Japanese horror film “One Missed Call” gets a hollywood makeover

Warner Bros. presents Ed Burns (“Saving Private Ryan”) and Shannyn Sossamon (“A Knight’s Tale”) in the new supernatural thriller “One Missed Call” where a chain of people receives terrifying cell phone messages of their own final fatal moments.

The origins of “One Missed Call” stem from the novel “Chakushin Ari” by acclaimed Japanese author Yasushi Akimoto. The novel was first adapted as a feature film by noted Japanese director Takashi Miike in 2003.

In remaking the Japanese hit thriller for U.S. audiences, producer Jennie Lew Tugend notes, “I think ghost stories are pretty universal. The idea of someone dying unjustly and leaving behind unfinished business transcends culture, and the idea that the spirit of this person is trying to frighten you or do away with you is truly unsettling.”

“This is not a violent movie, but it is a scary one,” says producer Andrew A. Kosove. “The scares come from unexpected events that are shocking to the psyche.”

“By combining a disquieted spirit with cell phone technology, we’re giving the classic ghost story a modern twist,” offers producer Lauren C. Weissman. “The concept of receiving a ‘death call,’ a voice message that forecasts your death three days in the future, seemed frightening and fun.”

Producer Broderick Johnson states, “It isn’t your typical ringtone when you get the call, and when you listen to the message, it’s very terrifying because you hear yourself dying.”

To pen the American adaptation of the screenplay for “One Missed Call,” the filmmakers tapped the talents of novelist and screenwriter Andrew Klavan. A fan of the Japanese horror or “J-horror” genre, Klavan recalls, “Producer Scott Kroopf sent me a DVD of the original version. I was traveling at the time, so I watched the DVD on my laptop in my hotel room. By the end of it, I was so scared I had my hands over my eyes and was watching through my fingers. I wanted to fast-forward but I couldn’t; I was riveted.”

One of the challenges Klavan faced in adapting the screenplay was modifying structural elements of the story to appeal to Western sensibilities while staying true to the original. He says, “While the concept of ‘One Missed Call’ extends beyond language and cultural barriers, the original film assumes that its audience is aware of Japanese urban legends and other culturally specific supernatural traditions, which few Americans are familiar with. This prompted me to adapt some of these elements into images and ideas that would be more meaningful and frightening to U.S. audiences.”

Opening soon across the Philippines, “One Missed Call” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.