Written by Takashi Shimizu
Directed by Stephen Susco
Karen: "The whole time I was in that house I felt something was wrong. What happened there?"
The 2000s were the times for horror remakes and sometimes, remakes even involved the people behind them. This American version to 2002's Ju-On: The Grudge was proof of that. I still have to see the original version but I remember liking this one back in the day. I still do tbh.
Sarah Michelle Gellar didn't quite have the big career, post Buffy The Vampire Slayer that she deserved but this was undeniably the most successful film she's been attached and as the lead of. She's also unquestionably fantastic as exchange student/hospice care worker, Karen Davis.
Karen's moved to Tokyo with her boyfriend, Doug (Jason Behr) where she ended up having to look after the dementia stricken Emma Williams (Grace Zabriskie). Emma's got a son named Matthew (William Mopather), daughter named Susan (KaDee Strickland) and daughter in law named Jennifer (Clea DuVall). It's however up to Karen to take care of Emma in a haunted house.
Let's talk about the house. The opening of this film had Kayako Saeki (Takako Fuji) and her son Toshio (Yuya Oseki) murdered by Kayako's jealous husband, Takeo (Takashi Matsuyama) as the latter found out that Kayako had developed feelings for her co-worker, Peter Kirk (Bill Pullman). Peter also died after encountering the ghosts in this film.
The main ghosts were both Toshio and Kayako, with the latter appearing as an onryō. Throughout the film, both restless spirits terrorised everyone they interacted with and there's some genuinely unsettling scenes to watch. It's up to Karen to try and figure things out but if you were hoping for a traditional final girl outcome, you're in for a shock.
It's not a happy outcome for Karen. Not only did she lose her boyfriend, Doug but she also lost her mind. It's a tragic ending for the character while the detective Nakagawa (Ryo Ishibashi) was the one who ended up setting that house on fire to try and end the cycle. Not that it really succeeded, considering Karen's outcome.
- Sam Raimi was a producer while his brother, Ted was cast as Alex, the director of the care centre that stationed Karen and Yoko (Yōko Maki).
- Two sequels and a sidequel were spawned from this movie and came out in 2006, 2009 and 2019 respectively.
- Standout music: Christopher Young's score is rather effective.
- Chronology: Set in Yokyo during 2001 and 2004 respectively.
While I do need to seek out the original, I'm still resolved in saying that I liked this version of The Grudge and I won't change my mind on that. It's genuinely chilling in parts and Sarah Michelle Gellar can do no wrong.
Rating: 7 out of 10
