The Grudge (2004)

Best movie of this year hands down!

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

After the success of the American remake of THE RING, I guess it was inevitable that Hollywood would start producing more versions of Asian horrors. This is their second effort, a virtual scene-for-scene remake of the previous year's JU-on: THE GRUDGE, itself a remake of an earlier film simply titled JU-ON. Confused yet? You will be – as far as I make it, no less than six films have been built around this premise so far, with a seventh (and possibly eighth, knowing Hollywood) on the way. Really, if you've seen the original Japanese version, you have absolutely no reason to see this movie. It's inferior in every respect, and the decision to use sub-par CGI effects in some scenes makes them laughable rather than frightening – the appearance of the ghost hovering above the bed just looks atrocious.The good news is that Sam Raimi produces under his Ghost House banner, which means things are a little less insipid than they would be otherwise. This film is an old-fashioned horror effort that mixes the plots of JU-ON and JU-ON: THE GRUDGE to a sometimes confusing effect. I liked the fact that the focus was on the scares throughout – no padding or time-wasting here, just straight into the fear factor. The inclusion of scenes from JU-ON (which I hadn't seen) kept me on my toes, although everything else was pretty much reproduced from the original, shot-to-shot. This may be because the Japanese director came across, but even so I'd have liked a little more loosening of the apron strings, a little greater variety. Maybe that's just me.The cast isn't great. Japanese actors have a great way of portraying realistic subtlety, so when you see Sarah Michelle Gellar sweating and acting with wide-eyed fear, it doesn't really have the same impact. She's always just acting. The other cast members are pretty bland, and Clea DuVall is STILL awful, ever since I saw her in THE FACULTY. Bill Pullman was pretty good though, while the inclusion of Japanese actors from the original, playing the cursed family, is a nice touch. Being a Sam Raimi production, Ted Raimi inevitably shows up, here playing the head of a care agency, and it's great to see him in a larger supporting role than usual. One thing I did like a LOT was that the film becomes more serious, and more scary, as it progresses. Scenes such as the 'jaw' scare are spot on, while the full-blooded climax doesn't disappoint – it may be that the film actually becomes scarier than the original at this point! So, all in all, this isn't a great film, but it is a pretty good one – better still if you haven't caught the Japanese version.

The Grudge remake in my opinion transcended the horror genre in the wrong direction, even though The Grudge itself was a quality film. Too often do we seen horror films with weak stories and its purpose is to execute its share of pop scares. The Grudge from what I remembered is the first film in theaters that had multiple pop-up scare scenes that made the viewer tense up. Now this technique in horror films is over-used and movies don't have general creepiness like 70's, 80's, and 90's films used. Unlike many of the horror movies I'm talking about The Grudge had a solid story, even if it lacked originality. The key to this film though was Sarah Michelle Gellar, a terrific looker and actress, who always delivers a great performance. The American Grudge is clichéd, an unnecessary remake, and started those pesky over utilized pop-up scares but it holds a special place in my heart, for being a movie that got me excited about horror movies.

This film really is absolutely terrifying I had heard the hype of 'The Grudge' and happened to catch it on ITV, I started watching it and instantly approved of it because of Sarah Michelle Gellar (an actor I am rather fond off) The film has a really good plot and It genuinely is scary. There is something so creepy about the monster on the film the noise it makes still gives me chills and the music is horrific sort of like memorable music that every time you hear you associate with The Grudge and you will begin to be scared. I found myself after watching The Grudge actually scared to go upstairs alone It really did affect me and I know many off my friends felt the same way there is something about the film that is chilling. The Grudge is definitely worth your time to watch and will keep you on your toes!

Karen Davis is residing in Japan with her boyfriend, who is studying there. Temporarily assigned to be a carer for a woman with severe sleeping disorder, Karen goes to the patient's house. What she finds is something she would never expect. The house is plagued by the presence of murderous ghosts, the result of a curse. The curse is born from someone dying in a powerful rage. Now, Karen finds herself being tormented by that curse, as it eventually starts claiming it's victims.....In the early noughties, the cinema was rife with remakes of 'J-Horror', and even though some of them were good, it was just an excuse for Hollywood to make money, because some people just couldn't be bothered with subtitles.The Ring, Dark Water, Shutter, and this are prime examples.But at least this was directed by the originals director, so at least some respect has been maintained. Geller is in it, she's okay, but the movie goes to show that she could never carry a film. She more or less put a stake in her movie career with her performance, like rice with no salt, its does the job, but it's very bland.So thank heavens then for the rest of the cast, and the brilliant camera-work used when we see the ghosts.The lift scene, and the photo montage are standouts, in what other wise are jump scenes.Its one of those movies that the more you watch it, the less the horror will scare you, and the story will intrigue you more.Worth seeing, but if you've seen the original, don't bother.