U.S. v. Them

One of the recent trends in horror seems to be the U.S. remaking/reduxing/or just plain borrowing from foreign nightmares. This is most prevalent with Japanese horror films. I honestly stopped counting Asian horror remakes shortly after The Ring. But, there is some comment to be made on if/why someone would rather see the U.S. version of The Grudge...rather than seeing Takashi Shimizu's Ju-On. I personally enjoyed both, but for real, dark, horror- Shimizu's original cannot be challenged. It's creepier, darker, more dank. Granted maybe the U.S. version is more accessible because of the language- but often for me at least, subtitles make a film even more spooky. I could spend hours comparing original foreign films to their U.S. remake counterparts- but won't. I appreciate most good horror films, U.S. or otherwise. I especially appreciate when foreign directors make blow your mind apart "U.S." horror movies. I do not care for all the borrowing though. Case in point....which came first? This weekends 'The Strangers," or "Them?" Now, I will be a hypocrite and probably at least rent The Strangers when it rockets to DVD after getting pummeled by the super-hero-Jones onslaught that is in the theaters now. Due in some part because it looks somewhat spooky and I'm a sucker for masks. BUT...the movie does at least appear to borrow somewhat from David Moreau and Xavier Palud's "Them." Now that movie was a horror movie. An absolute creep-fest. "Them" was a quiet, tension building spook of a film that indeed scared me at times (that's what it's all about, right). "The Strangers" may do well. But most likely will get dissolved into the pea soup that is the U.S. taking others ideas and not playing nice.