[PockyMePink]

I've never seen the Japanese version, but from the pics and clips I've seen of it, the American one is visually more haunting. I'm still terrified of that girl. From what I've seen of the Japanese version, it just doesn't linger with me like the American version.

I've never seen the Japanese version of The Grudge either, but I can probably say that the novel beats both versions. From reviews I've read (and from what I've seen), there isn't any coverage on Kayako's past other than her being murdered. Also, neither versions contain the notebook that the original novel has that has Kayako's thoughts on the people entering the house, and her ideas on how and why to kill them (the American one has a notebook, but it didn't serve as big a purpose as it did in the novel). Her reasoning and thoughts toward humanity is what makes the novel more scary - the movies are just a series of deaths, and nothing more.