According to Japanese myth, when someone is killed in a fit of deep sorrow or rage, a curse is born.This curse attaches itself to a person and will not stop until the person is dead.
In “The Grudge,” the American version of the Japanese hit “Ju-On,” Sarah Michelle Gellar plays Karen, an American exchange student living in Japan. Karen works for a care center that provides help to bed-ridden patients. She is assigned to a house where an old woman lives with her son and daughter-in-law.
When Karen enters the house, she finds the mother collapsed on the floor and the son and daughter-inlaw missing. Upon further investigation, Karen discovers a young Japanese boy taped into the upstairs closet.
Some words to explain the next scene include: terrifying, frightening and downright evil, when Karen comes into contact with the curse. From this point on, Karen is plagued by the curse along with anyone else who has entered the house. The rest of the film is filled with gruesome shots of murder victims and ghostly faces.
“The Grudge” is directed by Takashi Shimizu who also directed “Ju-On” and who was involved with “Ringu,” the Japanese version of “The Ring.” Shimizu brings a mythic quality to the movie, utilizing the peaceful surroundings of Tokyo and manipulating them to appear menacing.
“The Grudge” boasts an outstanding supporting cast, including Jason Behr of “Roswell” and Clea Duvall from “The Faculty.”
In the end, “The Grudge” is the answer for which scary movie fans have been searching for.