Ju-On: The Grudge

 2/4

Starring: Megumi Okina, Misaki Ito, Misa Uehara

Rated R for Some Disturbing Images

What is clear after watching "Ju-On: The Grudge" is that director Takashi Shimizu knows what he is doing.  He knows how to create sequences that raise the terror and dread in the audience (even when his lack of budget is apparent).  There are some sequences, particularly early on, that made me tense and frightened.  Sadly that's the only card he really has to play.

The opening titles establish the premise.  Someone who suffers a violent death can be so filled with rage that they place a curse on where they died.  And that curse is contagious.  Okay, that's a good start.  Unfortunately, that's as far as the film goes in terms of plot.  So what we get are great set pieces for getting the audience to dive under the covers, and not much else.  Once I realized that was the only thing the film had to offer, I grew bored.  And I grew resentful when I realized that Shimizu was spinning his wheels.  The film's plot lost me very quickly and Shimizu is pulling a lot of smoke and mirrors to cover the fact that the film goes nowhere, and he's not a good illusionist.

Shimizu is good at using sight and sound to raise the terror.  What we can't see or understand is always scarier than something we have a firm grasp of, and Shimizu understands that.  He's careful in how he uses deceptive camera angles and ominous music to ratchet up the tension.  If only he had a cinematographer who only understood how to make a horror movie.  There's no sense of atmosphere here, and that really hurts the film.  The film was never going to be a success with such a sloppy screenplay, but an overpowering sense of dread and unease can at least keep it afloat for a bit longer.

Not much can be said about the acting.  No one is around long enough to develop any sort of character, much less get the audience to identify with them.  They come on screen, get scared, are attacked by the specter/ghost/whatever it is and exit stage right.  That's it.  Repeat over and over again for 90 minutes and then the movie, which goes steadily downhill from the opening credits, utterly collapses.  Whether Shimizu is trying to be clever, ironic, or simply doesn't care about the story, the final 10 minutes is so dumb and so nonsensical that, if I hadn't long since given up on trying to follow the story, I might have been angry.  Instead, I was more pissed off that Shimizu wouldn't just end the damn movie.

And yet, there are some sequences that are undeniably scary.  It's always unnerving to suddenly realize there is a figure in the background where there wasn't one before.  It may be a gimmick, but Shimizu mines this for maximum effect.  The musical cues that accompany them only add to the terror.  The most intense moment comes from looking into a security camera.  It's the stuff that nightmares are made of.

You may get more out of "The Grudge" than I did if your expectations are tempered appropriately.  If all you're looking is for some cheap scares, this will satiate.  Just don't expect anything else.

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