A spine-tingling little creepshow.
Comment
10/22/04
Rate this Movie 
The Grudge (2004)
39
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:151
Fresh:59
Rotten:92
Average Rating:5.1/10
Consensus: There's some creepy imagery to be found, but not much in the way of logic or truly jarring scares.
Theatrical Release:Oct 22, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $110,175,871
Synopsis: In Sam Raimi and Columbia Pictures' powerful thriller The Grudge, based on the Japanese blockbuster JU-ON: THE GRUDGE, the normal façade of a modest house in Tokyo belies the hidden terror within.... [More]
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, Clea DuVall, William R. Mapother
Director: Takashi Shimizu
Get This Movie
Reviews for The Grudge
It's sort of incredible, actually: Shimizu, with Raimi's support, has created an English-language remix of his horror classic, and it mostly works. Heresy!
10/22/04
While there is some artfully ghastly imagery on display, the movie is just one surrealist chill after another, with no cohesive story line to connect the scares.
10/22/04
Top CriticMostly, it's a tepid affair.
10/22/04
Adds nothing to the haunted-house genre aside from the horror of spilled ramen noodles on tatami mats.
10/22/04
More than anything, The Grudge suggests that it's time for Shimizu to move on.
10/22/04
Top CriticIf you're at all familiar with the earlier versions, you'll see an intriguing refinement, on Shimizu's part, of scare tactics he's worked with before -- and is doing better than ever.
10/22/04
Taken on its own terms ... it is a perfectly creepy excuse to cover your eyes and clutch your date's arm for a couple of hours.
10/22/04
Great at the creation of truly creepy atmosphere and the prompting of dread, but take it from a total coward -- adults won't be scared.
10/22/04
Fun, but it's a weak cousin of such classic American ghost tales as The Amityville Horror, The Exorcist, Poltergeist and The Shining.
10/22/04
The Grudge is all about fright. It's not about mystery, characterization or perverse amusement, all of which can turn horror into something more.
10/22/04
Top CriticThere are so many events here but no real story. Perhaps that is what's making the drowned kabuki ghost so irate: She's desperate to find a coherent script.
10/22/04
Top CriticWith a pumped-up budget for effects and no musical cues to tell you when to be scared, everything here is mad frightening.
10/22/04
Anyone who has ever seen a horror flick will know where this one's going every inch of the way.
10/22/04
While this remake of the 2000 Japanese horror hit Ju-On gets the atmosphere right, its plotting is often eye-rolling silly.
10/22/04
The cold, impersonal climate of much of the decor proves more frightening than the secret at the movie's core.
10/22/04
Top CriticWe need to care about Karen. That we never quite do isn't scary. It's merely disappointing.
10/22/04
One of those horror movies that thoroughly spooks you while it's up on the screen, but as soon as it's over, the fear dries up and is replaced by questions about how the pieces and parts do -- or in this case, don't -- fit together.
10/22/04
I eventually lost all patience. The movie may have some subterranean level on which the story strands connect and make sense, but it eluded me.
10/22/04
Top CriticClick to read the article
10/22/04
Latest News for The Grudge
December 20, 2007:
Sam Raimi Wants to Drag Me to Hell
Over the past few months, we've talked a lot about Sam Raimi's busy schedule as a producer, but his directorial follow-up to Spider-Man 3 has remained a mystery -- until now,... More...
October 23, 2007:
The Grudge 3 Gets a Director
Sam Raimi still has a Grudge with moviegoers. More...
March 24, 2007:
Idris Elba Flashes Back With "Prom Night" Remake
In announcing his involvement in the "Prom Night" remake, Idris Elba also revealed the new hook for this version. Instead of one slash-fest, this "Prom... More...
January 08, 2007:
Remaker Focused on "The Host" and "The Ring 3"
Since producing the American version of "The Ring" in 2002, producer Roy Lee has stayed firmly within the realm of the "re-imaginings" by producing movies... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
MSN's Year in Review 
Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.
40 Best Films of the 2000s
Last week, Moviefone offered us their worst films of the 2000s. Now see their 40 best!
Tarantino's Characters
Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.
Top 10 Movies of 2009
TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.
Top 20 of the Decade
Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds