The Grudge

2004

The Grudge

Critics Consensus

There's some creepy imagery to be found, but not much in the way of logic or truly jarring scares.

39%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 160

46%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 458,600
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Movie Info

Karen is an exchange student studying social work in Japan who innocently agrees to cover for a nurse who didn't show up for work. When she enters the assigned home, she discovers an elderly American woman, Emma, who is lost in a catatonic state while the rest of the house appears deserted and disheveled. As she is tending to the stricken old woman, Karen hears scratching sounds from upstairs. When she investigates, she is faced with a supernatural horror more frightening than she could ever imagine. Within this house, a chain of terror has been set in motion resulting from a terrifying evil that was born years before. As more people die, Karen is pulled into the cycle of horror and learns the secret of the vengeful curse that has taken root in this house. Now she must stop it before it's too late.

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Cast

Sarah Michelle Gellar
as Karen Davis
Jason Behr
as Doug
William Mapother
as Matthew Williams
Clea DuVall
as Jennifer Williams
Takako Fuji
as Kayako Saeki
KaDee Strickland
as Susan Williams
Grace Zabriskie
as Emma Williams
Bill Pullman
as Peter Kirk
Rosa Blasi
as Maria Kirk
Ted Raimi
as Alex
Ryo Ishibashi
as Detective Nakagawa
Yuya Ozeki
as Toshio
Yoko Maki
as Yoko
Takashi Matsuyama
as Takeo
Hiroshi Matsunaga
as Igarashi
Hajime Okayama
as Suzuki
Yoshiyuki Morishita
as Guard
Kazuyuki Tsumura
as Peter's Co-Worker
Jotaro Kitamura
as Policeman
Taigi Kobayashi
as Policeman
Junko Koizumi
as Mother
Nana Koizumi
as Daughter
Yôichi Okamura
as Restaurant Manager
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Critic Reviews for The Grudge

All Critics (160) | Top Critics (36)

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Audience Reviews for The Grudge

  • Apr 24, 2015
    The Grudge is a strange and complex mixture of Lost In Translation and Don't Look Now, in which an ancient curse plagues a Japanese house and all those who inhabit it. This American remake isn't anywhere near as bad as it could have been and is faithful to the original and continues the weird Japanese fetish for entanglements of black ghoul hair and extremely pale children. Quite memorable and definitely worth a watch, but the film's confusing back-and-forth plot and disappointing conclusion let it down.
    Harry W Super Reviewer
  • Mar 11, 2014
    'The Grudge' (2004) maintains spine-chilling thrills throughout, but never clearly explains interesting aspects due to its non-linear narrative. In fact it makes it even more difficult to understand. Sarah Michelle Gellar's role (as Karen) is actually pretty decent, but honestly this movie is not worth seeing just because of her performance. This is giving me second doubts on seeing 'Ju-on: The Curse (Curse Grudge)' (2000), the original and supposedly better Grudge movie. What was director Takashi Shimizu thinking when he remade his own movie?
    Noah N Super Reviewer
  • Mar 03, 2013
    Sarah Michelle Gellar stars in The Grudge, an American remake of a Japanese horror film. The story follows a cursed house possessed by an evil that's killing off all those who cross its path. However, the film tries to get by on cheap scares that don't work. And rather than creating atmosphere, the score is mundane and cliched. What's also problematic is that the evil spirit is omnipresent, and has no rules or limitations to it. Dull and monotonous, The Grudge is a horror film devoid of any terror.
    Dann M Super Reviewer
  • Dec 29, 2012
    "The Grudge" is a creep-fest that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. It's not that the movie is complex, the opposite is true. It just takes a pedestrian ghost story involving vengeance and anger and surrounds it with jolts and more jolts. Takashi Shimizu doesn't seem concerned with originality or substance as long as he can make creepy ghosts jarringly jump out at characters. While this is scary at times after a while you just stop caring. Sarah Michelle Gellar does the best she can with a thin role that requires her to just skulk around, look scared and ask questions. And when the answers come they prove to be unsurprisingly and unoriginal. "The Grudge" is forgettable and mindless.
    Tony G Super Reviewer
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