The trouble with Shimizu's impressionistic approach is that it doesn't entrench you deep enough inside anybody's head or put you far enough behind anyone's point of view for the scares to really work.
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10/22/04
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The Grudge (2004)
39
%
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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
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Reviews for The Grudge
Top CriticThe Grudge is a perfect Halloween feature, a frightening ghost story that will have you flinching and screaming.
10/22/04
Way beyond a good, stiff Halloween Thrill.
10/22/04
It's the ominous, mystical stuff of nightmares - a real spook-fest!
10/22/04
Karen is soon back on her feet (her particular athleticism is showcased during a Buffy-like sprint across town near film's end).
10/22/04
After seeing "The Grudge," I seriously considered plugging my nightlight in, but seeing as how I was safe in bed, I didn’t want to chance it.
10/22/04
... features some of the most unnerving imagery and soundscapes to be found on the screen...
10/22/04
Finally, the key to making an Americanized version of a Japanese film is revealed: Let the original director call the shots.
10/22/04
The archetypal haunted house story might be more effective as a campfire story which takes ten minutes to tell...as a 90-minute movie, it's a crushing bore.
10/22/04
a more successful reinterpretation than "The Ring."
10/22/04
If you consider sudden shrieks of music and pale Asian children the pinnacle of all things terrfiying, then The Grudge is your next favorite movie.
10/22/04
Plenty of jumps and genuine creepiness ensue. And along with dead Cruise kin, could you really ask for anything else?
10/22/04
Some folks in the U.S. ... convinced Shimizu to direct a Hollywood-funded remake. The result is actually an improvement.
10/21/04
No character development. No moments of real terror. No purpose for being. The Grudge sucks.
10/21/04
A grown woman actually hides under her blanket. In what version of the Scary Movie franchise does somebody use a blanket as protection from the crazy ghost spirit?
10/21/04
It knows how to startle someone with a quick shock but it soon becomes apparent that it has no more tricks up its sleeve...
10/21/04
The precision of slow revelation is the focus, and Shimizu makes good use of it to cloak a skinny plot and vague characters in enduring suspense.
10/21/04
Even Shimizu can’t stop Hollywood from yet another miscalculated attempt to strip down and simplify overseas horror for the suburban mallrats.
10/21/04
While it has flashes of creepy imagery, it has absolutely nothing going on in between.
10/21/04
It isn't frightening. Sometimes, in fact, it's laughable.
10/21/04
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...
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