In one of the rare occurrences of the Asian/Foreign --> Hollywood remakes (e.g. The Ring, Grudge, Sommersby), I thought the Hollywood version was actually much better.
The storyline was acceptable, although the need for scaring audiences every few minutes has become something of a cliché and the 'scare your heart out' music is sometimes unnecessary.
The characters however lacked depth, and with this I could not seem to feel any pity for the Yoshimi (the mom) and Ikuko (the daughter). Walter Salles in the remake managed to take the framework of the story and add more depth to the characters, even the minor ones such as the building caretaker, the estate agent and the lawyer.
There were also some unanswered questions, such as the reasons why Mitsuko was abandoned. Again this subject was more covered by Salles' remake.
My advice is to watch the remake version first, so you get a better understanding of the original. However be prepared to be scared in typical 'Asian Movie' style!
The storyline was acceptable, although the need for scaring audiences every few minutes has become something of a cliché and the 'scare your heart out' music is sometimes unnecessary.
The characters however lacked depth, and with this I could not seem to feel any pity for the Yoshimi (the mom) and Ikuko (the daughter). Walter Salles in the remake managed to take the framework of the story and add more depth to the characters, even the minor ones such as the building caretaker, the estate agent and the lawyer.
There were also some unanswered questions, such as the reasons why Mitsuko was abandoned. Again this subject was more covered by Salles' remake.
My advice is to watch the remake version first, so you get a better understanding of the original. However be prepared to be scared in typical 'Asian Movie' style!