The Grudge (2004)

First off, at the beginning, no girl would pursue a noise upstairs, much less to the ATTIC, by herself when there shouldn't be anybody up there. After the blond was haunted at the office so late at night, she wouldn't take a cab just back to her place; she'd want to be with someone. She'd want to stay out in public. Especially when she's ultimately creeped out after the phonecall, the last thing she'd want to do is lock herself up in her place by herself. And of course, in the whole building, even late at night, she doesn't run into anybody.

The Grudge (2004) is an okay horror film. Sarah Michelle Gellar stars, and I think Sarah does do well in her role, but the cast/acting isn't really the issue I took with the movie. The problem I had with it was that it had many times where it was slow and just boring, didn't do a great job with keeping your attention. I also didn't enjoy Bill Pullman in his co-starring role, he didn't seem believable to me. The beginning isn't bad, but as the movie progresses towards the middle of the movie, it really does slow down. The visuals certainly aren't anything to write home about, just pretty average. I like Gellar, and I have enjoyed her in many roles, but I think this movie was a mistake, it just didn't entertain me and it seemed pretty average, maybe even below average at some points. 5/10 for The Grudge. My recommendation is to skip this one and keep looking if you're looking for a good horror movie that'll entertain and scare, there are plenty better ones out there.

After the success of the American remake of THE RING, I guess it was inevitable that Hollywood would start producing more versions of Asian horrors. This is their second effort, a virtual scene-for-scene remake of the previous year's JU-on: THE GRUDGE, itself a remake of an earlier film simply titled JU-ON. Confused yet? You will be – as far as I make it, no less than six films have been built around this premise so far, with a seventh (and possibly eighth, knowing Hollywood) on the way. Really, if you've seen the original Japanese version, you have absolutely no reason to see this movie. It's inferior in every respect, and the decision to use sub-par CGI effects in some scenes makes them laughable rather than frightening – the appearance of the ghost hovering above the bed just looks atrocious.The good news is that Sam Raimi produces under his Ghost House banner, which means things are a little less insipid than they would be otherwise. This film is an old-fashioned horror effort that mixes the plots of JU-ON and JU-ON: THE GRUDGE to a sometimes confusing effect. I liked the fact that the focus was on the scares throughout – no padding or time-wasting here, just straight into the fear factor. The inclusion of scenes from JU-ON (which I hadn't seen) kept me on my toes, although everything else was pretty much reproduced from the original, shot-to-shot. This may be because the Japanese director came across, but even so I'd have liked a little more loosening of the apron strings, a little greater variety. Maybe that's just me.The cast isn't great. Japanese actors have a great way of portraying realistic subtlety, so when you see Sarah Michelle Gellar sweating and acting with wide-eyed fear, it doesn't really have the same impact. She's always just acting. The other cast members are pretty bland, and Clea DuVall is STILL awful, ever since I saw her in THE FACULTY. Bill Pullman was pretty good though, while the inclusion of Japanese actors from the original, playing the cursed family, is a nice touch. Being a Sam Raimi production, Ted Raimi inevitably shows up, here playing the head of a care agency, and it's great to see him in a larger supporting role than usual. One thing I did like a LOT was that the film becomes more serious, and more scary, as it progresses. Scenes such as the 'jaw' scare are spot on, while the full-blooded climax doesn't disappoint – it may be that the film actually becomes scarier than the original at this point! So, all in all, this isn't a great film, but it is a pretty good one – better still if you haven't caught the Japanese version.

This film really is absolutely terrifying I had heard the hype of 'The Grudge' and happened to catch it on ITV, I started watching it and instantly approved of it because of Sarah Michelle Gellar (an actor I am rather fond off) The film has a really good plot and It genuinely is scary. There is something so creepy about the monster on the film the noise it makes still gives me chills and the music is horrific sort of like memorable music that every time you hear you associate with The Grudge and you will begin to be scared. I found myself after watching The Grudge actually scared to go upstairs alone It really did affect me and I know many off my friends felt the same way there is something about the film that is chilling. The Grudge is definitely worth your time to watch and will keep you on your toes!