Original vs. Remake: Ju-on vs. The Grudge

We're told that when someone dies in the grip of a powerful rage, it creates a curse that effects the place of death. Those who encounter it die, and a new curse is born. One such curse is created when a man named Takeo murders his wife Kayako, their son Toshio, and their cat in their home, creating a curse that instantly kills him as well. Then we see that anyone who dares venture into their home falls victim to the curse – a couple who moves into the place with the man's elderly mother, a social worker who checks in on the old woman, the man's sister, an investigator, a schoolgirl who goes into the haunted house with some friends. It's all straightforward and simple, so the movie consists almost entirely of one scare sequence after another, but the story jumps back and forth in the timeline to try to keep the viewer engaged.

Takashi Shimizu had a decent budget to work with on this one, but couldn't quite make the effect of a shadowy ghost hovering above one of its victims look convincing. It looks better when we see the shadow effect start to consume a guard on security camera footage. Aside from moments like those, the ghost effects mostly consist of a bloody Kayoko lurking around – and she is creepy – and Toshio meowing while painted white. We also get a cool cameo from some zombie schoolgirls.

I don't speak Japanese, but even with the language barrier it seems to me that most of the actors in JU-ON did a decent job in their roles. Megumi Okina made an especially strong impression as Rika, a character who has to deal with this curse nonsense over a long period of time. She goes catatonic for a while, then sees ghosts again after she recovers. There was only one weak link that I noticed – Misaki Ito seemed to have some dodgy moments as Hitomi, sister of the man who moves into Kayoko's house.

Things start off with grainy footage of a man making a bloody mess of his wife and taking a moment to kill a cat while his young son is also in the house. That establishes a dark atmosphere that hangs over the entire movie, giving it an unnerving feeling even when you have a little kid running around meowing. As we watch the curse destroy person after person, it is quite intense and disturbing. There is a sense of hopelessness to JU-ON; everyone is going to fall victim to this curse at some point and there is no escape.

JU-ON: THE GRUDGE was actually Shimizu's third time making a feature film in the JU-ON franchise; the previous two films were shot on video, and this was his chance to take the franchise up to the next level, shooting on 35mm film. I haven't watched the two SOV movies, but this one certainly shows that Shimizu was a capable genre director. It's well crafted enough, it makes sense that Hollywood decided to keep him at the helm when the time came for a remake.