Scare Me Twice... Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Ring

Shortly after the Japanese ghost film "Ringu" (based on the novel by Koji Suzuki) found popularity in Japan in 1998, an American treatment of the film was created and picked up by director Gore Verbinski, whose name would soon become famous for "Pirates of the Caribbean". One of the highest grossing horror films in the early 2000s, the movie would inevitably start a long-running trend of Asian horror imports, most of which ended up getting lost in translation.

The American version of "The Ring" starred Naomi Watts who returned for an ill-advised, original sequel ("The Ring 2") in the coming years. Plans for a sequel were shelved until "Rings" in 2017, but that really didn't do too well, so the less we discuss it, the better.

Answer: Let Me In

"Let Me In" was originally based on the Swedish "Låt den rätte komma in" ("Let the Right One In") which, upon its release, was lauded by critics as an instant classic for the subgenre. Following a young boy and his interactions with a young girl who turns out to be a centuries-old vampire, the movie tracks their developing relationship as the vampire begins to spread their havoc in the surrounding town. Female co-star Chloë Grace Moretz would later become regarded as a young scream queen, appearing in the remake of Brian de Palma's "Carrie", the Platinum Dunes remake of "The Amityville Horror", and the Jessica Alba-starring remake of a Chinese horror film, "The Eye".

Answer: Friday the 13th

While Platinum Dunes (run by Michael Bay) ended up remaking all of these horror films (as well as "The Amityville Horror") in gritty, modern takes, "Friday the 13th" was one of the earliest offerings, becoming one of only three films in the series to show up in the 2000s (the others being the space-themed "Jason X" and "Freddy vs. Jason").

In this film, the story went back to its roots, placing visitors to Crystal Lake in the path of the vicious killer Jason Voorhees for, presumably, the first time, eschewing all events of the previous eleven films in the series altogether. Director Marcus Nispel also directed Platinum Dunes' "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" reboot in 2003.

Answer: Halloween

Providing a gritty, hyper-violent remake of "Halloween", Rob Zombie hit Halloween gold with this box office winner. It was popular enough to warrant a sequel in 2009 diverging from the original sequel by John Carpenter. The original "Halloween", considered by many to be a seminal slasher classic, was directed by Carpenter back in 1978.

As a nod to fans of the original, Zombie filmed his remake in the same neighbourhood where Michael Myers held his killing spree three decades before.

Answer: The Grudge

Originally based around the curse left behind by the violent murder of a family in their own home, "Ju-On" was very popular in its native Japan, so much so that it resulted in numerous sequels and spin-offs pulling away from the original story and incorporating often-confusing supernatural elements.

The American remake (starring Sarah Michelle Gellar) was faithful to the original in that it took place in Tokyo and featured ghosts with the same general scheme, but the series that followed took a different path, eventually bringing the curse to Chicago by the end of the second movie. Nonetheless, the remake was one of the more popular J-horror films to show up in the 2000s, even if its sequels weren't.

Answer: Dawn of the Dead

Director Zack Snyder, also known for bringing "300" and "Watchmen" to the big screen, ended up creating a modern, fast-paced remake of this George A. Romero classic sequel to "Night of the Living Dead" during which the survivors of a zombie outbreak are holed up in a shopping mall. Snyder's reimagining took things a bit further, taking on the fast zombie trope popularized by Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later" only two years earlier. What resulted was a well-received, gory box office hit.

Answer: Quarantine

The original "[REC]" started a series of Spanish found-footage horror movies chronicling a zombie outbreak in 2007. Following a news reporter investigating a somewhat unrelated incident in an apartment building, the film soon turned into a situation in which the residents and news crew got trapped inside with ravenous zombies. Directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza continued this through four films.

The American version of the movie, "Quarantine", took things a different direction after the first film, setting its sequel on a plane with a related outbreak.

Answer: Thirteen Ghosts

Part of a brief spate of ghostly horror movies at the turn of the century, "Thirteen Ghosts" was harshly criticized for all the right reasons, one of which being it did no justice following up the 1960 William Castle film "13 Ghosts". In the remake, a family down on their luck was called to an obviously horrible, but futuristic house/ghost-trapping machine to be benefactors of a rich uncle's will. What resulted was a night with Matthew Lillard in a house full of spooky, murderous ghosts.

It was one of Roger Ebert's most hated films of all time.

He claimed "The experience of watching the film is literally painful. It hurts the eyes and ears."

Answer: Poltergeist

While the original "Poltergeist", directed by Tobe Hooper with much input by Steven Spielberg, went on to become a horror favourite for many, 2015 brought on a low-effort, but monetarily successful reboot by the same name, pitting Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt against elements pulled directly from the predecessor (like the clown doll, because that, the studio believed, was the scariest part).

The original still ended up making more money at the box office and developed a loyal following though, and it resulted in two sequels and a TV show.

Answer: Black Christmas

Considered by many to be one of the first slasher films, "Black Christmas" was a Canadian production directed by Bob Clark, also known for (of all things) "A Christmas Story". "Black Christmas" featured a group of sorority girls stalked by a killer in their sorority house on Christmas Eve.

Naturally, the 2006 remake (also known as "Black X-Mas") amped up the graphic violence and featured a cast of famous female actresses and scream queens, also bringing back original cast member Andrea Martin to fill the role of house mother.

The film did well in the box office despite releasing around Christmas Day and attracting some backlash from religious groups.