The Grudge
| The Grudge | |
| Missing image The_Grudge_movie.jpg Cinema cover | |
| Directed by | Takashi Shimizu |
| Written by | Stephen Susco |
| Starring | Sarah Michelle Gellar Jason Behr William Mapother Clea DuVall KaDee Strickland Grace Zabriskie Bill Pullman |
| Produced by | Sam Raimi Robert G. Tapert Roy Lee Doug Davison Taka Ichise |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Entertainment |
| Release date | October 22, 2004 (USA) |
| Runtime | 92 min. (98 min. director's cut) |
| Language | English Japanese |
| Budget | $10 million |
| IMDb page | |
The Grudge is a 2004 American remake of the Japanese horror/thriller film Ju-on: The Grudge (2003). It is directed by Takashi Shimizu, who wrote and directed the original film, while Stephen Susco scripted the remake.
| Contents |
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).
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 deriative 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.
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 (due out in the summer of 2005), there are literally dozens of English language remakes in various stages of development, including ones of The Eye, My Sassy Girl (2001), Infernal Affairs (2002), and Takashi Miike's One Missed Call (2003).
A sequel, The Grudge 2, was announced the Monday after the film opened.
Plot
The Grudge is the curse of one who dies in the grip of a powerful rage. Those who encounter this murderous supernatural curse die and a new one is born, passed from victim to victim in an endless, growing chain of horror.
The Saeki Family and Peter Kirk
A young Japanese woman, Kayako Saeki (Takako Fuji), is unhappy in her marriage to her husband, Takeo (Takashi Matsuyama), and slowly develops an unhealthy obsession with an American college professor, Peter Kirk (Bill Pullman), who is working in Tokyo. Despite the knowledge that he, unlike her, is happily married, Kayako continues to hold a torch for this man that she does not know, and keeps a secret diary which she uses to chronicle her fantasies about him. She stalks him regularly, and even sends him love letters informing him of her feelings. When she returns home one day, she discovers, to her horror, that her husband has read her diary, and knows all about her affection towards the other man. In the grip of a powerful rage, Takeo brutally murders his helpless wife, along with their young son, Toshio (Yuya Ozeki), by drowning him along with his beloved pet cat. Upon arrival at the Saeki residence, Peter finds Toshio seemingly alive but bruised and shaken, and then discovers Kayako's body stuffed into a crawlspace in the attic upstairs. He instantly leaves the house in a state of shock. The next morning, in front of his wife, Maria (Rosa Blasi), he commits suicide by jumping off the balcony just outside his apartment.
The Williams Family
After he is given a promotion by his superiors, Matthew Williams (William Mapother) moves to Tokyo, and takes his wife, Jennifer (Clea DuVall) with him, along with his slightly ailing mother, Emma (Grace Zabriskie). Matthew's sister, Susan (KaDee Strickland), who has been living in the city for some time, helps them in their search to pick out their new home. Matthew, Jennifer, and Susan decide on a house located in the suburbs, although Emma, however, feels a great sense of unease when she ascends the staircase to the second floor of the house. This continues when the Williams family finally move in, and Emma sleeps fitfully, while Jennifer has quickly gone off her new life in Tokyo, feeling lost and lonely as she hasn't the faintest grasp of the language, and chooses to spend most of her time in the house. One day, when Matthew is out at work, Jennifer goes to investigate some strange noises and occurrences within the house. When Matthew returns, he finds his wife laid out on their bed, struggling to breath. A young boy appears in the bedroom and confronts him with strange cat-like sounds. Meanwhile, Susan, worried about her mother, phones the Williams residence, leaves a message on the answering machine, and prepares to leave work. As she does so, she notices she is being followed by someone, and when she manages to catch a glimpse of the woman, she leaves her workplace as quickly as possible. Thinking she is safe in her apartment in the city, Susan finds out she is wrong, as the woman later appears in her home.
Cast
- Sarah Michelle Gellar as Karen Davis, an exchange student who takes a job as a care worker to get a social credit.
- Jason Behr as Doug, Karen's boyfriend, who attends the University of Tokyo, and has a part-time job working at a restaurant.
- William Mapother as Matthew Williams, a "number cruncher" who receives a promotion from his superiors that requires him to relocate to Tokyo.
- Clea DuVall as Jennifer, Matthew's wife.
- KaDee Strickland as Susan, Matthew's younger sister, who resides and works in Tokyo, and who helps her brother, sister-in-law and mother choose and move into their new home.
- Grace Zabriskie as Emma, Matthew's mother, who is suffering from senile dementia.
- Bill Pullman as Peter, a teacher working in Tokyo, who receives a number of love letters from Kayako, a woman he does not know.
- Rosa Blasi as Maria, Peter's wife.
- Ted Raimi as Alex, the director of the care centre that Yoko and Karen are stationed at.
- Ryo Ishibashi as Nakagawa, a detective whose colleagues all died or disappeared under mysterious circumstances during the investigation of the Saeki family murder case.
- Yoko Maki as Yoko, a Japanese care worker who speaks English, and is assigned to care for Emma Williams.
- Yuya Ozeki as Toshio, the seven year-old son of Kayako and Takeo Saeki.
- Takako Fuji as Kayako Saeki, a married woman who develops an attraction towards Peter.
- Takashi Matsuyama as Takeo Saeki, Kayako's husband, who is angry when he discovers her feelings for another man.
Promotional Taglines
It never forgives. It never forgets.
Once you see it, you can never forget. Once it sees you, you can never escape.
Do you have a grudge?
Even if you die, you can never escape. (Japan)
Response
The Grudge proved popular with moviegoers, generating $39.1 million in ticket sales in its first weekend of release, and declined a solid 43% in its second weekend with $21.8 million, becoming the first horror film to top the Halloween box office since House on Haunted Hill (1999). It eventually finished with $110,359,362 domestically and $183,474,602 worldwide.
Extended Cut
On May 17, 2005, the unrated director's cut of The Grudge was released onto DVD. It included several scenes cut to achieve a lower rating from the MPAA, as well as others which were removed for pacing and plot reasons. This version of the film was used for its theatrical run in Japan. The changes include:
- A close-up of Peter Kirk's corpse's face following his suicide, featuring an eyeball that has popped out from his skull.
- When Yoko arrives at the house to meet Emma, she has tape and blood on her hands.
- When Karen meets Emma, she sees her bandaged fingers as well, revealing that Emma had taped the closet door up.
- As the estate agent is showing the Williams family the house, Susan hears noises coming from the closet. Upon investigation, she discovers a cat figurine, as well as remnants of Toshio's drawings.
- Jennifer wakes up in the middle of her and Matthew's first night in the house, and hears clattering noises from downstairs, believing it to be Emma, but it is actually Toshio.
- Doug is shown working and studying before Karen, recently discharged from the hospital, turns up at the restaurant where he works.
- The scene where Alex meets a jawless Yoko in the hallway of the care centre is extended. Yoko stretches back while the camera zooms in on her throat.
- When Peter discovers Kayako's body in the attic, she falls out of the closet and the camera lingers on her for longer. Her eyes seem to be following him across the room, while her neck is making crunching noises.
- Following the "thumping" noises Karen hears, a new camera shot reveals that Toshio is pushing his father's body against the wall. Takeo is hanging down from the ceiling with hair wrapped around his neck. The entire ceiling is covered in Kayako's hair (a scene lifted from the Japanese sequel to the original film).
- The flashback scene featuring the murder of Kayako is lengthened. Takeo grabs Kayako, takes off some of her clothes, takes hold of her neck and throat and twists her head to an almost 360° and it splinters and cracks as she spits blood. The croaking sound can be heard as her throat is distended. Toshio watches from atop the stairwell.
- There are extended flashbacks of the Saeki murders while Karen is trying to save Doug. Takeo cuts the cat's throat in the bathtub, and then he slams its carcass against the bathroom walls. Toshio looks at his father briefly before his head is thrust under the water. Takeo then places Toshio's corpse in the closet, and Kayako's in the attic crawlspace.
- As Kayako looms towards Doug at the foot of the staircase, Karen yells "not to look at her".
- Following the fire, we see a point-of-view shot from Karen's perspective in the ambulance, as well as firefighters performing their jobs on the house.
References
- Gray, Brandon: "'Grudge' Grabs No. 1", Box Office Mojo, (25 October 2004). Retrieved June 9, 2005.
- Gray, Brandon: "'Ray,' 'Saw' See Robust Bows", Box Office Mojo, (1 November 2004). Retrieved June 9, 2005.
- "The Grudge." Box Office Mojo. Accessed on June 13, 2005.
- "The Japanese Version of 'The Grudge' Exposed!!!", Bloody-Disgusting, (March 5, 2005). Retrieved June 7, 2005.