Tonight I watched the US remake of “The Eye,” which is the third or fourth remake of this popular horror film, which originated in Hong Kong. I’ve seen the original as well as a Bollywood remake called “Naina.”

The story in each film is the same. A female violinist lost her eyesight at a young age due to an accident (which varies in each film). As an adult she undergoes a cornea transplant to try and restore her vision. However when she opens her eyes and sees again for the first time, she begins to see spirits and dark shadows, as well as has odd visions and dreams she doesn’t understand. She eventually comes to realize she’s inherited the abilities of her donor to see the dead and visions of things to come.

The story in the the American version is almost identical to the original save for a few small details. I loved the original and thought the remake was done well enough. One issue with watching the remake is the scare factor was for the most part lost on me because I knew the story and I knew what to expect. Neither version was really scary, just creepy. I have to give the original the overall better creep factor to be honest. There is something about these Asian to American remakes that doesn’t work all that well, it loses a bit of the creepiness especially with the ghosts. The ironic part is that the American versions have the special effects where as the Asian ones usually relied on a girl with stringy hair and white face make-up as well as a speed up or slowed down camera and creepy sounds. Sometimes the big special effects aren’t always better I guess?

Another thing missing in the remake is the explanation of the ghosts the main character sees in her building. There is a man in an elevator and a little boy ghost in the hall. The boy ghost story one can figure out, but the man in the elevator is just never explained (I can’t remember what his story is from the original either). I just remember these were two freaky ghosts in the original, and in the remake the scare factor is lost a little with them.

Again, I think the story is brilliant, so you can’t go wrong with either. I would say if you can stand subtitles, go for the original only because it is scarier. It often plays on cable and last month was on FearNet for those who have comcast (this is the Horror Movie on Demand channel, and it’s free). If you watch the American remake and enjoy it, definitely pick up the original. Yes the story will not surprise you, but I think you’ll come away with a new appreciation for the Asian originals of a lot of these movies which are getting American remakes (like the recently remade “One Missed Call,” which in fact was TERRIBLE compared to the original).