r/horror • u/Away_Housing_8789 • 5h ago

Japanese horror

Ringu o. What does everyone think of this movie? I love this one the most and the old school Japanese vibe is really refreshing I feel japan has such deep ideas of life and death and trauma and how other galaxys collide and sometimes against their will.

11 Upvotes

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6

u/Sad_Rate_4747 5h ago

You should check out Cure, Pulse, Dark Water, and the Ju-on movie series. All great japanese horror. South Korea has some great horror too

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u/MolassesPrior5819 5h ago

There's some really really great Japanese horror out there,  but as a rule I prefer American, French, and especially Korean horror. 

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u/Renafav 4h ago

I think it is a masterpiece that takes a modern approach to the Japanese ethnological concepts of hare (the extraordinary) and ke (the everyday), using mystery as its foundation.

When the death of a family member causes everyday life (ke) to wither away, this is known as kegare, or ritual impurity. What makes it particularly troublesome is that this impurity can spread to others. In an era when medicine had not yet advanced, I imagine infectious diseases were understood as curses in the form of kegare.

While the curse is being purified, the deceased's relatives are isolated from society and eventually reintegrated into it through a ritual (hare). Without this process, the curse remains and continues to spread.

The irony is that infecting others becomes the very act that purifies the curse. It is a truly merciless premise, and I think this is what elevates Ring beyond a mere mystery and transforms it into horror.

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u/monkey_star1 5h ago

Honestly, maybe unpopular opinion, but I hate japanese horror 🫠 they have good ideas I just don't know why it feels incredibly grim everything they do,.like grim depressing sad af, I always prefer the American adaptation it feels more upbeat and fun.

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u/Ok_Conclusion_6324 5h ago

The book RING by Koji Suzuki is about toxic masculinity, rape culture, and gender expression - I am a big fan of both adaptations but the book is definitely grim in it’s own way

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u/monkey_star1 4h ago

Yeah I meant that no matter what the topic is, the vibe of the movie adaptations are grim, and somehow, I feel that the American adaptation of the same story is more lighthearted and I prefer that