Review of Grudge, The

Introduction

Rika Nishina, a Social Services volunteer, is sent to check on an old lady who she finds collapsed in her house and in appalling conditions. After cleaning up the downstairs part of the house, she is distracted by a strange scratching sound. Investigating, she comes across a taped up cupboard, which she opens to find first a cat and then a young and bloody boy. A mysterious black being then kills the old lady and sends Rika off into the realms of unconsciousness…

This film is based on the famous Japanese legend of Ju-On, a curse generated by someone who dies in the grip of powerful anger. In this case, it`s the spirits of a woman and her son. The woman was guilty of infidelity and the father was driven mad by the belief that the boy was not his son. The father kills his wife, and the boy disappears after hiding in a closet. Directed by Shimizu Takashi, this film has also inspired Sam Raimi to produce a Hollywood version with Takashi still directing and Sarah Michelle Gellar (of Buffy fame) in a starring role.

Video

As you would expect from a recent film, a pristine transfer and anamorphically enhanced for widescreen TVs.

Audio

Best viewing experience was with the original Japanese soundtrack with subtitles, remastered in DD 5.1 and DTS. There is an English dubbed soundtrack, but I didn`t find it as effective (which can be a trend with dubbed films).

Features

The main menu is suitably spooky with both footage from the film and disturbing pieces based on the film. When you get the striking image of the small boy flashing constantly on your screen you`ll get a bit worried…

An audio commentary with Bey Logan, Asian Cinema expert, who seems to know the most minute details about everyone who appears in the film.

Bey Logan biography - a couple of screens of text which seems to be there to justify his audio commentary. It`s even housed in the soundtrack section of the DVD…

Trailers and information for a variety of Premier Asia and Hong Kong Legends releases.

Conclusion

This is a pretty scary film, and some of the images will linger on after you finished watching it. It`s not a jump-out-of-your-seats shock either, nor is it predictable in it`s style such as most Western horror films. Set in episodic vignettes, Rika (Megumi Okina) is the nearest thing to a main character as she appears fairly regularly throughout and bookends the film. She is by no means constant though, and each episode focuses on different people.

Takashi builds the suspense across the film and vignettes by good use of score (by Shiro Sato), sound effects and scary images. There is no gore or bloodletting at work here, the scares are far more subtle and seem to come from different corners of the room. The small boy and his mother, who are the apparitions that form the Ju-On, appear in the strangest of places, some of these incredibly spooky. The hand on top of the head whilst showering was particularly unnerving, but it is all pretty effective. The other thing to note is that very little of the horror takes place in the traditional night time setting so beloved of Western horrors. Nearly everything takes place during the day, and most of the action takes place in an ordinary Japanese suburban house. This shift against expectations works heavily in its favour, as it`s a setting you`re not quite familiar with and you`re left with the feeling that the spectres could appear anywhere. The domestic setting also gives you an impending sense of claustrophobia, with small rooms, tight corridors and even tighter staircases.

The episodic nature of this film does work against it to some extent. The film seems to jump from vignette to vignette, and they are not always directly connected as new characters are introduced and then disposed of. Some episodes even revisit others as the mists of time make this film even more convoluted than it already is.

That complaint aside, it was refreshing to watch a Japanese original for a change and this will have me going back for at least a second viewing - if only to see if the story makes slightly more sense on a repeat viewing. Recommended for those who like their chills to be more subtle and psychological than your average slasher movie. I`d be surprised if the Hollywood remake ends up as good as this…