Amazon.co.uk Review
It's not the scary hit that The Ring was in 2002, but The Grudge makes a similarly convincing case for American remakes of popular Japanese horror films. Barely a year passed between the release of Takashi Shimizu's creepy ghost story Ju-On: The Grudge and the production of this American remake, set in Tokyo and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar in her first post-Buffy horror film. About the only significant difference between the two films is the importing of a mostly-American cast (including Bill Pullman, Clea DuVall and Grace Zabriskie), but The Grudge was reconfigured (by screenwriter Stephen Susco) to allow Shimizu to refine and improve the spookiest highlights of his earlier version, which enjoyed previous incarnations as a short film and two made-for-Japanese-video features. Surprising box-office analysts with a $40 million opening weekend, The Grudge may disappoint hard-core horror fans because it lacks gore and graphic violence, but as a creepy tale about a very haunted house, it's guaranteed to send a few chills up your spine. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
A true remake.......2008-01-18
This is the best English language remake you could have of a true Japanese classic.
The original is disturbing, creepy and unsettling, with a few true horror moments. But the amazing thing is that placing an American in a key role almost hightens the disturbance as she is so out of place. It's a different film, but just as good as the Japanese original. And, of course, it's the same director.
Another Asian horror remake.......2008-01-10
The trend for remaking Asian horror film continues with The Grudge but this time this remake has been made by the director of the original film Takashi Shimizu. I have yet to see the original version of this film and so cannot say how close this adoption is but overall I found this film rather boring and wasn't scared at all. In the film an American care worker played by Sarah Michelle Gellar goes to work in Japan for a Western family living in Tokyo. The house, however, is host to a vengeful spirit that kills anyone who enters.
The first half of this film is mind numbingly dull in places and while it does pickup somewhat in the second half the film is still disappointingly slow right to the end. I feel that Sarah Michelle Gellar was seriously miscast in this role and she fails to convince in the main role. There are some good ideas and images in this film, mostly in the second half, but some of the scare moments come across as slightly laughable and this breaks the mood somewhat. Also some of the supporting cast give solid performances and often overshadow a somewhat lacklustre Sarah Michelle Gellar. Everyone I have talked to about this film has found it terrifying but for some reason I didn't find it in the least bit frightening and feel that the resulting film was somewhat disappointing.
Quick Reviews!.......2007-11-28
Following the recent and continuing trend of Japanese horror movies getting the Hollywood treatment, Takashi Shimizu's The Grudge is easily the best of the lot. Once again the director remakes his own film, but the difference here is that the story now involves an American couple who live in Japan. With many more shocks, and the constant threatening aura, The Grudge is vastly superior to The Ring and The Ring 2(American), and is equally as good as the original Ju-On movie.
Sarah Michell Gellar once again appears on the big screen in a role different from the characters she has played in the past. She stars as a foreign social working student along with her boyfriend played by Jason Behr. When she covers for a friend who has not turned up for work, she visits a house in Tokyo. There she meets an old woman who is nearly comatose, and on further investigation she sees that the house is haunted and cursed, and she is attacked. We are then shown small episodes involving the past occupants of the house and see that anyone who lives there inevitably is killed by the terrifying plague inside the house. As the story goes on the reason for the curse is explained, and Karen (Gellar) tries to save herself.
Ju-On already ranks as one of the scariest movies ever made, and The Grudge is a worthy attempt which has some pluses and minuses over the original. The story is certainly easier to follow and more is explained, although it refuses to be told in a linear fashion. This adds to the uneasiness we feel while watching it, but is less confusing than the previous version. The scene here involving the ghost chasing one victim around an office building is better than the original, though the subsequent 'bed' moment is not as good. The section involving the school girls was one of the best scenes in the original, but it has been removed, (the time skipping in that part is confusing the first time round) but Ted Raimi's final scene makes up for this. The soundtrack is as good as the original, that gargling noise is especially effective in the cinema. Every shock, even while some are predictable, is good and it is relentless in its search for another scare.
Although most of the actors have small parts and there is not really a lead part for most of the film, everyone performs well. Gellar proves she can perform on the big screen, and can be the weak, scared girl rather than Buffy. Pullman is also good, and although his part in the first few minutes got laughter from the audience, he redeems himself. The actors from the original movie do well, and Raimi is very good too, providing some comedy moments, putting us into a false sense of security. Forget about this being a remake- this is how all horror movies should be done; we are always aware that something is going to happen, waiting for the next fright, the atmosphere is relentless, and the scares are real scares, not cheap imitations.
The DVD has a decent commentary and featurette, but not much else. At around 5 pounds at time of writing, you can't go wrong. A must for horror fans with open minds. Probably not for the weak hearted, or those who like their stories to be told in a linear fashion.
When Someone Dies, in a grip of powerful rage, a curse is born!.......2007-10-19
Easily better than the ring remake and better
than the japonise version,
the grudge remake supplies
a none stop amount of chills and jumpy moments!
Finally no gory scenes, usually
films need gore to make them
fab, this dosn't!
CHILLING!
*****
5 star, amazing
Suspense, Horror.......2007-10-06
This is not your usual Horror film, filled with blood and violence. This takes me back to the time where you sat in a dark theater. When you and your date would jump at the same time. And you would see some people covering their eyes, so as not to jump the next time.
Yes this movie is a supernatural tale. And it is scary. There is more then one part that will make you jump. And that is what I like about this movie. It can scare you without all the unnecessary violence and blood. The level of expectation is kept up throughout the whole movie. It kept my suspense level almost peaked the entire movie.
The story is well written. It gives you time to think. And the horror seems to never end. Just keeps coming and coming...it will keep you on the edge of your seat.
I would recommend watching this in a dark room with friends. Those who scream and jump will just add to the suspense for you.
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Grudge 2 is a spooky installment in Takashi Shimizu's hardworking Ju-on/Grudge series of horror pictures. It doesn't carry the disorienting thrill of the very first Japanese Ju-on features, but it's a lot creepier than anybody could have expected. The story picks up from the end of the first Hollywood version of The Grudge, and has nothing to do with Ju-on 2, Shimizu's Japanese sequel. Sarah Michelle Gellar returns (a distinctly supporting role) as an American woman traumatized by her experiences with a haunted house in Tokyo; younger sister Amber Tamblyn flies over to help out. This particular storyline doesn't have much meat on it; the murder house is still there, and people who go inside have a disconcerting habit of dropping dead. Fortunately, two other plots thread into the basic one: a group of American schoolgirls in Tokyo become intrigued by the legend of the house, and some Chicago apartment dwellers are unsettled by domestic anxiety and the weird sounds coming from next door. (This storyline, featuring Jennifer Beals, gives the film its extremely satisfying opening sequence.)
As usual with these movies, sequences come to us in non-chronological order, and it's up to us to piece it together. You can guess where the film is going, but the slow trajectory toward its final sequences is surprisingly involving. The movie was widely panned upon its release, which says more about the presumption of the law of diminishing sequel returns than the film itself--it's a decent little horror flick. --Robert Horton
Customer Reviews:
A HIGHLY IMPRESSIVE SEQUEL.......2007-10-25
Getting off of school, teenager Allison, (Arielle Kebbel) decides to go with high-school friends Vanessa, (Teresa Palmer) and Miyuki, (Misako Uno) when they decide to visit a supposedly cursed house nearby. At the same time in California, Aubrey Davis, (Amber Tamblyn) learns that her sister Karen, (Sarah Michelle Gellar) has been injured in Japan and flies out to see her. When she dies soon afterward in a freak accident, she becomes even more suspicious. Deciding to investigate the incident, she finds what her sister had found about the curse the house had. As the three students are terrorized and killed off one-by-one, she tries to do more detective work and is able to find the cause of the curse. Determined to end it before it gets any further, she tries to end it once and for all.
The Good News: This here wasn't that bad at all. Whenever this one was focused on the ghosts or the haunting, this is great fun and one of the better versions around of this type. This has some of the best ghost gags ever, and nearly each one of them is worthy of causing a jump or even some great feelings of suspense. From appearing behind virtually everything in the set to the manifestations that occur from out of nowhere to the hallucinations or visions that no one else sees, this manages to include a large amount of ghostly activity that make for some incredible shock scenes. There's really no real top scare, there's so many of them here that are a lot of fun. Practically anything in the first-introduced storyline are just plain superb, with special mention of the absolutely chilling meeting between the young survivor and the nonbeliever which turns into one of the greatest gags possible that really sends shivers down the spine. The bathroom encounter is really good and creepy, while the hospital hallway chase is chilling. The sudden shock appearances are chilling. The later ones do just as much with just as great a chill, leaving this one incredibly solid throughout when it comes with it's ghostly happenings. The special thing about this is that there's so many of them due to it's longer running time and more opportunities to allow such things to go on. That helps out tremendously. The other factor that works is that this one really does have a great conclusion. With the three subplots going on that rarely have anything at all to do with each other, this one here manages to include a great conclusion that wraps up all three at once and keeps the interest there. A really nice addition, and one to a really decent film.
The Bad News: There's not a whole lot wrong with this one. One of the biggest problems is the triple subplots going on. Each one could've been a solid film themselves, yet adding them together ruins the other ones. It takes the time away to develop anything of importance beyond some visual gags. Only one of them means much of anything in terms of discovering anything about the plot's mysteries. That means that the other two are there for shock effect, and it really takes a toll when it constantly switches around to one of the others right when something interesting has been built up in the investigation. That's when having so many different subplots in a film is a weakness, when it must sacrifice the more interesting and needed subplot to delve time into the others, when the one that needs the most amount of time on-screen should be getting the higher priority. Even worse in this case is that one of them serves no purpose other than as a gag at the end which isn't even needed at all and takes up time. There's nothing necessary about it being there and it means nothing to the film if it would've been dropped out. These flaws lower this one slightly.
The Final Verdict: This here wasn't that bad when it decided to focus on the haunting side while everything else resulted in headaches. Fans of the particular genre, the Japanese remake trend or the first one should give this one a try, while those looking for more extreme fare or less clichés should heed caution.
FANTASTIC!.......2007-10-19
Now this film is better than,
the ring 1&2 japonise, the ring 1&2 remake
The Grudge 1&2 japonise and the grudge remake,
it trashes most films
and has chilling and
very twisted moments.
Beats all psycological
horror!
***** 5 STAR
Pointless movie.......2007-09-18
This movie is pointless. Its not particurlarly scary and there is no ending. If they are making The Grudge 3 which I believe they are then they could have skipped from the end of the first film straight into the third one. The whole film was just a cheap cash in on the first one.
Why do all these people keep going into the house anyway??? Sarah Michelle Gellar is a cr*p actress. Thank god she gets her head split open after half an hour!
The grudge 2.......2007-09-02
Aubrey attempts to figure out the mystery behind the strange goings-on related to a house that has hospitalised her sister. She teams up with a journalist and the pair embark on a trip to the Japanese countryside, hoping to visit the mother of one of the house's original inhabitants.
Amazing acting form amber, the scaries film of 2006,
possibly even beats saw 3!
AWFUL.......2007-07-29
TERRIBLE MOVIE BORING, USED THE SAME SCARE TACTICS OVER AND OVER SO IT BECAME COMICAL AND MONOTONOUS
Customer Reviews:
Classic Japanese Horror.......2008-03-09
This film really is vastly superior to it's Hollywood remake. Tense and atmospheric, with far better acting, and completely lacking in the hollow gloss of the American version. The fear of these Japanese actors is far more real than anything I saw in the American version, and what's more, the mood of the film is far more expertly crafted; subtle.
It concerns a family who have gone missing, and several social workers who are sent out to investigate their apparently abandoned home. What follows are a series of sinister and genuinely unsettling chapters all of which use a very visceral and striking directorial approach, which is characteristic of Japanese horror films. Lurking cats, oddly creepy children and the frequent use of striking visual imagery are all used to great effect.
That's what makes this film so enjoyable: a great sense of style, subtlety, supernatural suspense, and some genuinely creepy scenes. Which all goes to show that excessive gore and half-naked, blonde American actresses are superfluous to great horror films.
Truly Chilling Japanese Horror........2008-01-23
Thankfully I saw this before the (idiot-friendly) American remake with Buffy in it. This is a very dark film. It has all the atmosphere and full fat strangeness that was lacking in the remake. Basically the central theme is about a cursed house and the way it affects all the unfortunate people who come into contact with it. Note: it does not have a happy ending. The message seems to be that revenge is is circular and infinite. The film relies on psychological horror rather than tiresome shlock and this is what makes it so effective. This also means that the average hollywood teen slasher fest viewer will probably not find this of interest.
Slow-burning, intelligent horror that is genuinely creepy........2007-10-22
By now, most audiences will be fairly familiar with the Japanese series of films known as Ju On: The Grudge; the phenomenally successful saga that began with the straight to video projects Ju On: The Curse, parts 1 and 2 - in which jealousy and adultery in a quaint Japanese suburb leads to an awful murder that marks the house for anyone who subsequently enters it - right the way through to the larger-budgeted Hollywood remake of the film in question and it's equally glossy sequel. Subsequent films following on from The Curse have taken the initial murder as their starting point and created around it a film of loosely connected horror vignettes; mostly in which a series of hapless characters end up in the film's iconic haunted house and then find themselves marked for death by the two most prominent apparitions of the story.
If you have already seen the American re-make of The Grudge with Sarah Michelle Geller then there's a good chance that this Japanese original will come as something of shock. Unlike its US counterpart, this grudge features no real central character and has no real plot development (at least, not in the traditional sense). I personally don't see this as a bad thing, as it allows director Takashi Shimizu to concentrate on crafting a number of scenes of gripping high tension - as the collection of disparate innocents who unknowingly come into contact with the infamous house must come to turns with the unexplainable horror that is happening all around them - but obviously, viewers who look for things like narrative closure, explanations of plot developments and something approaching a hero that they can root for might be sorely disappointed.
As I mentioned above, this version of The Grudge instead strings together a series of inter-woven scenes that establish the significance of the curse whist setting up a number of fantastic, edge-of-your seat moments of haunted house horror. This isn't a gritty gore-fest with annoying, smug, ultra-cynical characters (as seems to be the trend with much contemporary horror - think Wolf Creek, Hostel, Cabin Fever, The Hills Have Eyes remake and 28 Weeks Later) but rather, the kind of horror that should appeal to anyone who has had to walk home late at night through an empty park and felt the presence of someone (or something) following closely behind. Your heart starts racing as you quicken your step and become convinced that you can hear footsteps rapidly approaching from the left of your shoulder! When you finally pick up the courage to turn around and look, you realise your mind has been playing tricks on you, but the thrill was still heart-stopping regardless.
I prefer this kind of horror, which is why I'm such a huge fan of the horror films coming out of Japan, China and North Korea; great works like The Eye trilogy, Wishing Stairs, Abnormal Beauty, Premonition, Infection, Chaos, A Tale of Two Sisters and Takashi Shimizu's own Grudge-follow up Reincarnation. It's slow moving and slow building, almost ambient even; often coming at you from the rear speakers rather than full and on in your face, which for me, really creates a great, eerie atmosphere that works perfectly if you're watching it at 1:30 AM and have to pause for a toilet break and to let the dog out to stretch her legs.
Unlike a lot of his American contemporaries, Takashi Shimizu realises that horror isn't about what you see, but what you don't see, and with this in mind he saves any prolonged glimpses of our ghostly antagonists until right towards the very end. He also manages to create a wonderful feeling of isolation, alienation and hopeless emptiness; not only from the haunted house so central to the story, but even in the brightly-lit suburban streets, schools, office blocks and apartment buildings that our characters inhabit. The film is also shot very simply and traditionally, with none of the hyper-cutting and frantic camera movements of western horror, which again, gives the Grudge a more believable and authentic feeling that only heightens the senses of horror and tension. This is also helped by the wonderful performances of the cast who manage to ably convey the right sense of fraught emotion without descending into screaming histrionics.
For me, The Grudge is great horror. I'm not even going to call it great Japanese horror because it goes even beyond that. This is horror for those who want chills rather than spills, and those who like to invest some serious time in something that is slower, more deliberate and more dramatic than the usual stalk and slash type stuff (not that I don't love that kind of horror as well, but it's nice to have an intelligent alternative). As mentioned previously, there will be some viewers who won't want to invest their time in such a film that has no obvious sense of narrative and no single identifiable character, but at the end of the day, that's their decision. But they're clearly missing out!
BETTER THAN THE AMERICAN REMAKE.......2007-08-07
Rika Nishina (Megumi Okina) works for a social services agency in Tokyo, although she's never seen any clients. When a new case comes in and they're short on staff, her boss has to send her out. Her first case is a doozy. When she enters the client's home, no one seems to be there, and the house is a mess. She hears scraping on a door--the old woman she is to care for is there, but in a semi-catatonic state. Soon after, she learns that there is much more wrong than bad housekeeping and a neglected old woman. There just may be threatening supernatural forces behind the scenes.
This film is really the third in the Japanese Ju-On series. I won't usually watch a series out of order I was very anxious to watch the American remake, The Grudge (2004), and actually watched it the day before watching this film.
The first 40-something minutes are closest to the American remake, but it was surprising that this film is much more linear. It's also more episodic. Neither of those facts are negative here, and both lend to a somewhat easier understanding of the broader mythology behind the Ju-On "monsters", which is presented much more clearly in this film. However, the episodic nature also means that the viewer has to pay attention to the various characters and their names, or there is a good chance that one will get lost--this story touches on many different people, in many different scenarios. Occasionally, there are characters brought into each other's episodes, sometimes as subtly as a name mentioned in a news report. These cross-references, which can also slightly break the linear timeline, are effective if one is alert.
There are things that writer/director Takashi Shimizu does better in this version, and things he does better in the American version. In this version, I loved the brutal opening sequence. Although it's somewhat present towards the end of the American version, it is much more effective here. I enjoyed the more traditional Japanese home--this film was shot on location in an actual house, whereas the American remake was shot on a house constructed on a soundstage. The Japanese house is more claustrophobic. On the other hand, the soundstage house was a bit grungier, which works nicely in the context of the remake. I liked this film's transition in the famous "stair crawling" scene (although I thought the flashbacks weren't necessary), and I also loved some of the more dissonant music here.
The biggest differences occur after the first forty minutes, when Shimizu expands the number of monsters. The film seems to threaten a Romero-like plague that I'd like to see explored more in other Ju-On films (if that hasn't been done already).
The bottom line though is that this is a nicely atmospheric horror film, with a creepy scene per minute. There were a couple very minor flaws--occasionally awkward performances or editing being the primary one, but overall this is highly recommended. It earned a 9 out of 10 from me.
Right up there with the very best horror films.......2007-06-22
This is without question one of my favourite modern (and ever) horror films. I can't remember the last time that a modern horror film genuinely scared me this much. I know it is a boring cliche to say it but I find that most modern horror films rely too much on blood and guts, not that there is anything wrong with blood and guts in a horror movie but as long as it is actually scary first, the gore should be a bonus if anything and also a lot of modern horror films that I have seen have too much comedy and teen attitude in them with an MTV soundtrack on top. It is almost as if the director wants to appeal to the trendy brigade first and scare them second.
One of the great things about this film for me is that when I first saw the house I was a bit disappointed as I did not find it in any way creepy, but it really did fool me because once the first scare happened from then onwards the house gave me the creeps everytime it came on screen, so now everytime I watch it on repeated viewing the house will always be creepy from the start. The music is great also which is important to me in a horror movie and always adds to the creepiness.
I am not going to mention the story as I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it but one thing I will say is, that those stair crawling scenes almost scare me to the point of ringing for an ambulance, truly horrible. In about ten to twenty years time I am absolutely certain that this will be right up there with the best horror movies ever made and I honestly can't say that about most modern horror films for reasons I have already mentioned.
So if you like ghost story type horror movies or horror in general and aren't put off by subtitles but are put off by thinking that this will be all hyped up like most modern horror films usually are, then don't because you really will be missing out and I say that as somebody who has seen all types of horror movies old and new. Just remember as with all horror films, watch it at night with the lights off.
Customer Reviews:
A sequel too far........2008-01-23
I have to disagree with some of the previous reviewers. Having recently re-watched both Ju-Ons (the cinematic versions) I think this is a hugely inferior film. It doesn't have the atmosphere or chills of the first, although this must partly be due to the fact that we have already been exposed to the first film. I think that Ju-On was really a film to stand on its own and does not need a sequel. Right from the start of this I found myself getting bored and wanting to watch something else.
(BTW I know that Ju-On is a remake of an 80s TV movie, but having never seen it I can't really comment on that.)
Just a bit more of the same ...........2008-01-23
I really enjoyed the first Ju-On (Grudge) movie and found it genuinely scary. What a shame the same can't be said for this sequel.
If you've not seen the first instalment then you might find this scary in places - however if you have seen the first - you won't!
There is no story build-up as there is with the original and the imagery is exactly the same in both movies so there's nothing to surprise you.
A real disappointment.
In my opinion; this is easily as great - and perhaps even more terrifying - than the first instalment........2007-10-30
By now, most audiences will be fairly familiar with the Japanese series of films known as Ju On: The Grudge; the phenomenally successful saga that began with the straight to video projects Ju On: The Curse, parts 1 and 2 - in which jealousy and adultery in a quaint Japanese suburb leads to an awful murder that marks the house for anyone who subsequently enters it - right the way through to the larger-budgeted Hollywood remake of the film and it's equally glossy sequel. Subsequent films following on from The Curse have taken the initial murder as their starting point and created around it a film of loosely connected horror vignettes, mostly in which a series of hapless characters end up in the film's iconic haunted house and then find themselves marked for death by the two most prominent apparitions of the story.
If you have already seen the American re-make of The Grudge with Sarah Michelle Geller then there's a good chance that this follow up to the Japanese original will come as something of shock. Unlike its US counterpart, this grudge features no real central character and has no real plot development (at least, not in the traditional sense). I personally don't see this as a bad thing, as it allows director Takashi Shimizu to concentrate on crafting a number of scenes of gripping high tension - as the collection of disparate innocents (this time a TV crew shooting a horror film based upon the events of the original film) who unknowingly come into contact with the infamous house and then must come to terms with the unexplainable horror that is happening all around them. However, viewers who look for things like narrative closure, explanations of plot developments and something approaching a hero that they can root for might be sorely disappointed.
As I mentioned above, this version of The Grudge instead strings together a series of inter-woven scenes that establish the significance of the curse whist setting up a number of fantastic, edge-of-your seat moments of haunted house horror. This isn't a gritty gore-fest with annoying, smug, ultra-cynical characters (as seems to be the trend with much contemporary horror - think Wolf Creek, Hostel, Cabin Fever, The Hills Have Eyes remake and 28 Weeks Later) but rather, the kind of horror that should appeal to anyone who has had to walk home late at night through an empty park and felt the presence of someone (or something) following closely behind. Your heart starts racing as you quicken your step and become convinced that you can hear footsteps rapidly approaching from the left of your shoulder! When you finally pick up the courage to turn around and look, you realise your mind has been playing tricks on you, but the thrill was still heart-stopping regardless.
I prefer this kind of horror, which is why I'm such a huge fan of the horror films coming out of Japan, China and North Korea; great works like The Eye trilogy, Wishing Stairs, Abnormal Beauty, Premonition, Infection, Chaos, A Tale of Two Sisters and Takashi Shimizu's own Grudge-follow up Reincarnation. It's slow moving and slow building, almost ambient even; often coming at you from the rear speakers rather than full and on in your face, which for me, really creates a great, eerie atmosphere that works perfectly if you're watching it at 1:30 AM and have to pause for a toilet break and to let the dog out to stretch her legs.
Unlike a lot of his American contemporaries, Takashi Shimizu realises that horror isn't about what you see, but what you don't see, and with this in mind he saves any prolonged glimpses of our ghostly antagonists until right towards the very end. He also manages to create a wonderful feeling of isolation, alienation and hopeless emptiness; not only from the haunted house so central to the story, but even in the brightly-lit suburban streets, schools, office blocks and apartment buildings that our characters inhabit. The film is also shot very simply and traditionally, with none of the hyper-cutting and frantic camera movements of western horror, which again, gives the Grudge a more believable and authentic feeling that only heightens the senses of horror and tension. This is also helped by the wonderful performances of the cast who manage to ably convey the right sense of fraught emotion without descending into screaming histrionics.
For me, The Grudge 2 is easily as great the first instalment; although some viewers may find the more outrageous elements of the closing scenes to be a little too much (I'm guessing the planned third instalment will pick up on and explain some of these ideas, but we'll have to wait and see). This is horror for those who want chills rather than spills, and those who like to invest some serious time in something that is slower, more deliberate and more dramatic than the usual stalk and slash type stuff (not that I don't love that kind of horror as well, but it's nice to have an intelligent alternative). As mentioned previously, there will be some viewers who won't want to invest their time in such a film that has no obvious sense of narrative and no single identifiable character, but at the end of the day, that's their decision. But they're clearly missing out!
a pale imitation of a sequel.......2007-06-22
Sequels are a bit like the infamous "difficult 2nd Album", in that they are difficult to do well. Some almost succeed but are not quite up to the original, such as Die Hard and Die Harder (ludicrous title don't you think?), some are better on every level (I'm thinking Spiderman and Spiderman 2 here), and some succeed by being totally different films (Alien and Aliens for example). However, many are simply pale imitations of their predecessors, and it is into this trap that Grudge 2 stumbles and falls.
Essentially Grudge 2 gives us more of the same as we got in the first film, picking up the story of the haunted house and the curse that dwells there an indeterminable length of time after the events of the first film. A group of documentary makers discover the urban legend surrounding the house, and decide to make a program about it, including their special guest star, a movie actress known as "the Queen of horror" Kyoko (Noriko Sakai). Needless to say, once again the house begins to wreak its terrible effect on the film-makers, cast and crew, as restless and vengeful spirits Kayako (Takako Fuji) and Toshio (Yuya Ozeki) exact their terrible retribution. Thrown into this very similar plot (hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it) is a subplot concerning Kyoko's unborn child, which may or may not be hers following an encounter with little Toshio.
Whilst the film uses much the same techniques as the first film (a distinctly unnerving use of sound effects, a non linear narrative, a creeping sense of dread and very little explicit violence) it fails to form a coherent whole. The first film demanded your attention and rewarded you as a result, and this demands the same of the viewer, but unfortunately seems rushed and more than a little unfocused in a lot of places. I actually find it hard to believe that this film was written and directed by the same man as the first film, Takashi Shimizu, because although it shares a similar style with the first film, it is in no way the equal of it.
Weird Voices.......2007-03-20
Hi I watched this film by mistake I thought it was the American version. However, I was pleasently surprised it had a reasonably good storyline but to be honest I had to watch it twice to figure out what was going on.
I actually watched half of the film in Japanese before I realised I had forgotten to put the dubbed English on. I reccommend you not to put these on as you will hear some REALLY WEIRD DUBBING I am quite sure they could have got better voice overs.
Watch it itsworth renting
Customer Reviews:
Terror in another dimension!.......2008-02-07
A little background, first.
What Shimizu did
--> 2000: Juon - The Curse (TV version)
--> 2000: Juon - The Curse 2 (TV version)
--> 2003: Juon - The Grudge (Theatrical version)
--> 2003: Juon - The Grudge 2 (Theatrical version)
--> 2004: The Grudge (American remake)
--> 2006: The Grudge 2(American remake)
--> 2008: Juon - The Grudge 3
So, if you haven't seen any of the previous films, you will get confused.
But on the second viewing of each movie in this boxset, you'll get the meaning...
In this boxset we have the theatrical versions, made in 2003, with one extra DVD disc for each one.
Juon The Grudge - Two disc Special Collector's edition:
Maybe the the best horror film i have ever seen(this one and The Exorxist are my favourites). From the script to actors, camera angles and the genius soundtrack, it's certain that it will scare you to death.
Excellent transform to DVD-Video disc, clear colour pallete. It also includes DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks.
The second DVD includes
--> The cutting room floor(5 deleted scenes with audio commentary)
--> Through a glass darkly(exclusive interview with the director)
--> Whispers in the dark(exclusive interview with the leading actress)
--> Fade to black(exclusive interview with co-stars)
--> Alternate ending with director commentary
--> Juon true stories featurette
--> 4 exclusive behind the scenes featurettes
--> Walking in the shadows(the making of)
--> Exclusive feature-lenght audio commentary with Asian cinema expert, Bey Logan
It's all satisfying, but i wish there could be more...
Juon The Grudge 2 - Two disc Special Collector's edition:
One of the best sequels out there. Apart from a slight slow mid-story in the middle of the film, the other stories make you live with the characters, feel what they are afraid of. Towards the end it gets trully horrifying, but not scarier than the original(Juon The Grudge 1). Picture and sound are also in perfect quality, including the DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks.
The second DVD includes
--> The curse continued(the making of, interview with the director)
--> Deleted scenes
--> House of horrors(extended scenes, cast diaries, Grudge 2 DVD-ROM game)
--> Feature-lenght audio commentary by Bey Logan
Again, it's all satisfying, but i wish there could be more...
So, this is a 4 disc Special Collector's edition of the Juon movies in 2003. Japanese audio, English subtitles, superior video and audio quality, 1 extras DVD disc per movie. A valuable boxset of the J-horror anthology.
Do you like J-horror?
Do NOT rent in. Buy it!
For me it's a part of my horror bible.
PS. I am looking for the boxset of the first two movies also, but i haven't found them on Amazon, though i know it exists a region 3 DVD boxset.
Customer Reviews:
Slow-burning, intelligent horror that is genuinely creepy........2008-02-21
By now, most audiences will be fairly familiar with the Japanese series of films known as Ju On: The Grudge; the phenomenally successful saga that began with the straight to video projects Ju On: The Curse, parts 1 and 2 - in which jealousy and adultery in a quaint Japanese suburb leads to an awful murder that marks the house for anyone who subsequently enters it - right the way through to the larger-budgeted Hollywood remake of the film in question and it's equally glossy sequel. Subsequent films following on from The Curse have taken the initial murder as their starting point and created around it a film of loosely connected horror vignettes; mostly in which a series of hapless characters end up in the film's iconic haunted house and then find themselves marked for death by the two most prominent apparitions of the story. If you have already seen the American re-make of The Grudge with Sarah Michelle Geller then there's a good chance that this Japanese original will come as something of shock. Unlike its US counterpart, this grudge features no real central character and has no real plot development (at least, not in the traditional sense). I personally don't see this as a bad thing, as it allows director Takashi Shimizu to concentrate on crafting a number of scenes of gripping high tension - as the collection of disparate innocents who unknowingly come into contact with the infamous house must come to turns with the unexplainable horror that is happening all around them - but obviously, viewers who look for things like narrative closure, explanations of plot developments and something approaching a hero that they can root for might be sorely disappointed.
As I mentioned above, this version of The Grudge instead strings together a series of inter-woven scenes that establish the significance of the curse whist setting up a number of fantastic, edge-of-your seat moments of haunted house horror. This isn't a gritty gore-fest with annoying, smug, ultra-cynical characters (as seems to be the trend with much contemporary horror - think Wolf Creek, Hostel, Cabin Fever, The Hills Have Eyes remake and 28 Weeks Later) but rather, the kind of horror that should appeal to anyone who has had to walk home late at night through an empty park and felt the presence of someone (or something) following closely behind. Your heart starts racing as you quicken your step and become convinced that you can hear footsteps rapidly approaching from the left of your shoulder! When you finally pick up the courage to turn around and look, you realise your mind has been playing tricks on you, but the thrill was still heart-stopping regardless.
I prefer this kind of horror, which is why I'm such a huge fan of the horror films coming out of Japan, China and North Korea; great works like The Eye trilogy, Wishing Stairs, Abnormal Beauty, Premonition, Infection, Chaos, A Tale of Two Sisters and Takashi Shimizu's own Grudge-follow up Reincarnation. It's slow moving and slow building, almost ambient even; often coming at you from the rear speakers rather than full and on in your face, which for me, really creates a great, eerie atmosphere that works perfectly if you're watching it at 1:30 AM and have to pause for a toilet break and to let the dog out to stretch her legs. Unlike a lot of his American contemporaries, Takashi Shimizu realises that horror isn't about what you see, but what you don't see, and with this in mind he saves any prolonged glimpses of our ghostly antagonists until right towards the very end. He also manages to create a wonderful feeling of isolation, alienation and hopeless emptiness; not only from the haunted house so central to the story, but even in the brightly-lit suburban streets, schools, office blocks and apartment buildings that our characters inhabit. The film is also shot very simply and traditionally, with none of the hyper-cutting and frantic camera movements of western horror, which again, gives the Grudge a more believable and authentic feeling that only heightens the senses of horror and tension. This is also helped by the wonderful performances of the cast who manage to ably convey the right sense of fraught emotion without descending into screaming histrionics.
For me, The Grudge is great horror. I'm not even going to call it great Japanese horror because it goes even beyond that. This is horror for those who want chills rather than spills, and those who like to invest some serious time in something that is slower, more deliberate and more dramatic than the usual stalk and slash type stuff (not that I don't love that kind of horror as well, but it's nice to have an intelligent alternative). As mentioned previously, there will be some viewers who won't want to invest their time in such a film that has no obvious sense of narrative and no single identifiable character, but at the end of the day, that's their decision. But they're clearly missing out!
Right up there with the very best horror films.......2007-05-24
This is without question one of my favourite modern (and ever) horror films. I can't remember the last time that a modern horror film genuinely scared me this much. I know it is a boring cliche to say it but I find that most modern horror films rely too much on blood and guts, not that there is anything wrong with blood and guts in a horror movie but as long as it is actually scary first, the gore should be a bonus if anything and also a lot of modern horror films that I have seen have too much comedy and teen attitude in them with an MTV soundtrack on top. It is almost as if the director wants to appeal to the trendy brigade first and scare them second.
One of the great things about this film for me is that when I first saw the house I was a bit disappointed as I did not find it in any way creepy, but it really did fool me because once the first scare happened from then onwards the house gave me the creeps everytime it came on screen, so now everytime I watch it on repeated viewing the house will always be creepy from the start. The music is great also which is important to me in a horror movie and always adds to the creepiness.
I am not going to mention the story as I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it but one thing I will say is, that those stair crawling scenes almost scare me to the point of ringing for an ambulance, truly horrible. In about ten to twenty years time I am absolutely certain that this will be right up there with the best horror movies ever made and I honestly can't say that about most modern horror films for reasons I have already mentioned.
There is one more thing that I will mention and that is this blue case two disc special version, if you like your extras on DVD's then this is definitely the one you should buy if you don't own this already. I own this version myself and I can tell you it has plenty of extras including interviews, behind the scenes, footage of some recordings telling strange stories, English commentary and an option to watch it dubbed in English language. At the time of writing it is also only about two pounds more expensive than the normal version, trust me it is an absolute bargain at just under £7 as I have a feeling that this version will become rare.
So if you like ghost story type horror movies or horror in general and are put off by thinking that this will be all hyped up like most modern horror films usually are, then don't because you really will be missing out and I say that as somebody who has seen all types of horror movies old and new. Just remember as with all horror films, watch it at night with the lights off.
Fantastically Chilling.......2006-04-04
The Grudge or Ju on is an immensly tight film using a great deal from the power of suggestion from the viewers mind.
I got into Asian horror a couple of years back, and since then I have never looked back!
The art form of horror is always beautifully and hypnotically suspended in all the films I have watched and the Grudge although far more simplistic in its message than most holds true to that.
The performances by all the central characters are highly impressive especially that of the ghostly little boy who emits such a horrible sound, the use of sound is indeed one of the largest things that carries this film.
If you like creepy eerie movies BUY THIS NOW!
The remake starring sarah michelle geller is not bad but you can't beat any of the originals, if you can always watch the original first so that none of the shocks are limited in their capacity to scare you...
The grudge will scare you........2006-02-11
I watched this film recently and it scared me,no doubt about it.This film is one of the scariet films ever made and thats what the experts say and i don't disagree with them.
The story is about a house that harbours a curse and releases it upon any people who enter it,with frightening consequences.
The dvd i watched was the region 2 version that was released on DVD on February 21, 2005 it is a newer version that has loads of extras on it including an alternative ending and you can watch the film dubbed which isn't bad at all really.
If you are wanting to purchase this version i have just described,check it has these options on it and check the release date is the one that i have stated in this review,because there are other versions out.
Not many horrors better than this one,excellent.
UK DVD:
- Halloween 4
- Halloween II [1981]
- Haunting, The [1999]
- Hellraiser 1-3 [4-disc Box Set] [1987]
- Hollow Man [2000]
- How the West Was Won [1962] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- In the Mouth of Madness [1995] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- I Spit On Your Grave [1978]
- Ju-On - The Grudge [2003]
- Lake Placid 2 [2007]
UK DVD List
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