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Movie: The Grudge
Director: Takashi Shimizu
Actors: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, Bill Pullman, Ted Raimi
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Japanese filmmakers are masters in creating scary horror flicks. The Americans found out about these films and are now buying the rights to almost every Japanese horror film that has been released. The Ring was the first, they're currently working on Dark Water and now we get to see the remake of Ju-On, a.k.a. The Grudge. Remarkable fact, the director of the original film, Takashi Shimizu, also directed the remake. Evil Dead's Sam Raimi produced The Grudge.
The story in a nutshell:
Nurse Karen Davis (Sarah Michelle Gellar) lives in Tokyo and has been assigned to help out an old lady in the city. Karen sees murderous ghosts in the old lady's cursed house. Karen has now also been exposed to this mysterious supernatural curse and fears for her life.
Takashi Shimizu slaps the creepyness in your face right from the start of the film. It grabs you in a very disturbing way and doesn't let go. I've seen a lot of horror movies but I've never felt the shivers run down my spine... until I saw The Grudge. This film isn't fun, it doesn't provide a entertaining evening at the movies. This film does give you a restless night full of nightmares.
Shimizu presents the horror, just like the other Japanese flicks, in a very subtle way. The film doesn't contain lots of computer graphics or gory make-up effects. But the effective use of camera, lights and creepy music are the ingredients to wet your pants. The movie gets a lot more realistic because of this subtle use of the tools.
The Grudge isn't a feel-good movie, it is a movie that you want to share with others though... so you can support each other during the sleepless nights.
Written by Reggy 18/01/05
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