Psychological horror movies from Japan have developed a cult following in the U.S. of late, with one of them--Ringu--successfully remolded into the English-language hit The Ring. Ditto for Ju-On, the haunted house thriller by Takashi Shimizu, which was released on this side of the Pacific as a kind of appetizer for its American remake, The Grudge, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. Creating a sense of quiet menace through the clever use of dark shadows, Ju-On's general creepiness is periodically punctuated by sudden jolts, often from eerie sound effects rather than gore or visual shocks. But the whole is, unfortunately, less than its parts, since--thrills notwithstanding--the film never makes much sense. The evil forces at work here apparently derive from the emotional pain related to a gruesome murder in a spooky house, but as the story goes on, the malevolent spirits roam wherever Shimizu's fancy might take them, wreaking whatever havoc the director can contrive. Even a horror film needs to follow some rules and provide one or two characters to sympathize with; Ju-On does neither. As a result, the film degenerates into a series of scary scenes that seem arbitrary even by the lax standards of the genre. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by 2004's American remake The Grudge executive producer Sam Raimi and Scott Spiegel (director of My Name Is Modesty), three subtitled behind-the-scenes segments (30 min. total), five cast/crew interviews (10 min. total) including one with director Takashi Shimizu, six deleted scenes (including an alternate ending), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a so-so film.] (F. Swietek)
Ju-On: The Grudge
Lions Gate, 92 min., in Japanese w/English subtitles, R, VHS: $44.98, DVD: $24.98, Nov. 9 Volume 19, Issue 6
Ju-On: The Grudge
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