J Horror is so delightfully twisted and scary, it's no wonder American movies are ripping off Japanese film makers. American film makers even rip off the rip offs (The Grudge was a spin off of The Ring - they both came to the states). Where the United States goes towards gore and shock value (Saw, anyone?), the J Horror genre goes toward the psychological and aims to deeply disturb. It does this by keeping the viewer/reader off balance. Not knowing what to expect scares the crap out of me.
Another thing about most J Horror is that it doesn't involve the monsters American audiences are used to. It uses spirits of the dead - something people understand even less. People are hardwired to fear what they don't understand. Shocking someone with a gore-filled scene doesn't muck up someone's brain, stick with them, and affect their dreams that night like psychological horror does. I want horror movies to disturb me for at least a few days, and give me reoccurring nightmares for at least a week.
The first time I saw The Ring, my brain was a nervous mess by the end. It messed with my head and that is why I liked it.
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