Ju-on: The Grudge Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: After a crazed husband kills his wife and son, a curse is created that spreads to anyone that goes into the home or comes into contact with those who have.

Review: This is probably the story many are more familiar with, compared to "Ju-on: The Curse," since this is pretty much the plotline of the first two American films, and this is the easiest version to track down. Unlike the first two movies, this film tries to add a main character to that scattered storytelling-formula in the form of Rika (love that name!) played impressively by Megumi Okina. It definitely helped to have a lead character this time since the audience needed someone to guide the narrative or that we can identify with. Other than the addition of Rika, there are many new elements added to bring the running time to full-length compared to the first two; however, there were certain plot elements that were removed/added that weaken the film. The good: more fleshed out concepts with the family that moved into the Saeki home as they become a primary source of scares with each meeting an interesting demise. The presentation of each of the family members was cool since this allowed for some new ideas to see Kayako at work. There were some incredible setups that are still effective no matter how many times you see them like when Kayako appears on the security cameras. I will say that the husband's palm tree-looking hair did bother me though. There's a creative interpretation of how time works in the house and with the ghosts that feels imaginative. For example, one of the cops that worked on an earlier case involving the home tries to burn it down but is distracted by an older version of his daughter. Likewise, the daughter is revealed to have seen this cop (her dad) in the future. This could possibly address the issue of why the ghosts appear more human looking occasionally and then other times scary. Are the ghosts becoming more malevolent and powerful as their sense of time goes on? Lastly, there was just an overall sense of improvement with scares, story, atmosphere, and direction; for the most part, everything felt improved save for a few aspects. A major change that didn't work was Kayako looking noticeably less scary with lighter makeup and wig-like hair. I don't understand why, with a bigger budget, they made Kayako look so normal especially considering how creepy she looked in the first entry. I definitely did not like that there was even less background information on how the curse began. I get that they may not have wanted to repeat too much, but so little is told about the Saeki family in this entry. In fact, if this is the only entry you watch, you will know next to nothing about how this all started. The time concepts I liked can be confusing since there are multiple moments where you are thinking "what the fuck?" like Rika's friend saying Toshio is her student (huh?). Or the fact that the film implies people can be doing things as a ghost before they even died (what?!). So people can haunt themselves? Ghosts are time travelers? I don't really get it, but I do like that the film tries to show us that these ghosts exist in some kind of different dimension where the rules of time and space do not function the same. Finally, the ending does not make much sense (yet again). My best interpretation is that the film implies Rika (and perhaps others) will become a part of Kayako since I suppose she is more of an evil force than an actual ghost of her living self. I know others have interpreted it that Rika is taking Kayako's place as the ghost but obviously the sequels disprove that, and also because it wouldn't fit the theme that the curse is like a plague spreading to everyone who goes into the house or interacts with someone who went in. Despite my gripes, this is a really scary film and it is no wonder it has become a classic. There were so many new and creative ideas in this film that it felt so unique at the time compared to anything people were used to. This is a definite recommendation since it is essential horror viewing and a must for Japanese horror specifically. But, even though I rated this film higher, I still prefer "Ju-on: The Curse" since most of its flaws could have been fixed with more money, and that film felt like it had more heart.

Notable Moment: So many cool moments, but I liked when Izumi is attacked by the ghosts of her friends.

Final Rating: 7.5/10