Strong women are front and center in the most notable American remakes of Asian horror movies. As opposed to the slasher films of the 1980s, when young women often stripped down, had sex and then died screaming -- only virginal "final girls" had any hope of survival -- the Asian horror boom of the late 1990s revolved around grown women dealing with the terrors of ancestral ghosts and other terrifying spirits in the modern day.
Thus, after Japan's Ringu was remade as The Ring and became a far bigger success than expected in 2002, earning nearly $250 million worldwide, Hollywood became much friendlier to the idea of Asian horror remakes in general, and warmed, at least temporarily, to the idea of women in the lead roles.
The Ring (2002)
Naomi Watts, fresh off the success of her breakout role in David Lynch's Mulholland Dr., stars as a reporter who investigates the death of her niece, and then must protect her son from the deadly effects of a mysterious videotape. Gore Verbinski directed this stylish, moody and incredibly effective thriller that had audiences jumping out of their seats on opening night.
The Grudge (2004)
Sarah Michelle Gellar toplined this English-language adaptation of a burgeoning Japanese series. She's an American nurse in Tokyo who starts home-care work without realizing the house is haunted by a murderous curse, one that has already claimed multiple lives. She must figure out how to defeat it before she falls victim to it as well.
Dark Water (2005)
Jennifer Connelly stars in this creepy thriller as a woman involved in custody dispute with her estranged husband. She rents a cheap apartment on New York's Roosevelt Island so her daughter can attend a good school, but soon discovers that the frightful old building holds some horrifying secrets that only she can solve.
The Eye (2008)
Jessica Alba, a symphony violinist who has been blind since childhood, is absolutely delighted when she receives a cornea transplant and can see again. Her joy quickly turns to fear, however, when she begins glimpsing nightmarish visions through her new eyes. She must discover the source of the terror before it's too late.
The Uninvited (2009)
Emily Browning returns home, seemingly recovered from her mental breakdown after a suicide attempt following her mother's fiery death. She's happy to reunite with her sister (Arielle Kebbel), with whom she is very close, but extremely wary of her new stepmother (Elizabeth Banks). Lives are at stake, and the question becomes, who will survive?
