Amazon.com: 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
THE PLOT IS MUDDLED, BUT THE CREEPINESS IS GENUINE The characters in THE GRUDE have little, or no purpose ( except as fodder for the demon, or vengeful spirit ), in this elliptical tale that earns its scares without resorting to the usual splatterfest methods so prevalent in most American horror movies. Linearity, and coherence are pretty much missing in the storyline, however, and make viewing the film a liitle hard at times. It's not a great movie, but it does have it's moments.
Grudgingly I'd watch it again, but it's not something i'd waste money on. I'd see it, just for a good story, but borrow it from a friend or somethin'.
A Seriously Creepy Knock-off of 'The Ring' There's no question that Grudge is more interested in scares than substance, but in a genre currently dominated by 'torture-porn' the film's determined creepiness is a welcome respite from gratuitous blood-letting.
In many ways Grudge is just an expansion on the scares offered by 'The Ring'. You have a similarly creepy little girl who spends her days in the afterlife scaring random strangers (literally) to death. She's joined by her slightly less creepy little brother *EDIT , and together they unleash their malice upon the world - until Sarah Michelle Gellar arrives on the scene.
*EDIT it seems I "should have known" this is actually a grown woman, and the little boy is her son. Also, they do not scare at random. No, these are well organized, probably unionized, hauntings. EDIT*
The infamous gurgling sound and huge round eyes are effectively creepy additions to the line-up, and the film does a good job of creating an atmosphere of unease and isolation. Why the poor little children have a grudge is revealed piecemeal, but essentially there's nothing to the plot we haven't seen before.
A good horror film with some genuinely scary moments, this makes a good addition to a horror fan's collection. DVD includes making-of, commentary, and 'fear response in film' extra.
What Offal Is This? This movie stank. Had a good scene or two but made zero sense if you examined its plot. And then there was the chick killed while she was hiding under the blanket. Come on, everybody knows covering your head under a blanket makes you invulnerable to monster attack! What rank amateurism...
Yows! I hate strange noises! This was a real surprise movie for me. Having heard this movie mentioned so much, but not knowing the premise is what really caught me off-guard. What a freakin' spooky movie!!! I loved the way the movie was pieced together after each spooky ocurrance, so that you knew what led up to the demise of each individual; instead of trying to guess. I especially liked the fact that it was made in Japan, and the some of the American actors had to try and communicate in Japanese.
Let's see now... cats, attics, cell phones, closets. I think I should try and avoid all those things in the night from now on. What the heck was that noise? What was that little boy doing in my sink?
Oh damn! I gotta' shampoo my hair in the morning (check for extra fingers in scalp), and then take the bus to work (look out for reflections in the window) I don't think I'm ever going to sleep in my bed again. That sofa is looking pretty good from here. Aaaaahhhhhhhhh!
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