Book Review: J-Horror: The Definitive Guide to The Ring, The Grudge, and Beyond

By David Kalat
Vertical, Inc., 320 pp.

I’m not a horror buff. Maybe it’s because I don’t scare too easily at the movies, or maybe it’s because the idea of undying mythological creatures and ridiculously competent psychopaths don’t mesh well with my hyper-logical world view. I get far more tense with carefully crafted plot developments that have huge ramifications for the characters involved, like when Lex Luthor took control of the Watchtower’s laser cannon in Justice League Unlimited and fired at a city, or when Sousuke Sagara seemingly leaves Kaname Chidori in Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid. That stuff makes my skin tingle and gets my blood flowing. So-called “horror” does not.

J-Horror: The Definitive Guide to The Ring, The Grudge, and Beyond, written by David Kalat, delves into the world of horror movies, and the impact that Ring, in its many forms and via its many knockoffs, had on the genre. And while it hasn’t made a horror buff out of me, it did offer a very provocative look into the successes and failings of horror movies the world over, and why movies like Ring and Tomie succeeded in reviving a genre grown stagnant and predictable.

David Kalat’s writing style is easy to follow and well-paced. With very little knowledge of or interest in horror films, I initially thought this was going to be a difficult read. I needn’t have worried; J-Horror ensured that I was brought up to speed, explaining the motivations and “isms” of horror movies in a manner easily understood. Yet the book never comes off as condescending. Nor does it exhibit a pro-Japanese bias. Kalat doesn’t pander to fanboys here; he looks at the phenomenon of Japanese-style horror movies in an objective light.

Interestingly, perhaps inevitably, given the common elements often found in good film, Kalat touches upon quite a few issues that not only apply to horror movies, but also to just about any narrative work. When discussing the subtlety of The Ring compared to more gory horror flicks, Kalat–maybe inadvertently, maybe not–reminds you of the importance of subtlety and grace, and that the best way to illicit emotion in storytelling is not with over-the-top violence or melodrama, but with more intimate settings and engaging characters.

J-Horror isn’t perfect. The editors chose to use endnotes, rather than the more reader-friendly footnotes, relegating citations to the end of every chapter. Yet magazine-style “asides” litter the book, sometimes taking up more than one page. I would have rather seen the sidebars saved until chapter’s end or incorporated into the “regular” text. Another problem with J-Horror is that The Ring is the most fascinating topic presented. While The Grudge, Scary True Stories, and other titles still lend to the book’s appeal, it is really The Ring that steals the show.

But those are all minor gripes at best. I had a great time reading J-Horror. The greatest compliment I can give it is that despite presenting subject matter I have no real interest in, it managed to educate and captivate me. Highly recommended.

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