Remember the good old days? Before you decided it would be a good idea to watch ‘A Serbian Film’ because everyone told you not to (seriously, don’t). You know, when horror could be scary without damaging you and all your subsequent relationships for the rest of your life. Back when all the kids at school were talking about that awesome new American movie with the big silver ring and the videotape that makes you die. Well now it’s time to look shamefully back, and chastise your adolescent self for thinking for one second that a western remake of that ‘movie with the creepy Japanese girl’ could come anywhere close to its original. Welcome to the world of J-horror.

Following up on our list of best horror remakes, guest blogger Richard has bitten the bullet and sat through some of the worst. Reading this blog may be cause for a little sympathetic squirming; still, at least you’ll never have to feel the real pain of seeing a classic defiled. Tedium. Silliness. Irrelevance – these films have em all!

The world of film is awash with Marmite topics – actors, genres or even cinematic styles which make some movie-goers dampen their plush seats and others tear the stuffing from the punter in front. In our J’accuse series, two of Best For Film’s writers go head-to-head and debate a controversial aspect of cinema. This time round it’s the worst nightmare of every indie Japanese director – the Hollywood remake.

From horror flicks to romances, Hollywood owes some of its most original film ideas to the Asian film industry, and has done for the past 40 years. And why not? Remakes of Asian films offer a cheap and market-tested method of reaching audiences and earning big bucks. But simply buying the rights does not always a smash hit make.