From what I've heard, both version are dinstinctly different. Sure, you have the same premise, but the Japanese version is much more creepy. The American remake is creepy, but it's much more laid back with the scares...it's seems like a gothic ghost story. The atmosphere is tense and I get goosebumps, even though there is nothing scary going on. Yeah, and Sadako is the real name of the ghost (in the Japanese version) and Samara is the name of the ghost in the US remake.

Oh yeah, and it was Dreamworks SKG who did the remake. ^_^