Ju-on: Origins

It's been a while since there's been a good "Ju-On" anything, so this chilling miniseries is a very welcome addition to the franchise. It surpasses most of the previous films in terms of atmosphere and genuine scares, becoming visceral and genuinely disturbing. It is also the most visually striking of the whole series, employing some fantastic surreal imagery.

The most important thing of all is that the story remains interesting, it doesn't just recycle earlier plotlines, instead creating it's own new storyline that answers as many questions as it asks. The non-linear structure adds more depth to the anthology formula used throughout the franchise, which is given time to breathe here as a miniseries than as an 80-minute film.

This is a different take on the Ju-on story. In the original the curse follows people around, in this one; the curse is a time-loop. What happened in the past is affecting what happens in the future, and what happens in the now; affects what happens in the past. In that sense the curse is forever ongoing.

Many have commented that this show is confusing. And it is. Especially if you are familiar with the original story and are trying to get the pieces to fit. It's very very important that you know that this is not a sequel to the original movies. But a stand-alone and new take on the Ju-on.

JU-ON: Origins: A tv series is sort of a prequel, inbetweenquel and sequel to the original Ju-On. The action covers the period 1988 to 1997 but it also strays back to the origins of the curse in 1952. We have angry ghosts, confused ghosts, ghosts who can take on physical forms, time-slips. Much of the horror though is of the more mundane variety be it school bullies tricking a girl to go to the cursed house so that a friend can abuse or domestic violence. Some of this may be brought about by evil spirits but not all. The violence passes on through the generations and families who move into the house meet gruesome deaths. Murders and suicides abound. A dark. disturbing series, season one ends on a cliffhanger. Directed by Sho Miyake, written by Takashige Ichise and Hiroshi Takahashi. 7/10. On Netflix.

As a fan of horror, especially J-horror, I noticed more Japanese touches in the series over all like 4 (Shi = death ) pairs of shoes in some frames for tension and the use of a newborn in a horror context. There was even mention of a real Japanese crime in background news reports that happened in that same time period ( the girl incased in concrete).

It's a rewrite from the traditional groaning and crab walking of the original but it more than makes up for it in little touches of Japanese culture that you can't really get in something like the American film remake.

Its target audience is most likely Japanese natives or at least someone who prefers traditional J-horror folklore that can take the time to look up some of the cultural nuances. Especially with the added mystery element.

This will fall flat for someone who wants to tune out and watch something scary for a thrill. But I love it for all the above reasons. It's only sin is misaimed marketing.

I watched the first episode and was not impressed...then I read a bunch of user reviews claiming the show goes nowhere and nothing makes sense. So that convinced me the show sucks so I dropped it....then a few hours later I was suddenly compelled to watch another episode and I am glad I gave it another shot. Pretty sure the majority of those negative reviewers are teens with no attention span who half watch everything. Everything makes sense and comes together if you just pay attention for geez sake. Good show.