Sadako vs Kayako
Directed by Koji Shiraishi
Written by Takashi Shimizu & Koji Suzuki
Starring Masahiro Komoto, Mizuki Yamamoto, Aimi Satsukawa, Tina Tamashiro, Maiko Kikuchi, Masanobu Ando, Runa Endo
Shudder
Release date: January 26, 2017

King Kong vs. Godzilla! Frankenstein vs. The Wolfman! Freddy vs. Jason! Horror has always managed to take its greatest antagonists and pit them against one another. In 2017 Japan, the battle rages on in Sadako vs Kayako between the two most popular ghosts of the modern J-Horror scene: Sadako, the villainous ghost from Koji Suzuki’s Ring series, and Kayako, the ghost with a grudge from Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-On films. These are the two film series that helped launched J-Horror to the United States signaling a host of remakes, including Gore Verbinski’s adaptation The Ring in 2002 and Shimizu’s own remake The Grudge in 2004. Each of those films were insanely popular, grossing well over $100 million and earning sequels. The third installment of The Ring series, Rings, opens in theaters next week, while Sadako vs Kayako debuts today on Shudder, AMC’s horror streaming service.