent women who can more then hold their own in a supernatural smack down. From Naomi Watts to Jennifer Connelly to Buffy the freakin' Vampire Slayer, the Japanese influenced horror movies of late have all had heroines who offer more to the fight than a good scream. It's not clear if this is a reflection of today's progressive society or more of Hollywood pandering to the cash-carrying "tween" demographic, but one thing is clear: Women kick butt.
BETTER LIVING THROUGH MODERN TECHNOLOGY
For such an ancient tradition, ghost stories have been given a technological facelift courtesy of the modern Japanese horror film. Ghosts are no longer content with rattling chains and wearing sheets. Instead, today's dead utilize the latest in technological advances to further their scare tactics. When it comes to cursed videos and other tech-savvy ghost shenanigans, nothing is what it seems. It could be Japan's dependence on technology that drives their fear of technological breakdown. The fact that America bombed the country during World War II could also shed some light into a potential subconscious fear of science. The boom of atomic radiated monster movies in the fifties is a reflection in itself of Japan's paranoia. Either way, if life reflects art, readers should be wary of anything they read or see in the media. In fact, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Hollywood releases a film about a haunted newspaper. Boo!
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