10 Incredible International Horror Movies Ruined By Hollywood – Ranked

Welcome to Ranking Horror. We absolutely love talking about international horror movies on this website. But what happens when Hollywood decides to get in on the action? In this list, we are going to be looking at 10 International Horror Movies Ruined by Hollywood.

Let’s be honest for a second. Hollywood gets a bit of a bum rap when it comes to remaking international horror movies. Everyone immediately tends to scoff; despite the fact that they have actually had a fair amount of success when it comes to certain titles. The recent announcement of an upcoming remake of Takashi Miike‘s horror masterpiece Audition had people rolling their eyes almost immediately.

That doesn’t mean that Hollywood always gets it right, however. In fact, they have absolutely butchered a who’s who of brilliant international horror movies by simply missing what made them so great. With that in mind, let’s take a look at 10 Incredible International Horror Movies Ruined by Hollywood. I will be referencing both the original movies and their remakes in this list. We will be going from the best remake at 10 to the worst remake at 1.

10. Dark Water (2005) – A Pointless and Fiercely Dull Rehash

Why it Ranked: This movie takes up the number ten spot on our list because some people genuinely really like it. It is more of a pointless remake by Hollywood rather than a film that was outright ruined. While it features a competent cast, it is a fiercely dull and unnecessary one that loses much of what made the original so damn compelling.

Synopsis: A mother going through a bitter custody battle moves into a dilapidated apartment building with her daughter. They soon find themselves haunted by a mysterious leak in the ceiling and the ghost of a young girl who went missing in the building years prior.

Hideo Nakata‘s Dark Water, from 2002, was one of the J-Horror forbearers when it came to the country’s popularity in the West. Walter Salles‘ 2005 remake was another example of Hollywood trying to cash in on the craze, but it lacks the soul of its inspiration.

Where to Watch: Amazon (Rent/Buy), Apple TV

9. Oldboy (2013) – Spike Lee’s Hot and Cold Disappointment

Why it Ranked: Spike Lee was a strange choice of director for Oldboy, and his tendency to blow hot or cold is on full display here. Josh Brolin takes on the lead role in a movie that is watchable but, in comparison to the legendary original, is a massive disappointment. It is generic, a bit dull, and unable to capture the gravity of the story.

Synopsis: An advertising executive is kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement. When he is suddenly released, he goes on a blood-soaked mission to find his captor, only to discover that he is still caught in a web of conspiracy and torment.

The original movie was directed by Park Chan-wook and stands as one of the most brutal and violent yet utterly captivating thrillers ever made. Coming a decade later, the Hollywood version was a hugely pointless remake that we really didn’t need.

Where to Watch: Amazon (Rent/Buy), Vudu

8. The Uninvited (2009) – A Less Interesting Take on a Korean Masterpiece

Why it Ranked: It is really not a terrible movie; it just loses a lot of the complexity and intrigue that made the original great. The big revelation seems a lot more projected and a lot less impactful as well. I wouldn’t say this is ruined by Hollywood, more so just made less interesting and more palatable for a general audience.

Synopsis: After spending time in a psychiatric hospital following her mother’s tragic death, Anna returns home to find her father engaged to her mother’s former nurse. As she and her sister investigate the woman’s past, they encounter ghostly warnings that suggest their new stepmother is not what she seems.

Kim Jee-woon‘s A Tale of Two Sisters is one of the greatest horror movies to come out of South Korea in the 2000s. The remake featured decent performances from Emily Browning and Arielle Kebbel, but fell short of capturing the haunting atmosphere of its source material.

Where to Watch: Paramount+, Amazon (Rent/Buy)

7. The Eye (2008) – A Boring and Generic Supernatural Flick

Why it Ranked: The only real thing The Eye had going for it was a committed performance from Jessica Alba, who even took violin lessons for six months in preparation. Some may enjoy it, but in comparison to the original, it is a boring and generic horror flick that failed to capture the genuine chills of the Hong Kong version.

Synopsis: Sydney Wells is a concert violinist who has been blind since childhood. After undergoing a corneal transplant to restore her sight, she begins seeing terrifying images of spirits and premonitions of death, leading her to investigate the dark life of her organ donor.

Filmmaking brothers Oxide Chun Pang and Danny Pang absolutely blew the horror world away in 2002. Despite being directed by the French team of David Moreau and Xavier Palud, the 2008 remake felt like a typical studio-produced ghost story.

Where to Watch: Lionsgate+, Amazon (Rent/Buy)

6. Pulse (2006) – Making a Techno-Horror Classic Painfully Generic

Why it Ranked: Directed by Jim Sonzero and co-written by Wes Craven, the remake took everything that worked so well about the original and made it painfully generic and boring. All while the movie was presented in a world where the internet was not quite as novel as it was in 2001. Craven actually disowned this movie, which is a great indicator of its lack of quality.

Synopsis: When a hacker accidentally opens a doorway to another dimension via the internet, a group of college students find themselves hunted by soul-sucking spirits that use computer screens to invade our world, leading to a global apocalypse of despair.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa‘s Pulse (Kairo) is widely considered to be one of the greatest J-Horror movies of all time. The remake stars Kristen Bell, but not even her charm could save a script that missed the point of the source material entirely.

Where to Watch: Tubi, Amazon (Rent/Buy)

5. Shutter (2008) – An Extremely Dull Supernatural Dud

Why it Ranked: The 2008 remake of Shutter was a huge disappointment; so much so that they avoided screening it to critics. It has an 11% rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes and is an extremely dull movie. It failed to capture any of the clever plotting or legitimate scares that made the original Thai film a standout of the decade.

Synopsis: A newly married couple moves to Japan for a professional photography assignment. After a car accident, they begin to discover mysterious ghostly shadows in their developed photos, which soon escalate into a terrifying haunting tied to the husband’s dark past.

Thailand’s 2004 original was directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom. It seemed Hollywood believed bringing Masayuki Ochiai onboard and starring Joshua Jackson would provide a leg up, but they were sadly mistaken.

Where to Watch: Amazon (Rent/Buy), Hulu

4. Martyrs (2015) – A Bloodless and Shameless Cash Grab

Why it Ranked: This remake is a very shameless cash grab that tones down the New French Extremity horror elements a lot and loses much of what made the original a good movie. Perennial purveyor of putrid horror Jason Blum even scoffed at this remake and said it destroyed the original in every way. When he is criticising something, you know it must be a perfect example of a movie ruined by Hollywood.

Synopsis: A young woman who was kidnapped and tortured as a child seeks revenge on her supposed captors years later. Accompanied by her lifelong friend, she discovers that the abuse was part of a twisted experiment by a secret society seeking to find a “martyr” who can see into the afterlife.

The original French film was a brutally violent masterpiece of New French Extremity. Starring Troian Bellisario, the Hollywood version attempts to make the story passable for a mainstream audience, which completely undermines the point.

Where to Watch: Amazon (Rent/Buy), Vudu

3. Inside (2016) – Sanitised and Pointless Home Invasion

Why it Ranked: The fact that this remake of Inside removed everything that made the original work, attempting to make it a passable horror flick for a mainstream audience rather than a brutal car crash of violence and gore, completely undermined the point. It was welcomed with sighs rather than excitement and stands as a total waste of time for everyone involved.

Synopsis: A heavily pregnant widow is terrorised in her home on Christmas Eve by a mysterious woman who is obsessed with stealing her unborn child. The woman will stop at nothing to get what she wants, resulting in a night of frantic survival.

Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury‘s 2007 original was a brutally violent movie that didn’t hold back. Directed by Miguel Ángel Vivas, the remake features Rachel Nichols, but it lacks the necessary punch to be memorable.

Where to Watch: Amazon (Rent/Buy), Tubi

2. One Missed Call (2008) – A Scareless Bore of a Remake

Why it Ranked: Eric Valette‘s remake is a scareless bore of a film with a dishwater dull plot, ridiculous script, and stupid characters. A perfect example of a Hollywood cash grab, it completely missed the point of the original. Andrew Klaven actually wrote the script assuming it was a horror comedy, which explains the absolutely ridiculous dialogue.

Synopsis: People begin receiving terrifying voicemail messages from their future selves, which contain the sound of their own final moments. As the recipients die at the exact time foretold in the messages, a student and a detective race to uncover the source of the lethal calls.

The original J-Horror was directed by Takashi Miike. The remake stars Shannyn Sossamon and Edward Burns, but it remains one of the lowest-rated horror remakes for a reason.

Where to Watch: Amazon (Rent/Buy), Vudu

1. The Wicker Man (2006) – The Most Meme-Worthy Disaster in Horror

Why it Ranked: The terrible writing, absolutely ludicrous action, and Nick Cage going full Nick Cage have made this the worst example of an international horror movie ruined by Hollywood. It is laughably bad and retains nothing of what made the original great. It might qualify as “so bad it is good,” but it is arguably too boring for even that accolade. It is a total waste of time that completely misses the mark of folk horror.

Synopsis: A police officer travels to a private island to search for his missing daughter. He discovers a secretive neo-pagan community that he suspects is planning to use the girl as a human sacrifice to restore their failing honey production.

The 1973 Robin Hardy film was a seminal folk horror masterpiece. Hollywood brought on Neil LaBute to direct the remake, starring Nicolas Cage. Who allowed Cage to improvise the line “The bees, not the bees, they’re in my eyes”? It remains a legendary failure in horror cinema history.

Where to Watch: Amazon (Rent/Buy), Max

Lost in Translation

There we have it: 10 international horror movies that Hollywood managed to mangle. While it is always interesting to see how a story can be reinterpreted for a different audience, these entries prove that more often than not, the original magic is lost in translation. Sometimes, it is best to just read the subtitles and leave the source material alone.

If you enjoyed this look at Hollywood’s “recycling” habits, why not check out some of our other lists? I’ll be back soon with more deep-dives into the scares that stick with you. Stay spooky.

🎥 Quick Picks: Hollywood Horrors for Your Vibe

• 🏆 The Worst of the Worst: The Wicker Man (2006)
• 📞 The Scareless Bore: One Missed Call (2008)
• 🩸 The Pointless Remake: Inside (2016)
• 🔪 The Bloodless Cash Grab: Martyrs (2015)
• 📷 The Uninspired Dud: Shutter (2008)