| “The cult Japanese horror franchise Ju-on revolves around a curse created by a murdered housewife in a house in Nerima. It was said that when one person dies with a deep and burning rage, a curse is born. The curse gathers in the place where that person has died or where they were frequent [ly]…” -TMDB |
First Thoughts
I chose Ju-On: The Grudge as the first A-Horror entry because it was the first Asian horror film I watched outside of Godzilla movies (more about those as entries are made.)
It was also the first film since The Exorcist which I watched as a teen, that gave me goosebumps so I immediately wanted more Asian horror. I was forever hooked.
There was a remake called The Grudge (2004) and if you’ve seen it, I want you to forget everything about it because the original movie is so much different.
All my favorite parts were removed and/or redone in a more “typical Hollywood fashion” which took so much away from what made this film truly creepy.
2003
R
1h 32m
Director: Takashi Shimizu
Writer: Takashi Shimizu
Stars: Megumi Okina, Misaki Itô, Misa Uehara
The original “Ju-on” (2000) and the sequel “Ju-on 2” (2000) were direct-to-video releases that became a surprise hit in Japan.
The Japanese franchise:
Ju-on (2000)
Ju-on 2 (2000)
Ju-on: The Grudge (2003)
Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (2003)
Ju-on: Black Ghost | Ju-on: Kuroi Shoujo (2009)
Ju-on: White Ghost | Ju-on: Shiroi Roujo (2009)
Ju-on: The Beginning of the End | Juon – Owari no Hajimari (2014)
Ju-on: The Final Curse | Ju-on Za Fuiinaru (2015)
Ju-On: Origins | Ju-On: Noroi no Ie (Netflix / 2020)
Sadako vs. Kayako (2016)
Katasumi and 4444444444 (1998) (short film)
Tales from the Grudge (2006) (short film)
Franchise logo
So let’s jump in
Ju-on: The Grudge is framed in the fate of social worker Nishina Rika who visits the house of Tokunagas (formally the Saeki house) where she was summoned after the social worker previously assigned to the house disappeared. After surviving a terrible (awesome) experience there, (terrible for her, good for us) she discovers the story of deaths that are connected to the house.
As is the case for many Japanese films, the story is nonlinear. Since it’s not chronological, it may be a little hard to follow at first but just enough to make it even more unsettling and fun. Speaking of fun, let’s add a creepy ghost kid to the mix…
Toshio
Toshio is an onryō (怨霊 onryō, literally “vengeful spirit”, sometimes rendered “wrathful spirit” is a mythological spirit of vengeance from Japanese folklore) who lost his mother Kayako Saeki, his pet cat Mar, as well as his own life all under the murderous rage of his father Takeo Saeki.
Toshio follows the spirit of his mother in a spreading grudge curse that sets on anyone who steps inside their house. He is the more passive ghost overall, usually just appearing to scare the crap out of his victims with his unsettling cat yowl.
His ghost is trademarked by his menacing, yet innocent aspect with pitch-black, wide-open eyes, pale skin, and the haunting cat yowls. He is capable of posing as a living being.
Toshio shares a main role with his mother Kayako, becoming an icon of Japanese horror and the horror genre in general.
Kayako
Kayako Saeki (佐伯 伽椰子, Saeki Kayako) is the vengeful ghost of a woman killed by her husband Takeo along with their son Toshio in a murder-suicide after he came to believe she was having an affair.
This onryō doesn’t mess around, well, she does mess with her victims but only briefly before having them join her in the afterlife. Director Takashi Shimizu created and originally voiced her chilling and now iconic death rattle himself.
It just pulls you in
Right from the beginning, we are inundated with uncomfortable images and situations. It starts off strong and just keeps giving. This isn’t a faced paced action flick but it still delivers the chills.
The lore from this film just sucks you in and is captivating enough that it generated at least 12 entries in the Japanese franchise alone, just counting the stuff on film. There are novels, comics, a graphic novel, and even a video game.
It’s the film that got me hooked on A-Horror so this one, our first film up for review gets 4 sets of horns, our highest rating.
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