Review: The Grudge (2005)

Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as a home health nurse who recently relocated to Japan with her boyfriend. Gellar's character is new to the Japanese culture and people, however her employer has an American family who also recently relocated.

The situation surrounding the sudden job opening is suspicious, but Gellar cares for the elderly woman for the day. She soon finds far more than she bargained for. A presence is in the house soon reveals itself.

Gellar is unknowingly consumed by the force and begins experiencing hallucinations, seeing signs, and watching individuals connected with the house meet untimely ends.

An embittered detective with the Japanese police force covering the rash of disappearances and deaths informs Gellar of the similar tragedy that occurred in the same house. He reveals what might be happening and what tragedies have already stemmed from the house.

People are being overtaken one-by-one and she is left to face the entity and its wrath.

Ghoulish Details:

This was an excellent remake of an already excellent movie. "Ju-On" is the Asian version of the movie and both versions had the same director. This gave the American movie-going audience another taste of fascinating Japanese horror and, for many, a consuming desire to see more of our Asian film counterparts.

Any horror fan who is tired of much of the standard American horror should check out Asian horror and this includes watching this movie. It was exciting, innovative, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Ghoulish Rating: 6 (out of 6)

Trivia:

* Takashi Shimizu directed the Japanese version as well as the American version.

* Asian horror commonly carries the belief that any entity or wrath will be stronger than the mortal involved.

* The cast had to work with translators to receive director's instructions.

* The DVD offers the professional input of how fear works psychologically.

* The movie used as little CGI as possible. The woman crawling down the stairs is, in fact, the actress crawling down the stairs.

* With most Asian horror, any use of CGI or artificial movie effects is believed to taint the move and remove the believability.