I've never seen the original, but weirdly enough, its the same director. Most of the filming in the remake is in Japan. I'd like to see the original to compare, but I loved how the Americans in the remake looked so out of place - it added to the creepiness. This is the first film in a long time that I had to turn off and watch the ending in the daylight.

Is the book called the same thing? I'd love to read it.