Japanese Film Reviews #9: Shimizu Takashi's JU-ON: THE GRUDGE

[alphamale187]

Great review. I think Ju On the Curse is the scariest J horror film of all time, scarrier than the ring, ju on the grudge, or the american remake. I also think its kinda idiotic that half of Ju On the Curse 2 is rehashed footage from Ju On 1. Why didn't they just combine the two films into one feature length film? I also wish that there was an official R1 release of these films on DVD, I was forced to buy the bootleg edition off of ebay.

[dornravlin]

pleas



[dornravlin]

pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa­aaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssssssssss­ssssssssssss

[dornravlin]

do another review i beg you with swan gone theres only one guy doing it right. i want more than one person do asain horror reviews right pleas im sorry what ever i did il do anything pleas

[turquoiseguy]

I found The Grudge scary but not The Ring, I found that one kind of boring.

[MrCrazyslv]

wow!!! I just find you! Now Am starting with the japonese cinema & u are a a lot of help! keep up ;)

[TheEyez187]

Your own mind is the scariest thing; mine is anyway!!!

Tip: If you watch The Grudge at night, go to bed afterwards, without a blanket, or you might give yourself a heart-attack by lifting your own leg up!!!

Cool review, was laughing straight away XD

[sdfdogjedi100]

you scary the shit out of me dammmmmmmmmmmmmm

[davisb8davisb8]

There's just something about Ringu, it has a stanley kubrick sort of quality and it is timeless. Ringu may not be as hard to sit through as Ju-On, but Ringu has a staying quality that is rare in my opinion. So official vote: Ringu (in case you found what I had to say confusing)

[chewysugar]

I think I found The Grudge scarier because there's no chance to escape from the curse. In the Ring, you just had to make a copy of the tape and you'd be safe, but the Grudge just seems less forgiving. You go into an empty house to find where those cat noises are coming from and then the next thing you know you're doomed to die a horrible death for something that really isn't your fault.

[MiTijuana]

Hi Constantine Im a new fan of your reviews, Im from Baja California, Mexico just to let you know youre reviews are really interesting, insightful and helpful for a J-Horror fan like me well keep up the good work.

P.S: Ju on is much much superior than Ringu

[TakahashiYusei]

What was the interesting quoet!? If I spelled that right!?

[KahlerHahn]

Bothe flicks scared me, but ring was a little more intense... mostly because of the well, coz my Grandma had a huge well in the back of her Place and it scared the shit out of me as a kid... kinda traumatised till this day

[Horrorlord1]

And finally. For some reason women are scared of the little boy and men are scared of the woman. What is the reason?

[KahlerHahn]

@Horrorlord1 maybe the problem that we still do not understand the opposite Sex

[Horrorlord1]

My worst fear is a woman yurei. The beginning scared the **** out of me!

[Horrorlord1]

Whats the opening song? I love japanese music!

[KahlerHahn]

@Horrorlord1 dir en grey - the final

[hongdekong]

the grudge is scarier then the ring

[ilovekayako]

its  Takashi Shimizu

[nati1234]

that sound scared me to death!

[ToolManDan82]

Nice. At the risk of being retarded, where is your blog ? To your question, I respond to both (I find the horror film making from the East is extremely well-done and outshines the often far too obvious Western take on it; the themes seem to carry more weight). The difference is that with Ring, there are MOMENTS; in The Grudge, it's a relentless, tense creepiness that comes to a head. Make sense? Glad I'm not the only one for whom regular watching doesn't take away from the terror of this film

[PonZiffy]

I hate you! No actually I love your videos but me AND my cat AND my boyfriend jumped at the beginning hahah. So you have just scarred three lives :p

[dannywildheart]

The Ring was great because through the the whole film there is always a sense of dread and uneasyness as the clock ticks away and those 7 days pass by until we finally see the climatic horror.

Ju On: The Grudge captured the brooding atmosphere of the Ring and weaved in some truly terrifying scares. It can get you anywhere and in your most vunerable of places (bed, shower ect).

Ju On is easily the scarier of the two. Recommend it be watched alone and in the dark :)

[MakeupMeLove]

omg! i got scared watching this review, i don't think i'm ready to watch the movie! lol :)

[manhuntAC]

I have to admit i loved the year 2000 movies of Ju-On the curse 1 and 2 and i also enjoyed the 2003 Ju-On 1 but i found the second Ju-On 2003 a bit pointless in terms of the story and i also enjoyed the first two american remakes aswell but the third one was pretty bad lol.

And i like the fact in nearly every single Ju-On movie the way how Takeo kills Kayako is slightly different aswell which is funny, i like in Ju-On the curse Takeo is humanized a bit before we see Kayako kill him :( Takeo FTW!

[tokyo333]

Greetings from Tokyo! I found both Ring and Juon scary, but Juon more so... hope this helps test yr theory!

[nikklazz]

Holy shit!! The beginning...my sound was WAY up and I got fucking goosebumps all over..^^..don't scare people like that ;P

[NonStoptoTokyo]

@nikklazz You too have fallen victim to the kinpatsu jurei!!! Mwahahaha

[nikklazz]

@NonStoptoTokyo Yes unfortunately...for me. Nihongo wo hanshimasu ka? Benkyoushimashita ka? Nihon no eiga to ongaku wa sugoi ne ^^

[randompinapple]

i found the grudge WAAAAAY more scary than the ring ...

[jimswe]

I found the grudge way more scarier then the ring.

[uzuki8106]

i love japanese and korean horror films ^^ i think Ju On was ALLOT scarier then Ringu :D

[SysAdmin86851]

neither movies scary, they suck !!

... but I've never seen the japanese versions, so ... yeah.

[SysAdmin86851]

that would have been sexy without the gross noises ... lol

[sinner666able]

the ring wasn't scary but it was good

the whole ju-on series and the usa verisons were great a little bit jumpy at some scenes and you are not the only one who had dreams about the grudge i have a few of my own

[1AeroForce1]

That sound you made at the begining gave me a boner, for weeks! -_-

[NonStoptoTokyo]

@1AeroForce1 Not the effect I was going for, but ok.

[randomboostsuperguy]

welcome to the internet

everyone can act perverted here :D

[gerryf964]

@NonStoptoTokyo Gave Me A Boner 2

[uzuki8106]

@1AeroForce1 eww dude wtf...and lol to her response XD good movie! actually really freaky shit lol

[AXSLV2]

your movie's review rocks!

[Endgame167]

Love your reviews (working my way through them bit by bit at the moment) but boy-oh-boy does that throat noise freak me out after watching that movie... My friends are seemingly immune to being scared by these kind of movies, and after watching Ju-On with them they seem to have found great pleasure in taking advantage of my fear of that noise. Let me tell you, getting a phone call randomly at 3:00am and answering it only to hear a really good impersonation of that noise is NOT fun.

[NonStoptoTokyo]

@Endgame167 That's hilarious! Sounds like the sort of thing I'd do to my friends...

[MidwestMidnight]

Ju-on: The Grudge has the scariest ending I've ever seen in a horror film. For years I thought the scariest thing I'd ever see on screen was the ghost of Kayako... and then I saw Ju-on: White Ghost and I can honestly say that the granny ghost is the scariest thing I've ever seen on film.

[zombie161]

i like ur review of it, and i admire that u enjoy jappanese films, as much a i do. ill watch more to see what i missed.

[htadashi]

????????

[ryukenb2k]

You rock and love japanese now lets get married and make otaku babies. oh yeah im a chocolate brother so our babies will chocolate vanilla.purely tongue in cheek babes

[NonStoptoTokyo]

@ryukenb2k Hahahaha, this comment cracked me up! Thanks.

[ryukenb2k]

@NonStoptoTokyo.Japanese movies are my favourite and close second are korean movies go figure :).I love romantic movies especially french japanese and korean chinese.Check out this movie called Bangkok dangerous the original thai version.the american version with nickolas cage sucks mushroom's.god damn it all you rock sooo bad

[RoninDave]

0:00-0:05 you might try gargling with warm water.

I did a film cultural review on the Ring remake focusing on the stain idea of a goryo or onryo - vengeance ghost. Juon both the remake and the original were effectively scary.

[NonStoptoTokyo]

Is that on your blog? I'd be interested in reading your thoughts on the film.

Also, I've been meaning to ask you, when is the next Tokyo Decadance?

[RoninDave]

Not until a few minutes ago. I did a review of it and the nature of goryo/onryo for an online newspaper 5 years ago. I just put it up on my blog with Rodger's Ju-on series review attached.

Check it out!

As for Tokyo Decadance check with Telemakfilms. there's an event on 2/13 and later 3/13 at Christon Cafe.

[Blackwidina]

I just tried watching Ju-On for the first time. I've watched the American remake so I spent most of the movie going ' seen that. they kept that? cool.' However, I couldn't finish it. Without spoilers, let me just say that I'm a mom, and towards the end of Kayako's section, with the...duffel bag's contents...I found what happened to be so frightening and disturbing that I had to stop because I was so upset. And I have no desire to finish it. Ever. And I usually have a very strong stomach

[NonStoptoTokyo]

Yeah, it's a pretty scary movie. I also have a strong stomach and still have trouble watching this movie!

[kokogoal1987]

The movie and the game can gtfo. BS

[thedogisoflove]

you scared the hell out of me albino kayako! and the pic of toshio meowing!

[XboxEnchanted]

DIR EN GREY IN THE BEGING YAY

[manhuntAC]

I have seen Ju-On 1 and 2 and i must say i don't get the ending to Ju-On 1 with Takeo coming down the stairs and killing Rika??? and i have only seen the american remakes of the ring films, and i have seen the trilogy of the grudge films, i liked the grudge remake it actually scared me more than the orginals :)

[dgdbg]

Is The Ring japanese?

[shounenbat510]

@dgdbg Yes, it is. In my opinion it's better than the American remake, but to each his own, I guess. Anyway, you can probably find it by typing "Ringu".

[ANTICHRISTSTEVIE666]

Great review i love the JU-ON series

[Kingshitv4]

You are pretty!

[8BitFox]

yeah at the start you should have just done the whole grey face thing. that would have been funny as hell~!

[fosterzgreat]

this film has damaged me. its the scariest film i have seen, the noise she makes creeps me out lol when this video started i quickly reached for the volume. the grudge was way scarier than the ring

[IndianaDylan]

which one in the franchise should i watch first?

[IndianaDylan]

Sanjuro/Yojimbo kicks ass

which is better, the american grude or the asian juon? i totally forgot about the fuckin grudge and i wanna watch it again but i dunt know which one to see, american or asian, thank u for ur time

[ZEROPRODUCTIONSVIDEO]

0:00 - 0:06 FAIL!!! jk love ur reviews!!

[Xzero89]

scarred for life =(

[DavePerry2012]

I think Ai Kago was in a recent Ju-On.

[sounghungi]

I thought the both movies were scary at first but when i watched they i was like wow this is not scary only because my mind takes in scary thing and turns them into finny things

[zversus]

honestly i loved this movie -american and japanese- and i have to say it was the scariest movie ive seen and none of the recent horror flicks can top its after-shock effect if you know what i mean by that...for days and even up till now after every time i watch the damn movie i freak out at something...its great and if a horror flick can do that to me then its considered the best and scariest

[NonStoptoTokyo]

I completely agree, Ju-On scared the shit out of me. I think it's a really great horror film.

[lalalaboy655]

i think that both movies are sad :(

cuz like the way sadako had to live

with knowing she cant have kids

and the way kayako was murdered

made me want to actually jump in

the screen and give them a BIG ASS HUG!

[NonStoptoTokyo]

Yeah...they do need hugs. =P

[IlonaMessalina]

The original Ring didn't scare me at all. I just sat through the film like ?. I did however, very much enjoy the novel.

The Grudge was scarier to me. I swore after I watched it that Kayako was following me everywhere I went. LOL!

[TSDT]

Honestly, I'm a little surprised. Granted I've only seen the theatrical version, I wasn't very scared by Ju-on OR Ringu. I mean, I love and really appreciate the structure and the mood of the movie but it just wasn't scary for me.

As far as subtle psychological horror goes, give me "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" or hell, if you wanna stay Japanese, the anime series "Boogiepop Phantom" which uses a similar audio-based, totally out-of-order story structure to a much greater effect.

[Psypomp]

I found the Ring series scarier than Ju-On. Ringu seemed to have an atmosphere of dread that I didn't really see in Ju-on. Sadako was scarier, too. The movie had no gore, which really put all the horror into the paranormal aspect of it.

Sadako is scary b/c her life was a constant struggle and she has a reason to have such rage. Kayako was murdered, but compared to Sada's overall situation, she does not seem as dangerous.

[DevylArmy]

I have this weird, we might call it "addiction" I just like to go a long time whitout sleeping, like 48 to 72 hours, I dont get scared that easy, or gorssed out, but after one of this marathon whitout sleeping i started seeing this lil kid form the grudge on corners even hear the cat sound, I went to the doctor and he said it was psicosis due to sleep deprabation, that was a scary experience.

[NonStoptoTokyo]

Wow, that doesn't surprise me. There's a reason they use sleep deprivation as a method of torture. Just make sure you don't kill anyone! =P

[HaseosLover]

I thought they were both scary as hell. you have to do a review on the grudge 3, I thought that was the best one of the grudge saga.

[NonStoptoTokyo]

Really? I haven't seen Grudge Three yet because I figured it'd be pretty lame. Maybe I was wrong.

[HaseosLover]

its really good. I didnt like the grudge 2, but 3 was really good I thought.

[kevstew26]

I just watched this movie and i must say i liked the remake more. The only american remake i like more than the original :P

But don't watch the grudge 3 no effense HaseosLover.

Grudge 3 was probably the worst movie ive seen in the past 2 years :|

[TheDeborahdee86]

to be honest I think Ju-On scared me way more that Ringu. I mean Ringu was OK, but I think Ju-On is better... The way Shimuzi Takashi dircted it, the story, the creepy sounds... I don't know, I just think Ringu it's not that scary...

[TheJohnnyKuhl]

In my personal opinion, I think Ju-on is a scarier movie than The Ring. The way Shimizu Takashi uses certain sounds rather than music has more of a psycological effect and messes with the mind. I couldn't sleep the night after I watched Ju-on.

[NonStoptoTokyo]

I could not agree with you more. The use of sound was very disturbing and whenever I watch Ju-On it makes me too scared to sleep, haha. No other movie can do that to me!

[sintaks]

I've been avoiding The Grudge in all forms. I say it's because I don't like horror films, but in reality it's because I'm a jumper, and I hate jumping.

But, based on your review, I've added two of them to my Netflix queue. We'll see how that goes...

[NonStoptoTokyo]

I'm a jumper too, even in non-scary movies. It's the loud noises that make me jump. I recently went to see Terminator Salvation (not a scary movie at all) and one scene made me jump...and I knocked my drink over and spilled it in my friend's lap. Not cool, haha!

[oxblood81]

I found them both creepy for different reasons. I found The Ring scary because it's sense of woe and terror at the knowledge of one's own impending demise. Where as, I found The Grudge scary because the horrible reason for the ghost's death is just so disturbing, and in a way heart breaking too.

[PadawanKim]

I was so scared when I saw The Ring at the theater that I couldn't fall asleep until 3 a.m. the next morning after watching it.

The Grudge is one of those movies that didn't scare me while I was watching it, but now if I think about it at night I can't fall asleep lol.

For some reason the American remakes scared me more than the Japanese versions, but it could be because I saw the remakes first.

[BIGO13117]

THE GRUDGE HAS SCARED ME FOR YEARS!

[NonStoptoTokyo]

I know! I had trouble falling asleep last night because I was thinking about making this YouTube video and then my cat got stuck in the closet and I had to retrieve it...I'm traumatized for life, yo!

[nikonninja]

Watched "The Ring" at the theater and found it scary, even when I was with friends it was sort of a group mood dependent film. We didn't know what it was about, so that made it more interesting. "The Grudge" I watched at home and allows the my kids to watch - well they couldn't sleep in their own rooms for over 3 weeks and I got in trouble for that one. Grudge I thought was scarier.

[NonStoptoTokyo]

I still try to sleep with my mom when I watch The Grudge, it terrifies me!

[THENAKEDSHADOW]

I had a sharp or insightful comments on this film but i decided

to throw them to the wayside. instead i will tell you in so many

words (and letters) that i appreciate this very fine review. i was

glad to see you give some of your own personal opinions and

also find some humor in it besides establishing facts alone. it's

nice to hear you laugh and enjoy yourself as well. it brings a

a certain spirit of adventure. i like your channel a lot, thank you.

[BuBuKuma]

Why do you do that !? Call me wimp, but I could only watch till 00:45. After that, just sound :(

[masterofmorphine92]

good beginning!! :D

[SystemofaDowndrugy]

I love this films. I love scarey stuff. Personally, I didn't like the american version. I know it was by the same director but he put all this CGI stuff in there that they could have done without and it could have been just as scarey. It was ok but not the best. The Ring, to me, was the only good American remake.

[bulletproofKevlar]

yeah this movie def scares the crap out of me...I use to force myself to watch it over and over....but doesn't workl

[NonStoptoTokyo]

Watching it over and over again definitely DOES NOT help at all! It just scares me and prevents me from sleeping! I got kind of scared making screenshots for this YouTube video actually.

[bulletproofKevlar]

hahah omg then i got stories for you lol..I'm gonna have to do a video response on this!! i'll post it on the weekend

[NonStoptoTokyo]

Yay! Video Response! Yesssssssssssssssssssss!

[Psypomp]

Oh wow, I'm totally with you. I can't look at pictures of Sadako, especially. I have to scroll down past the pic... and then I'm still freaked out.

[bulletproofKevlar]

the opening is like the elbino ju-on lol.. so different with blonde hair

[NonStoptoTokyo]

Haha! Albino ju-on! That's great. I do admit it's much less scary with blonde hair and blue eyes.

[Fourthworth]

Nice review. :) For me, Ring was more scarier than Juon.

[NonStoptoTokyo]

Thanks, Fourthworth! Obviously you don't have an irrational fear of children like I do...haha =P

[ToLokyo]

I was an extra in The Grudge, Part 2.

I couldn't handle watching it past just searching through to find myself. Never did... :P

[NonStoptoTokyo]

Haha, that's too bad...was it the Japanese or the American Grudge 2? Or is that a silly question to ask...?

[ToLokyo]

I think it was the US Grudge 2...had the chick from some old famous 80's dance flick and the L Word.

It was shot in Yokohama though.

[betamaxdc]

that is not a scary ju-on. too kakkoii

[NonStoptoTokyo]

I do admit that it is less terrifying with blonde hair. I failed... =P

[novaadage]

I've been watching a lot of asian horror movies lately. I managed to snag an amazon asian horror movie sale, and bought a ton. Anyways, great review! As for your question, I have to say Ju-on was probably more scarier to me. Keep up the good work Constantine!

[NonStoptoTokyo]

Thanks novaadage! What are some of your favorite films out of the ones you just purchased? Maybe I haven't seen it yet...and I'm always looking for new movies to watch!

[novaadage]

I have to say, Whispering Corridors, Wishing Stairs, and Arang are among my favorites. If you're quick, you can still catch the sale on amazon. They're only 5 bucks, and there seems to be around 15 titles.

[NonStoptoTokyo]

Whispering Corridors is fantastic...very very good. I'll check out the sale.

[AequitasVeritas92]

I just bought and watched all 4 films :D

Play(dot)com got a really cheap box set with all 4 Whispering corridors films, very good box set! :D

[amarpreet110]

i've only watched the remakes and from those i found the grudge scarier then the ring. I think because being haunted in your home seems more frightening to me, then a haunted video tape...maybe watching the japanese versions might change my mind. Their good films no matter which you choose.

[NonStoptoTokyo]

I think that the remake of The Grudge is scarier because they let Shimizu Takashi direct it. They hired Gore Verbinski to direct the remake of The Ring...bad choice, they should have kept Nakata Hideo!

[camuigakuto]

First off, loved the beginning! XD It took me by surprise. lol Also great review. I remember watching the sorts on youtube a while back. Would have been nice if they added them to the DVD. ^.^; Been looking around for The Curse on DVD but no luck.

I enjoyed the remake as well. Its the only good remake made so far.

As to your question, both movies frightened me. Ju-on more then Ringu, but I love them both.

Looking forward to One miss call. ^.^ I just recommended that one to my sister.

[NonStoptoTokyo]

For some reason, Ring just doesn't bother me that much. You can actually watch all of Ju-On: The Curse on YouTube if you don't want to waste time tracking the DVD down of the internet.

[AequitasVeritas92]

I like both films, both films are very scary but if I had to choose, I would say Ringu scare me the most, maybe not while I watch it, but after the film is over.

But the film that scares me the most is a thai horror called Shutter, you should check it out. Anyways, great review!

Later!

[camuigakuto]

The most frightening part about Shutter is that the women playing the ghost looks just as scary without the ghost makeup. lol I love that movie.

[NonStoptoTokyo]

Shutter was very good and creepy...actually there are some really good, disturbing Thai horror movies out there! Did you see the American remake though? CRAP!

[TokyoBrando]

i never got around to watching this..i like ur review n stuff but lots of people have said its crap and not scary at all and boring..i dunno, might buy the japanese version if its cheap on ebay

[NonStoptoTokyo]

Yeah, a lot of people don't like it...but for some strange reason I find it very scary. Nothing else scares me, just this movie. =P