Message: Japanese girls are creepy

After watching The Grudge 2 last night (and recently watching both the original and the extended version), and then thinking about that movie series and the Ringu movies, I've come to the conclusion that Japanese horror films are all based on Japanese women having creepy hair. 

I mean, Ringu/The Ring and Ju-on/The Grudge both draw 90% of their scares just from the sudden appearance or zooming close-up of a woman with her eyes wide open behind her stringy hair.

My heart goes out to Japanese women.  I'm sure there are good portrayals of them in Japanese films somewhere, but as far as films that get any international play there seems to be three stereotypes:

• Stringy-haired, pop-eyed evil spirits
• Geishas
• Baby-voiced, giggling, uniformed schoolgirls whose panties get a lot of screentime

Of course, if America is judged internationally by its movie output (and it is), the world must think all American women (including nuclear scientists) are underfed, under twenty-five and baring their midriffs.

While we're on this subject, the trailer is up for One Missed Call, yet another American adaptation of a Japanese horror film.  This one's written by Andrew Klavan of the Libertas blog.  Way to go, Andy!