The Grudge
Joe Nguyen, staff writer
Nov. 8, 2004

In Takashi Shimizu’s remake of his own "Ju-on: The Grudge," Sarah Michelle Gellar (Scooby Doo, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) stars as Karen Davis, an American exchange student who helps at a social work clinic. She is asked to work at a house that has some very dark secrets.

Now I wasn’t a big fan of "Ju-on: The Grudge" because of its confusing storyline and overuse of dramatic music. No doubt it probably would have been a much more enjoyable experience if I had known that it was actually the third installment in the series. Luckily, the producers of this remake figured that out and filled the storyline much better, using elements from the first installment of the series as well as fixed the ending, which (being Hollywood) left a hole for a sequel. After making $75 million in its first two weeks, it's no doubt the second one will be coming soon.

One of the pleasant surprises I found in this film was an appearance by Ryo Ishibashi as Detective Nakagawa. For those of you who have seen it, he played Shigeharu Aoyama in Takashi Miike’s "Audition," an eerie, disturbing movie in its own right.

The strength of "The Grudge" lies in its creepiness. Even though I knew that Kayako (The scary albino ghost lady played by Takako Fuji) was coming, chills still ran down my spine. There was one scene I was disappointed that Shimizu left out from the original. *Spoiler* It was where Kayako was over the bed of Rika (JP version of Karen) halfway out of the wall. *End Spoiler*

Jason Behr and Sarah Michelle Gellar in The Grudge

The big problem I had with the film was the story. In both versions, I felt as if I was watching a watered down version of "The Ring." When you think about it, it’s the same basic plot: A curse gets a hold of someone if they watch a tape (like in "The Ring") or enter a house (like in "The Grudge"). The curse takes a hold of them and then they’re doomed. Unfortunately for "The Grudge," it makes no sense why the ghosts would want to curse those who entered the house.

Despite the story, this film will provide you with a lot of jumpy, frightening scenes. A fun experience if you like to be scared.

Joe gives "The Grudge":

Joe Nguyen is a staff writer for asiaXpress.com. You can reach Joe at joe@asiaxpress.com.

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