The Grudge | | Cast : | Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, Clea DuVall | | Director : | Takashi Shimizu | | Studio : | Columbia Tristar Hom | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | October 22, 2004 | | DVD Released Date : | June 07, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | Unrated | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 30, 2005 | | Summary | this is the worst horror movie that i have ever seen. | Content
 | this movie was not scary at all. it sucked so bad that i wanted to go bonkers. i got nothing more to say. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 28, 2005 | | Summary | Please explain the difference between the versions... | Content
| To anyone who has seen both the regular and the "Director's Cut," of this movie, could you please be specific about how the two differ, and which you think is better? Oddly, the info given about the "D's cut" includes the word "extended" yet the running time given for both is exactly the same, so is it longer, or just a different edit? Clearly, there are more extras, but as for the movie itself, a clear description of differences would help those who are considering buying (rather than just watching it on cable).
Thanks, fellow-reviewers. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 28, 2005 | | Summary | Suspense, Horror | Content
| This is not your usual Horror film, filled with blood and violence. This takes me back to the time where you sat in a dark theater. When you and your date would jump at the same time. And you would see some people covering their eyes, so as not to jump the next time.
Yes this movie is a supernatural tale. And it is scary. There is more then one part that will make you jump. And that is what I like about this movie. It can scare you without all the unnecessary violence and blood. The level of expectation is kept up throughout the whole movie. It kept my suspense level almost peaked the entire movie.
The story is well written. It gives you time to think. And the horror seems to never end. Just keeps coming and coming...it will keep you on the edge of your seat.
I would recommend watching this in a dark room with friends. Those who scream and jump will just add to the suspense for you.
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| Rating | | | Date | August 25, 2005 | | Summary | Supernatural | Content
| There have been a lot of gory horror movies so far. The Grudge is finally the first to break the ice of horror movies. A lot of people say The Grudge is stupid. What they don't see is that The Grudge is the most supernatural movie ever since the exorcist. But Ju - On, the old version of The Grudge is more terrifying and creepy than the new version. The old version doesn't use so many special effects which makes it realisitc and scary. This movie is worth seeing, but if you want a better scare watch Ju - On at night.
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| Rating | | | Date | August 25, 2005 | | Summary | Creepy Crawly Grudge | Content
| Is this movie scary? In a few places, yes. However, this movie is more than scary, it is creepy and icky, and breaks the typical American formula for horror movies. This movie is a matter of style. If you prefer your horror movies told linearly and your idea of fear is "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," then "The Grudge" is likely not for you. On the other hand, if you like some of Alfred Hitchcock's movies that like to build atmosphere, this movie could well hold your interest.
At the beginning of the movie we are told that "When someone dies in the grip of a powerful rage a curse is born. The curse gathers in that place of death. Those who encounter it will be consumed by its fury." Another non-obvious ingredient of this rage is that the person who died does not know why they were murdered. I was already feeling creepy and the movie had yet to really begin.
Karen Davis (Sarah Michelle Gellar) has been hired to fill in at a nice house. It seems that the girl that normally works there has disappeared (which we got to see near the beginning of the movie - one of the "boo!" moments in this movie). Weird things start happening almost immediately, but the intensity builds and builds, and Karen seems to keep questioning whether what she is seeing is real, but all too soon she realizes that it is all horribly real.
What is unusual for a horror film is that the heroine meets ghosts, including the killer ghost, and does not instantly die. Another unusual characteristic is that the killer ghost is not tied to one location, and seems to wander about buildings will little difficulty. Also, the ghost was captured on video, though the result of that was disquieting. The Japanese have learned that it is creepier to have supernatural being make use of modern technology. Wouldn't it be creepy if your refrigerator started producing blood ice cubes, or a scaly hand formed from the door? Scary!
The director did some things that I think worked well. Sarah Michelle Gellar is a very strong actress. However, the director deliberately made her character look weak and tired, and kept Gellar from taking control of the scenes. The result is that Gellar's fright appears very real, and her manipulation and stalking by the ghost is scarier as a result. The director also worked hard to tie together flashbacks and current scenes to keep you from thinking about potential problems with the plot. As long as you remained intellectually engaged with the plot the movie remained creepy and enjoyable.
I struggle with modern horror movies. There is typically (though not always) too much reliance on gore or the hand that "surprisingly" grabs you by the throat. Unfortunately, after you have seen a few hundred horror movies you know when many of the scary moments come and surprise is harder to obtain. For example, I found many of the deaths in "Scream 2" very predictable. Other movies that try to build atmosphere just struggle to make it. I tried watching "The Others" and found it tedious (which I find annoying because this movie was nicely done, but unfortunately I figured out the ending way too early). "The Grudge" rarely bothers trying to surprise the audience. Instead the goal was to create an atmosphere and to keep the suspense level high so that by the time the movie ended your sustained lever of adrenalin would theoretically leave you in a creeped out condition. However, if you keep waiting for the ghoul to leap out from behind the door and splatter entrails all over the wall, you will most likely be disappointed.
I found "The Grudge" to be unique and interesting; probably not as good as "The Ring," but still worth watching. However, this movie is not a revolutionary breakthrough that will leave you breathless and in awe. It has the potential to keep you confused and thinking and wondering what might be in your attic or what might be sliding down the stairs the next time you turn the corner. I know I can no longer think of high rise buildings as being safe havens from vindictive ghosts.
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