THE GRUDGE 2 
Starring:
Amber Tamblyn, Edison Chen, Arielle Kebbel, Jennifer Beals, Teresa Palmer,
Misako Uno, Takako Fuji, Ohga Tanaka, Matthew Knight and Sarah Michelle Gellar
Director:
Takashi Shimizu
Running Time:
95 mins
Out to buy on DVD 07/05/07
"Don't go in that house"
After hearing that her sister Karen (Gellar) is in hospital after trying to burn down a house in Tokyo, Aubrey (Tamblyn) heads to Japan to find out watch happened. Meanwhile Allison (Kebbel) is finding it hard to fit in at high school but when Vanessa (Palmer) and Miyuki (Uno) actually start talking to her she thinks she has finally made some friends. When they take her to a burnt out house that they say is the most haunted in Japan, Allison tries not to be scared but little does she know that she has been cursed and Kayako (Fuji) is coming.
Already a huge success in Japan, the Ju-on franchise one of the biggest in horror but can Takashi Shimizu's follow-up to his American reimagining keep up the scares?
Having now been involved in seven Grudge movies, writer/director Takashi Shimizu returns to his Hollywood version of the Japanese horror series and basically gives us more of the same. The curse of the most haunted house in Japan is about to be unleashed again but how many times can Kayako appear and frighten someone to death? Seeing her and her son Toshio appear and produce their strange noises, was frightening for a while but her rage is getting a little samey.
To counteract this, screenwriter Stephen Susco throws three separate storylines that all have a connection to the curse. Firstly we have Aubrey investigated what happened to her sister with Japanese journalist Eason. Secondly we have the three schoolgirls who enter the abandoned house to scare the new girl Allison, who then become cursed by Kayako. Lastly we have the story of the family who start behaving strangely after a mysterious girl returns to their building and only the youngest son realises what is going on. This approach makes the film a lot more watchable than it could have been.
This mix of storylines gives you far more protagonists to follow. Leading the line is Amber Tamblyn who is better known for her appearing 'Joan of Arcadia' and 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants', plays Aubrey and she does a decent job in replacing Sarah Michelle Gellar as the series scream queen. Arielle Kebbel looks a little strange with black hair but she does a decent job playing the new girl at the International school in Tokyo. This is a change from her usual high school bitch roles she has played over the last few years. Matthew Knight is suitably terrified as Jake, the youngest of the newly terrorised family in Chicago.
While the scares might not be the most original but the film is genuinely creepy. By not going down the Hollywood gore option and having even less makeup or blood effects than the first film, 'The Grudge 2' relies more on shocks to get its scares and for the most part it works. These might be a little too samey for some but the three storylines and the creative conclusion makes this a very watchable horror movie and one that is far better than any American director has produced of late.
PICTURE & SOUND
Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the presentation is good.
BONUS FEATURES
Storyline Development (11.34 mins)
Director Takashi Shimizu, co-producers Michael Kirk and Drew Crevello
and producers Takashige Ichise and Rob Tapert talk about the development
of the sequel and how this is a new story in the Ju-on franchise. Arguments
between the Japanese and American filmmakers are revealed before they
could agree on a compromise that produced a finished script.
East meets West (15.12 mins)
Co-producers Shintaro Shimosawa and Drew Crevello, producer Rob Tapert,
executive producer Roy Lee and stars Amber Tamblyn, Edison Chen, Arielle
Kebbel, Teresa Palmer, Christopher Cousins and Jennifer Beals talk about
the differences between Asian and Hollywood cinema. The horror movie genre
is explored, highlighting the approaches to the genre, with the more supernatural
style of Japan pushing its way into the more traditional slasher style
of the US.
Ready when you are, Mr Shimizu (13.18 mins)
Director Takashi Shimizu, co-producers Michael Kirk, Shintaro Shimosawa
and Drew Crevello, executive producer Roy Lee and stars Amber Tamblyn,
Edison Chen, Arielle Kebbel, Teresa Palmer and Jennifer Beals talk about
director Takashi Shimizu style and approach to the Grudge movies.
Holding a Grudge: Kayako Toshio (10.14 mins)
Director Takashi Shimizu, co-producers Shintaro Shimosawa and Drew Crevello
and stars Amber Tamblyn, Edison Chen and Takako Fuji talk about the creation
of the ghost and her son.
Deleted Scenes (12.26 mins)
Entitled 'When the closet door opens', 'Itako's film', 'The passport',
'Aubrey's dream' and 'Alternative ending and epilogue', these deleted
scenes suffer from the lack of a commentary track or introduction to review
why they were removed.
OVERALL
The DVD treatment for 'The Grudge 2' is pretty good but could have been so much better. While the interviews are good, a featurette on the visual effects and the approach of the horror for the movie would have been welcomed by fans of the 'Ju-on' franchise. This aside, this is still a good DVD package that fans should enjoy.
DVD
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