Ghost of a Plot
Even with a plot that makes little sense and characters who are, at best, stock horror types, The Grudge manages to deliver what it promises—scares galore.
A remake of the Japanese horror flick Ju-on: The Grudge by Takashi Shimizu (who also directs the American version), The Grudge takes as its premise that, if a human being is killed during a fit of rage, their spirit lives and infects not only the space in which they are killed, but anyone who dares cross its path.
Into this path goes an American family who have recently relocated to Japan. When the catatonic Emma's (Grace Zabriskie) caregiver (Yoko Maki) goes missing, American sociology student Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) takes over, and soon discovers that the house is inhabited by two malevolent spirits: Kayako (Takako Fuji) and Toshio (Yuya Ozeki). The story is then told in a series of present-day and flashback scenes which allows Shimizu to hang a sense of pervasive fear over the picture at all times until its shocking—though ultimately predictable—ending.
The power of The Grudge is all atmosphere and scares, making no apologies for its less-than-transparent plot, which includes a bizarre tale about unrequited love and the struggles of an American family trying to adapt to Japanese culture. Character motivations are not clear.
Like a nightmare, The Grudge is best accepted at face value for what it is, not what it could have or should have been. It's simply an old-fashioned scary movie and the frights come fast and furious—first in the house when Yoko goes to investigate strange noises, when Karen shows up and comes face-to-face with the ghost, and later when Toshio goes after the sister of the American patriarch. Each of these scenes is designed to make the skin crawl, not to provoke analysis or add to the plot.
Shimizu's style harkens back to the old creak and groan style of horror movies, never lingering on the scary shots—such as Kayako's weird ghostly face, or her strange perambulations. He focuses, instead, on the horrified reactions of the living, using them to build suspense and evoke horror. Call it shudders by omission.
Clearly, this is a movie where style rules over substance, so the star turns by Gellar, Bill Pullman, and Jason Behr (as Karen's boyfriend) exist for the sole purpose to be scared to death. If Shimizu was trying to deliver something with more nuance, that might be a problem, but the flat characters and almost wooden performances work—making the intensity of the character's fright more extreme. The characters only seem alive when they're being scared, a state of human society that Shimizu does not explore further.
If you're getting in the Halloween spirit and are looking for something to sate your need for fright, then The Grudge is for you.
A remake of the Japanese horror flick Ju-on: The Grudge by Takashi Shimizu (who also directs the American version), The Grudge takes as its premise that, if a human being is killed during a fit of rage, their spirit lives and infects not only the space in which they are killed, but anyone who dares cross its path.
Into this path goes an American family who have recently relocated to Japan. When the catatonic Emma's (Grace Zabriskie) caregiver (Yoko Maki) goes missing, American sociology student Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) takes over, and soon discovers that the house is inhabited by two malevolent spirits: Kayako (Takako Fuji) and Toshio (Yuya Ozeki). The story is then told in a series of present-day and flashback scenes which allows Shimizu to hang a sense of pervasive fear over the picture at all times until its shocking—though ultimately predictable—ending.
The power of The Grudge is all atmosphere and scares, making no apologies for its less-than-transparent plot, which includes a bizarre tale about unrequited love and the struggles of an American family trying to adapt to Japanese culture. Character motivations are not clear.
Like a nightmare, The Grudge is best accepted at face value for what it is, not what it could have or should have been. It's simply an old-fashioned scary movie and the frights come fast and furious—first in the house when Yoko goes to investigate strange noises, when Karen shows up and comes face-to-face with the ghost, and later when Toshio goes after the sister of the American patriarch. Each of these scenes is designed to make the skin crawl, not to provoke analysis or add to the plot.
Shimizu's style harkens back to the old creak and groan style of horror movies, never lingering on the scary shots—such as Kayako's weird ghostly face, or her strange perambulations. He focuses, instead, on the horrified reactions of the living, using them to build suspense and evoke horror. Call it shudders by omission.
Clearly, this is a movie where style rules over substance, so the star turns by Gellar, Bill Pullman, and Jason Behr (as Karen's boyfriend) exist for the sole purpose to be scared to death. If Shimizu was trying to deliver something with more nuance, that might be a problem, but the flat characters and almost wooden performances work—making the intensity of the character's fright more extreme. The characters only seem alive when they're being scared, a state of human society that Shimizu does not explore further.
If you're getting in the Halloween spirit and are looking for something to sate your need for fright, then The Grudge is for you.
