Well, it certainly seems as if nothing – not even diminishing box office returns – can stop the wave of horror remakes – in particular, remakes of Asian horror films. The latest entry in this trend is THE EYE, starring Jessica Alba, which opens today. A remake of the excellent 2002 co-production from Hong Kong and Singapore, the new film is unlikely to match the excellence of its progenitor (although the trailer suggest that it sticks close to its source material).
Despite our doubts about the film (which seem confirmed by a 26% rotten rating at Rotten Tomatoes), we thought we would take this opportunity to examine the original and its sequels, all of which are available on DVD; hence, we offer up reviews of THE EYE, THE EYE 2, and THE EYE 10 (a.k.a. THE EYE: INFINITY). Also included is a review of THE MESSENGERS, the American debut of the Pang Brothers, who applied their patented visual skills to a formulaic Hollwyood horror story, with mixed results.
To top it off, we provide a Brief History of Remaking Asian Horror. We had considered doing a “Best of Remaking Asian Horror” but decided the list would be too short.
Enjoy!