The Grudge

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By Todd Karella
October 22, 2004

Original Story Synopsis:

The reviews for the Japanese version describe the film as quite creepy and spooky.

It's been a while since a truly creepy horror movie came out. If it's at all like the Japanese version then it will be worth seeing, but the way Hollywood does horror it will probably be a letdown.

Based on the Japanese film Ju-On.

When someone dies in the midst of a powerful rage, a curse is born. Anyone encountering this curse is killed and the curse is then passed on like a virus from person to person.

Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is a nurse living in Tokyo who comes into contact with the source of the curse.

As the curse slowly drives her into the depths of insanity, she must find a way to remove the curse before she becomes its next victim.

Movie-Pix Best Guess:

Rated PG-13

~Creepy and confusing~

     Creepy?   Yes
       Scary?    Yes
Confusing?   Most certainly
   When someone dies in the grip of a powerful rage a curse is born.
   If that’s the case then what does that statement have to do with this film?
   Maybe the line should have been: When someone kills other people while in the grip

of a powerful rage and then commits suicide in grief a curse is born.
   Much like the statement, the rest of the film follows a haphazard variation of its original purpose.
   The film begins with a man walking to his balcony and throwing himself over the edge. But that’s not important since he is referred to later in the film with no reason ever given for his apparent suicide.
   Even the timeline for this event is unknown as the film constantly leaps between groups of people in

no particular order. Fortunately, if you’re paying real close attention you can figure out what scenes go along with which group.
   Three years after a grizzly murder, a house in Japan has been purchased by a couple for the man’s ailing mother. The mother is nearly catatonic and requires daily nursing care.
   Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is a nursing student who takes over the mother’s case when her previous caregiver is unexplainably missing.
   The house is being haunted by the spirits of the murdered family, and is killing off anyone coming into contact with the house.

Except of course for Karen, whose only reason for living so long appears to be that she’s the main character and the film would only have been 20 minutes long.
Karen begins to understand what is going on with the help of a Japanese detective who is familiar with the original murder. The house itself also likes to give her a lot of help as it reenacts the murders for her viewing pleasure.
Once Karen knows what is happening, the only question is whether or not she can stop the curse

before it gets her.
   The film does a good job of creating suspense and being scary with only a PG-13 rating. Blood and gore are not the only ways to make a good horror flick.
   The special effects are impressive and the cinematography has a great creepy feel to it.
   The weakest aspect is the plot as it jumps around too much and leaves you wondering why the curse kills some people and waits on others.

Best Guess Results

A very creepy film that will leave you sleeping with the lights on as images of the ghosts haunt your mind.

Even though it's rated PG-13 it is scary enough without using gratuitous scenes of violence.

As a whole, the story is a little difficult to digest and leaves you with a lot of unanswered questions.

Movie-Pix Hit or Miss