Every August, Japanese horror films appear in theaters here, cashing in on the traditional belief that chills from scary stories help beat the summer heat. And every August, critics lament that they don't match up to the products of J-horror's glory years — the late 1990s to early 2000s.
For example, Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 2001 apocalyptic shocker "Kairo (Pulse)" presciently and powerfully warned of the soul-sucking dangers of the online world, especially the creepier corners where sad ghosts dwell, alone with their perpetually glowing screens.
By coincidence, two horror films that open this Saturday for one-week runs, followed soon after by DVD releases, show the "Pulse" influence. While lacking its visionary impact, they are clever-enough variations on the now common theme of the dodgy website where the wrong click opens the gates of hell.