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Ju-on (The Grudge) Actors: Megumi Okina, Misaki Ito, Misa Uehara (II) Director: Takashi Shimizu Number of Items: 1 Format: Color, Closed-captioned Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Running Time: 92 minutes Studio: Lions Gate Home Entertainment Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2004-11-09 Buy from Amazon |
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From Amazon.com Following in the footsteps of The Ring cycle, the Ju-On series of horror films has taken Japan by the throat. According to this movie, the title refers to a curse placed upon a house where violence occurred. Sure enough, we see a string of unhappy encounters in a seemingly ordinary home, where ghosts have settled in the aftermath of murder. Director Takashi Shimizu (who also directed the Hollywood remake, The Grudge) constructs the picture out of separate fragments, not told in chronological order; the haunted house is the main character, not any one of the unsuspecting human characters. Cult mavens might suggest that Shimizu uses devices and images that have already worked well in films by Hideo Nakata and Kiyoshi Kurosawa--the Japanese horror film does have its conventions. But none of that matters if you're watching this movie alone at home on a dark night. Click, click, click.... --Robert Horton |
 "It Never Forgives. It Never Forgets!"Social worker Rika is sent to help a bed-ridden old woman, only to be confronted in the home by terrifying and deadly apparitions. The film then jumps back and forth in time, showing how every person who has any connection, however slight, with the evil house is hunted, haunted and killed by the malevolent ghosts. If that summary sounds a bit slight, that's because the plot is, indeed, close to non-existent. The US version is actually considerably more coherent (and in many ways an improvement over the original, heresy as it might be to suggest this). Instead of a storyline, we have a relentless assault of supernatural set-pieces. Basically, this is a horror film that consists of nothing but the scary bits. The effect can be either overwhelming or repetitive, depending on the viewer. What is indisputable is that the manifestations themselves are extremely creepy. Sam Raimi and Scott Spiegel (who backed the remake) do the commentary, and talk not just about this film but about how low-budget horror in general works, and their own memories of making films such as The Evil Dead. There is behind-the-scenes for three different sequences, five deleted scenes and the alternate ending (with subtitled commentary by director Takashi Shimizu), and interviews with Shimizu and four of the cast. On the Deleted Scenes menu, highlight the coffee mug at the bottom of the screen to open an Easter Egg: "True Stories: Ju-On" -- a ghost story whose only visual is a lit candle. There are also trailers for the feature, Dagon and Undead. The menu is animated and scored, and will freak out the faint of heart. A welcome release. Though the lack of any real narrative makes this less frightening, I would argue, than The Eye, this is still must-viewing for any horror fan.  "Ju-on the original film"This film's originality is lost with the current Americanized version (The Grudge). The sound effect when the mother appears to the unaware will haunt you and stay with you long after viewing, and you might want to watch it again to see what you missed the first time. Their are many details in this film. Ju-on is a horror film worth buy unseen. It is that good! You will think twice after watching before entering a home, look at cats in a different way, and hope that you never encounter a place with a Ju-on attached to it.  "Comparable to Ring"If you liked Ring (whether you started out watching the American version and then moved on to the Japanese version or not) then you are going to enjoy this film. Don't be put off by the subtitles and for God's sake don't turn on the English dubbing. Maybe it was just my copy but the English dubbing had these regional British English accents (they sounded like characters from a Yorkshire sit-com called 'last of the summer wine') this may mean nothing to a non-British reader but just take my word for it, they are wooden and do nothing for the film. I quickly switched off and returned to the Japanese dialogue and English subtitles and found the film a lot more enjoyabe. Like all of the original Japanese versions of films out right now Ring etc this one has a lot more of a story, while this may not be a bad thing it does tend to drag on a little and as stories cross over in time it can be a little disjointed at times. Still a good film worth a watch, my main disappointments were the 'ghost woman' in this version is not as scary as in the American one and the stairs scene at the end dragged on a little too long. Still the story of the policeman and what happened to his family was cool (this isn't in the American version) "Oustanding Japanese Horror!"Great movie. Do not waste your time watching the Americanized version starring Sarah Michelle Geller as it falls way flat in comparison. I love the Japanese style of horror! No computer graphics here, just great makeup, excellent story, and a creepy as hell sound made by a comb. Shimizu is brilliant. I only wish that I could see the original two movies that were made for TV in Japan. Even with the interest in this film, there seems to be no plans in the works to bring them to DVD in the States. i personally hope this trend of Japanese horror cinema continues in the US. We seem to have lost our way with making good horror films when at one time, we were so far beyond anyone else in quality. Now the role is reversed: the telling of Japanese legends set in modern times is incredibly eerie. Watch it alone, with the lights out, no bathroom breaks and prepare to be disturbed. "Scary and Disturbing"This film is not hinged on plot and cohesive structure as much as it is a series of creepy and at times very frightening segments wrapped together in a singular yet somewhat sloppy stew.It's framework or at times lack therof didn't bother me in the slightest, in fact this film plays like a nightmare being played on the screen, like David Lynch's Lost Highway. Some films, like this one tap into something stronger than narrative and grab ahold of you within your psyche. I really enjoyed this movie. This one, as well as Ringu and Dark Water(the original) actually leave me feeling breathless afterwards. Their vision is untarnished, and the passion that fuels them, in particular Ju-on, jumps off the screen. Forget that crappy Grudge remake, watch Ju-on, and maybe you will forget you are awake and think you are having a bad dream. |
