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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
DVD features
The special features included on the unrated extended director's cut of
The Grudge will appeal primarily to horror buffs and fans of director Takashi Shimizu. The extended cut of
The Grudge (Shimizu's semi-American remake of his early video feature
Ju-On) saves the best for last, with a more frightening and slightly more graphic climax. More interesting, however, are Shimizu's early short films "4444444444" and "In a Corner," serving as obvious prototypes for
The Grudge, which represents the culmination of all previous incarnations and demonstrates Shimizu's penchant for spine-tingling atmosphere and visual composition. (These strengths are firmly based on Shimizu's impressive storyboard art, also included here.) The director's commentary is only partially informative, but it does outline some of the specific differences between
Ju-On and
The Grudge, along with interesting anecdotes about collaborating with an American cast & crew. The deleted scenes are just that: scenes that deserved to be deleted, and of interest only to hardcore fans. Video diaries by Sarah Michelle Gellar and costar KaDee Strickland are perfunctory, but enjoyable as behind-the-scenes amusement and Japanese sight-seeing. The "Grudge House Insider's Tour" is essentially a showcase for the admirable work of set designer Iwao Saito, whose pre-production sketches are also included.
--Jeff Shannon
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Theatrical Release Information
