Being a horror enthusiast from a young age I noticed something that altered my horror palate and perhaps made it a tad more refined. The difference between Western horror and Far Eastern horror.
There is a very distinct difference that takes fear to the next level. This is in relation to what is at risk or at stake for the victim.
In Western horror it makes you fear for your life, killers with their knifes and monsters looking to bring you to a sudden end or a slow painful one. It puts death right there in front of your eyes, this could be you! It is normal to fear death, it's instinctual to fight for your life. This is not the scariest thing that can happen however.
In Far Eastern horror you have to fear for your very soul. What you are up against is playing for keeps, there is no end in this torment, it has merely begun. You began a part of that which you fear and it doesn't end with you, no, these entities often never get full so to speak, they hunger ever more. Often the thing that is to be feared was once human and therefore has a good grasp one how to disturb us most in order to tenderize.
There is one thing from Western horror that comes close. H.P. Lovecraft. It is all in the waiting and in that your mind is at risk and your sanity at stake. Creatures that have been here long before we, they do not die, with time death would fall before the expanse of their existence. There is never a true victory when facing these horrors, only a temporary reprieve because they were and will be around longer than any of us and for our race, it is only a matter of time before they claim what is theirs.
You can often tell when a tale is adapted from the east to the west and this is a regular matter. The western culture is not as patient when it comes to a building horror. They want the quick thrills and jump scares. The best horror is subtle and builds to the point that you want to cover your eyes but can't.
I really need to get back into watching scary flicks :D
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