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Metaphysical horror movie. Grudge was the beginning of a great franchise, from which many more films were inspired. Like franschise Rings, Grudge relies on Japanese films (Ju-on, 2000) and with its unique concept and style, they are a distinct kind of horror films in themselves. So according to tradition, if a violent death occurs, then the wrath of the victim will fall on the scene as a curse that will haunt everything in that area. The film is quite well-written, with very good effects, intensity and suspense from start to finish and does not get boring at all. The script, the directing, but also the actors were all excellent and are definitely among the most classic films in the genre, but also a reference film. Definitely in the top recommended horror movies.

This review is really a word of warning, if you've seen any of the earlier Japanese versions of this story you've seen this movie before. If you've seen all four of the earlier films, you've really seen everything (except the frightening opening with Bill Pullman) and you'd best wait for home video.

I understand that the film makers wanted to make sure that this film worked and made them money, so they repeated what worked, even casting the same Japanese actors for the kid and other roles; but it would have been nice if they had done more that was new beyond the opening sequence.

This isn't to say that the film is bad, its not, rather, its just that unless you're walking in to the film fresh odds are you're going to be like me and know what each five or ten minutes is going to bring because of the set up of the sequence.

For me it was a 6 out of 10, for fresh eyes probably higher.

I saw this movie on satellite. I originally started to watch it because I was curious to see what Buffy the Vampire Slayer was up to now.

Thirty minutes...or maybe less...into the movie, I was hooked. For sheer skin-crawling creepiness, this film is near the top of my list. Unfortunately, it was on so late that I had to go to bed right after it was over. I didn't sleep well that night. One of my sons had seen it before, in a theater, and now I could understand his reluctance to go up into the attic of our house. More is implied than is explicitly shown in this movie, which makes the few explicit moments all the more scary. But the implied stuff will work its way into the darker recesses of your imagination and last longer, so that for a while afterward you'll have an aversion to stairwells, elevators, small children, train rides...and dark attics. If you like a good horror film, I can heartily recommend this one. The only complaint I had about it was the ending, which seemed a little too Western for a remake of a Japanese film.

'The Grudge' isn't the best horror film and it isn't the scariest either, but there's something about it that always manages to get to me. From the very first scene, which is appropriately bizarre, to the last, 'The Grudge' is a very creepy movie and I can't quite put my finger on why.

It is successfully unnerving partly due to the eerie and tense atmosphere that surround the whole story. There are a few jump scares but nothing that will scare the average horror fan, but it does have the ability to make you feel uneasy and does a good job at building and maintaining tension.

'The Grudge' is nothing special or new and there are certainly scarier horror films out there, but it does have the ability to put the viewer on edge every now and then. I've seen it several times and it still creeps me out.

This movie definitely loses something in the translation. Unlike "The Ring" which equaled and even improved on the original story in some ways, this one just meanders along in an uninspired fashion.

The original Japanese film, "Ju-on", was pretty incoherent, mostly just a series of set pieces and great chills. The American version, directed by the same filmmaker, has done nothing towards clarifying the muddled story and, aside from the great opening sequences, is just a straight-forward recreation of the same suspenseful sequences that somehow don't play as well. I'd suggest renting the original instead.

5 out of 10.