The Grudge (2004)

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Original title: Grudge, The

Directed by
Takashi Shimizu

Written by
Takashi Shimizu, Stephen Susco

Cast
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, William Mapother, Clea DuVall, KaDee Strickland [more]

The Grudge Reviews

The Grudge managed to hold my interest for about 30 minutes. But it's pretty much a one-trick pony, and, after a while, that trick loses its ability to impress. This is a haunted house film, and is packed to the rafters with horror movie clichés. "Boo!" moments abound. [read review]  --James Berardinelli (ReelViews) Grudge is scare-heavy horror film, where little time is devoted to actual exposition and character development. With so many frightening moments dominating the running length, characters never take shape and gaping plot holes leave the viewer thoroughly confused. [read review]  --Jack Moore (The Movie Insider) There is no twist, no "reveal," no tying up of all the clues to make us see the clever plotting that was lurking beneath the surface all along. It's disappointing to realize that the film truly IS nothing more than a series of people dying, albeit in armrest-gripping fashion. It's good for a lark, but we usually like our thrillers to have something more to them. [read review] C --Eric D. Snider (EricDSnider.com) This film offers scares, real honest-to-goodness scares. There are a lot of sudden jolts here, and jolt me they did. Have you ever jumped back with so much force, it feels like you took the theatre seat a few inches with you? THE GRUDGE made me do that and more than once. [read review] --Scott W. Davis (HorrorExpress.com) In the final analysis, the thin, repetitive plot, shallow, one-dimensional characterizations, and a nihilistic, evasive ending are more than compensated by highly effective jump-scares and atmosphere, relentless pacing, and the non-linear approach to storytelling that helps to create and sustain disorientation and unease in the audience, all to disturbing and chilling effect. [read review] 8/10 --Mel Valentin (Movie-Vault.com) A few problems, however, in that he has watered down some of his scariest stuff. Again, the audience was terrified when Kayako emerged from beneath bed sheets in one scene, but here Shimizu tips his hat, showing something under there before the big reveal. [read review]  -- (Bloody-Disgusting.com) But where The Grudge truly gets a leg up on its competition is its adherence to the essence of its progenitors. With an entirely Japanese crew and the unique experience of having told this tale several times before, Shimizu transfers his Asian sensibilities whole cloth onto this new version. The results are appealing and easily digestible, but have a pace and a feeling -- over and above the scares -- that would have been lost with a Western director. [read review] B+ --Rob Vaux (Flipsidemovies.com) THE GRUDGE has the weirdly random disconnect of a dreamscape. The only problem is that the living are so annoyingly dense, rooting for them is out of the question. Perhaps that’s what Shimizu or Susco had in mind, but I wouldn’t bet on it. [read review]  --Andrea Chase (Killer Movie Reviews) A remake done right by original director Takashi Shimizu. It's loaded with a lot of cool scare-scenes, but be warned of the lack of story and odd sounds the ghosts make. I personally like it better than the Japanese remake. Recommended. [read review] 8/10 --FrighT MasteR (UHM) The remake offers a glimmer of coherence: Americans who feel lost in translation are apt to lose their minds. But "The Grudge" adds nothing to the haunted-house genre aside from the horror of spilled ramen noodles on tatami mats. [read review]  --Jami Bernard (New York Daily News) Capitalizing on the success of The Ring, another remake of a Japanese horror film, was a terrific idea, but who would of thought that such could ever be so dull? The Grudge makes for one hell of a snoozefest, but not much else. [read review]  --Danny Baldwin (BucketReviews.com) There are still logic flaws and people still don’t run fast enough out of harm’s way. But Hollywood has apparently learned a new lesson – when they next remake a foreign film, they would do well to import the director too. [read review]  --Harrison Cheung (Movie-Gurus.com) Very much in the style of a previous American remake of Japanese horror, The Ring, it's an effectively spooky time at the movies, but boy is it ever silly. Creepy? Yes, but not much more than that. [read review]  --Vince Leo (Qwipster.net) ...the movie was great, first off this was a remake so i honestly thought its going to be a lame remake and Hollywood's attempt of taking a step further but they haven't on this one. [read review]  -- (terrorwatch.net) Part Japanese horror movie in English, part ‘Buffy vs the Haunted House’, this is an average horror film that’s heavy on style and atmosphere but not particularly scary or engaging. [read review]  --Matthew Turner (ViewLondon) It has some very tense parts a nice performance from Gellar and great direction, although it's not strung together very well. It's pretty good...until you start thinking about it. [read review]  --Brian Gallagher (MovieWeb) Predictable things make us jump in Grudge. We see a tub full of water or an attic filled with cobwebs, and we know scares are coming, but Shimizu startles us all the same. [read review]  --Sean O'Connell (FilmCritic.com) Japanese director gives his own horror film a surprisingly intelligent Hollywood makeover - pointless self-replication perhaps, but that is the nature of curses. [read review] 7/10 --Anton Bitel (Movie Gazette) It's just too, too much, and anyone other than the most cretinous viewer, or those who stepped out for popcorn at an inopportune moment, ought to feel insulted. [read review] --Michael O'Sullivan (Washington Post) Shimizu's first movie in English is sufficiently moody and has the requisite slow pacing and quick scares to make you jump, but it's never deeply frightening. [read review] C+ --Christy Lemire (TheJournalNews) If you consider sudden shrieks of music and pale Asian children the pinnacle of all things terrfiying, then "The Grudge" is your next favorite movie. [read review]  --Scott Weinberg (eFilmCritic.com)

• review by Ryan Ellis