Sarah Michelle Gellar (TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer) stars as an American nurse who has come to work in Tokyo. Following a series of horrifying and mysterious deaths, she encounters the vengeful supernatural spirit that possesses it's victims, claims their souls, then passes it's curse to another person in a spreading chain of horror. Now, she must find a way to break this supernatural spell or become the next victim of an ancient evil that never dies, but forever lives to kill.
 
"One of the flat-out creepiest films ever released by a major American studio."  Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide
"More terrifying than The Ring."  Paul Fischer, Dark Horizons
"This is an eerie, inventively mounted movie: It's a shivery fun time, filled with dark corners, deserted hallways and sudden apparitions."  Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
"...a scary psycho-horror that effectively replicates [the original's] bleak and crisp shocks."  Richard James Havis, The Hollywood Reporter
"...[Shimizu leads you] on a celluloid leash to his pitch-black attic of horror, inviting each hair on the back of your neck to stand up."  Robert K. Elder, Chicago Tribune
 


Editor's Note

A remake of the Japanese horror hit JU-ON (widely considered to be one of the scariest movies ever made), THE GRUDGE is helmed by its original director Takeshi Shimizu. Like its predecessor, this Hollywood version of the film takes place in Tokyo, but most of the main characters are American, including Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER), a young social worker, and her peers. When Karen enters a seemingly abandoned home to look after a mentally disturbed resident, she soon discovers that there's an evil--and very aggressive--presence in the house, and it's lashing out at every person that sets foot inside.

Having directed both the original JU-ON and its sequel in Japan, Shimizu was very familiar with his own tale of terror by the time he directed its 2004 incarnation. Using many of the key actors from the previous films (including Takako Fuji and Yuya Ozeki who have unforgettable roles), Shimizu recreates the story with the added advantage of a Hollywood budget (acquired with the help of producer Sam Raimi of SPIDER-MAN fame, who is also a noted horror-movie director). As with many Japanese horror films (particularly the original RING, which strongly influences this movie), THE GRUDGE relies on atmosphere over plot, resulting a series of utterly chilling moments that will leave viewers fascinated and unbelievely frightened.