The Grudge

The Grudge is a 2004 American remake of the Japanese horror/thriller film ' (2003). It is directed by Takashi Shimizu, who wrote and directed the original film, while Stephen Susco scripted the remake.

Overview

In the same tradition as the original, the story is told through a non-linear sequence of events and includes several intersecting subplots. One of the purposes this technique had in the original Ju-on series was to act as a response to the growing trend of horror films in Eastern Asia that prided themselves on slow-moving plots, which usually revolved around mysterious ghosts or curses that the film's protagonist had to get to the bottom of before somebody, typically themselves, was killed. Examples of this subgenre include Phone (2002) from South Korea, the Pang Brothers' The Eye (2002), and most of the works of Japanese filmmaker Hideo Nakata such as Ghost Actress (1996), the blockbuster Ring/Ringu (1998), and Dark Water (2002).

Related Topics:
Ju-on - Eastern Asia - Phone - 2002 - South Korea - The Eye - Hideo Nakata - Ghost Actress - 1996 - Blockbuster - Ring/Ringu - 1998 - Dark Water

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The Ju-on story was deprived of this context when it was transferred to Western audiences in the form of the remake. In addition to the film's archetypal similarities with 2002's The Ring, itself a remake of Ringu, this can explain the unenthusiastic critical response that the film received upon its release, with many reviews dismissing it as derivative of the earlier film, as well as being a generally lazy piece of horror cinema. It is worth noting that the original Ju-On: The Grudge, which had been lauded in its native Japan as an inventive riff on their recent boom of slow-burning homegrown horror films (or J-Horror), also picked up mixed reviews during its limited theatrical run across the US in the summer of 2004.

Related Topics:
Western - The Ring - Critical - J-Horror

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What The Grudge did succeed in translating from the original was a surprise runaway box office success. Opening in US theaters on Friday October 22, 2004, the film made a total of $110 million in North America alone, far exceeding the expectations of box office analysts and Sony Pictures executives alike. The company stated that the film cost less than $10 million to produce, thereby making it one of the most profitable films of the year. The huge commercial success of this film, The Ring from two years previously, and the romantic comedy film Shall We Dance (a 2004 remake of the Japanese movie of the same name) has since caused many major Hollywood studios to snap up the domestic distribution and remake rights for several horror hits from Asia, and some non-horror ones as well. In addition to Dark Water (released in the summer of 2005), there are literally dozens of English language remakes in various stages of development, which include The Eye, My Sassy Girl (2001), Infernal Affairs (2002), and Takashi Miike's One Missed Call (2003).

Related Topics:
Box office - October 22 - $ - Sony Pictures - Romantic comedy film - Shall We Dance - Japanese movie of the same name) - Asia - Dark Water - 2005 - English language - My Sassy Girl - 2001 - Infernal Affairs - Takashi Miike - One Missed Call

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A sequel, The Grudge 2, was announced the Monday after the film opened.

Related Topics:
Sequel - The Grudge 2

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