Ju-On: The Grudge

Description

An unremarkable house on the outskirts of Tokyo becomes the origin of a curse that haunts all who come into contact with it. In six interwoven chapters, Takashi Shimizu crafts a non-linear chronicle of terror, where times, perspectives, and fates intertwine irreversibly. The first film in the series continues the tradition of the Japanese Onryo, a vengeful spirit, condensing the curse born from violent death and deep resentment into an omnipresent, unstoppable presence. (lb) «Shimizu, who acknowledges his mentors from the Tokyo Film School, Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Hiroshi Takahashi – the director of Cure and the screenwriter of Ring – in the credits, establishes an atmosphere of latent threat from the very beginning. From seemingly naturalistic scenes, he allows the uncanny to emerge at the edges of the frame before it eludes the gaze once more; a disturbing soundtrack further heightens the tension. Ultimately, he abruptly brings the horror to the center of the frame, defying the classic horror rule that the invisible is scarier than the visible. (…) The film evokes that excited tension that characterizes many first encounters with horror cinema – the peculiar connection of fascination and dread that arises when one exposes oneself to something for which one is not yet fully prepared.» (Rob Daniel, fareastfilms.com, 2.4.2015) Contributors and additional information: Director: Takashi Shimizu Screenplay: Takashi Shimizu Cinematography: Tokusho Kikumura Music: Shiro Sato Editing: Nobuyuki Takahashi Cast: Megumi Okina (Rika Nishina), Misaki Ito (Hitomi Tokunaga), Takako Fuji (Kayako Saeki), Takashi Matsuyama (Takeo Saeki), Yuya Ozeki (Toshio Saeki)