Social anxieties and lost “spirit”: The relationship of horror films and their remakes from Japan, South Korea, and the United States

This study investigates the depictions of the supernatural other and ethical dilemmas within horror films from Japan, South Korea, and the United States and compares them to remakes of these same horror films in a different cultural context. The main portions of analysis are focus on Ringu (1998) and its two remakes The Ring Virus (1999) and The Ring (2002), A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) and its remake The Uninvited (2009), Haunters (2010) and its remake Monsterz (2014). By choosing films and their subsequent remakes, I illuminate how the portrayal of the supernatural other as what is fear-inducing in the films reflects social anxieties towards physical disability, mental health, and ideal family dynamics. I postulate that elements relating to socio-cultural specificities have been changed to suit the audiences they are intended for, such as changing the religious connotations of a ghost or different portrayals of good and evil. While these changes have been considered why a remade film loses its appeal to audiences, I argue that these changes were not the main reason why remakes were not as well received by viewers and critics. Instead, these remakes disappointed their audiences because they changed the overall “spirit” of the successful original.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

E Asian Languages & Cultures

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• Ford, Anna Mari

Contributors dc:contributor

• Wilson, Roderick I
• Song, Myoung-Sun
• Tierney, Robert T

• horror film
• Japan
• South Korea
• United States
• supernatural other

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2022 Anna Ford

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/116122

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F116122