J Horror Genre

Japanese horror also known as J-Horror is a unique thematic and conventional treatment of the horror genre in light of western treatments. The focus is mainly on psychological horror and tension building particularly with ghosts and poltergeists. The themes mainly revolve around Yokai and precognition. As seen in the more popular J-Horror in the west, The Ring, The Grudge, and One missed call. Yokai translated literally means demon, spirit or monster. It is a class of preternatural, meaning supernatural but have rational explanations as yet unknown (such as the Loch Ness monster) who are creatures in Japanese folklore. The origins of these creatures and the inspiration for the movies can be traced back to ghost story classics, known as Kaidan, told in Japan during the Edo and Meiji period. Due to the success of The Ring in western theatres, it bought about the knowledge of Yurei, which had always existed in Japan for centuries. Yurei are Japanese ghosts bound to the physical world through strong emotions that do not allow them to pass on. This is displayed in The Ring, The Grudge, and One missed call, whereby the ghost is bound by desire for vengeance these are called Onryo. Onryo have a traditional appearance and follow a set of rules; they are often female, although there are male Onryo, and wear white clothing which is the traditional funeral garment, they have long black hair tied in with the tradition of growing it and keeping it pinned up only letting it down in death. All of these characteristics are found in The Ring’s Sadako and The Grudge’s Kayako. The Ring was directed by Hideo Nakata on a budget of $1.2 million, although it is unknown how much it made, the American remake directed by Gore Verbinski, made with a budget of $48 million, made a worldwide profit of $249,348,933. Ju-on The Grudge was directed by Takashi Shimizu made $3m worldwide, the American version directed by Takashi Shimizu again had a budget of $10m and made $187,281,115 worldwide. Due to the success of these movies, it seems that the western audience have fully embraced J-Horror.