The popular trend for Hollywood re-makes of Japanese horror films continues later this month with the release of One Missed Call. 

Formulaic they may be, but the Japanese originals are rightfully rated as substantial films, and the popularity of both J-Horror and the American remakes is undeniable - and self-evident form the increasing list of these psychological horrors.

These films tend to have a fairly similar thematic content to each other. On one hand there is a contemporary prop or theme, a mobile phone/video tape/single mum. On the other there is a vengeful spirit known as the yūrei whose origins lie in Japanese classical literature.

The Japanese Ringu (1998) gained cult status through its word-of-mouth tag line of “the scariest movie you will ever see”.  Its remake The Ring (2003) didn’t fare too badly either, being noted for its uncommon intensity. 

When a journalist’s niece mysteriously dies she determines to investigate the urban myth that anyone who watches a particular video tape will die within one week, and what she uncovers is genuinely disturbing. 

The horror in Ju-on (2003) and its remake The Grudge (2004) centers around one house that is haunted by murderous ghosts. In Ju-on a pair of police officers investigate the series of deaths affecting those in contact with the house whereas the Hollywood version has a female exchange student (Sarah Michelle Gellar) pursue the investigation.

They discover an evil curse that spreads like a plague and the investigators become its potential victims.

Kairo (2001) and Pulse (2006) address the issue of human detachment in a society that relies heavily on Internet communication. A suicide epidemic is spread through computer networks leading to an apocalyptic threat. These films focus less on frights instead relying on the atmosphere of unsettlingly ever-present ghosts to supply the horror.

In Dark Water (2005) and Honogurai mizu no soko kara (2002) we meet a mother who has just won a custody battle for her daughter and they move into a flat together. In the Japanese version the flat is perfect but becomes more sinister as the plot develops; in the remake we are made aware from the start that this apartment is unstable.

As the films go on the flat gradually fills with more dark liquid - anyone familiar with the yūrei will recognize that they prefer a damp environment. Things become darker still with the introduction of the presence of another child.

The characters of One Missed Call (2008), and its predecessor Chakushin Ari (2004), begin receiving phone messages from their future selves where their own violent deaths are described, whilst they are happening.

The answer phone messages record the date, time, and in some cases, the details of these deaths, therefore prompting the victims to look for ways to defeat the deadly prophecies.

Whether you love the glossy remakes or relish the original low budget ingenuity, Hollywood versions of J-horror are bringing a refreshing subtlety to an audience perhaps more used to slasher-violence and MTV than Japanese folklore and spirit culture.