Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: Two separate tales involving vengeful spirits: one surrounding the story of a murdered family and the other with an unborn twin.
Review: Before anyone gets all worked up over where Kayako and crew are, these are different curses but in a similar vein as the Saeki murders; this is not to say that there isn't a vague connection to the overall franchise. "Old Lady In White" is the better of the two as we explore the tale of a guy who became possessed and killed his whole family after failing the exam to be a lawyer. Despite the fact that this guy killed his dad, stepmom, sister, grandma, and niece, the grandmother is the one who embodies the curse (probably because the makers figured she would look scariest). There are some interesting ideas as this time the curse seems to spread to anyone who comes into contact with anyone or anything connected to the murders. This includes more police investigating the case and unfortunately the father of the main girl, Akane, who was a nice guy. Again, the story is much darker in these direct to video entries as we see a large chunk of the story dedicated to the fact that the killer was molesting the niece. Akane feels guilty she did not intervene when the two were children, but this leads to the oddest ending of the bunch as the ghost of the niece, Mirai, does not kill Akane but merely returns a toy the two shared. I wasn't sure what to make of this because these films never end on a happy note (if you can call this happy). At the same time, there didn't seem to be any resolution to the story since the curse is still going. It's an intriguing and surprisingly compelling little tale, but it feels like there is a lot more missing to fill in all the gaps especially in regards to why and how the killer was possessed. As for "Girl In Black," this is a much simpler story as we see a young girl, named Fukie, becoming possessed by her unborn twin. The spirit of the twin, I assume, has been slowly feeding energy off of Fukie until it begins to have the strength to manifest and attempt to control the girl. Also, the source of the curse is that the twin is angry that it was not born and wants everyone to feel its fury especially its family. The best part about this one is Fukie's nurse, Yuko, played by Ai Kago of Morning Musume fame. If you may recall to many of my reviews I mention this J-pop group as one I especially love. Not only does she do a great job but she looks cute all grown up! Anyway, this story isn't all that scary and felt like a huge let down as Fukie's aunt, a spiritualist of sorts, seemingly exorcises the twin only to realize she removed Fukie's spirit and left the evil twin behind. Fukie's mom commits suicide with her soulless body, but somehow the twin is unleashed and presumably kills my dear Yuko! And that is pretty much how that one ends after you piece together the order of events. Ugh, neither of these stories have good endings, but at least "Old Lady In White" left you feeling better and even a little hopeful. Both segments have decent atmosphere and a refreshing take on the franchise, but neither felt all that scary and "Girl In Black" feels much more shallow and empty. Finally, let me try to piece together the best explanation of how these two tales could be connected to the original Saeki haunting since we do see pointless shots of Toshio. I believe it is quite possible that the house that "Old Lady In White" takes place in could be the original Saeki home remodeled. One indication is that the mom finds a photo of the Saeki family lying around, Toshio is hanging out, and because the brother is seemingly possessed by an evil force; we can presume Kayako is absent because she was, in fact, reborn after part 2. As for "Girl In Black," the only connection is that I think the dad in that story road in the same taxi that Akane's dad drove. Other than that, there's no connection, and I could just be using wishful thinking. Overall, these films are decent for what they were and worth a view, but know what you're getting into ahead of time. Above all else, realize Kayako will not be there and enjoy these films on their own merits.
Notable Moment: When the grandma ghost charges at the girl in the bathroom. This really comes out of nowhere and catches the viewer off guard. Although, it is a cheap scare.
Final Rating: 6.5/10
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