There's an article on CNN (
click here for link) that talks about the Western popularity of Asian horror movies. The article says:
Quote:
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"For the average American cinemagoer, the world of Asia is extremely exotic and it represents a chance to look into a world that they will probably never visit," McAlpine said.
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I think that's true. Asian horror movies like "Dial D For Demon" and even "The Eye" are more interesting because even when they use horror-movie cliches (kids on vacation being killed off one by one, ghosts, etc.), those cliches are in the context of a non-Western culture. That makes them more interesting to me, fresher somehow.
I think (for me, anyhow) part of the appeal of Asian horror movies is that Asian directors - especially Japanese - aren't afraid to be gruesome. Japanese movies are more violent in general than Western movies, so Japanese directors aren't bound by the same pseudo-moralism that American filmmakers face. The first scene in "Suicide Circle", for example, where dozens of schoolgirls jump in front of a subway train and blood splashes everywhere... there's NO way that would be made in the US.
Does anyone else watch/like Asian horror movies? What are your favorite ones? Why do you like them?