Ju-On: The Grudge
Ju-On: The Grudge ★½ The Grudge 2003
This is the third in the Shimizu's Japanese horror series, following “Ju-On: The Curse” and “Jun-On 2: The Curse 2,” which all revolve around (in a convoluted manner) a horrific event occurring in the same house. Social worker Rika (Okina) discovers her elderly patient mute, terrified, and alone. Then Rika finds a ghostly boy hiding in a closet—the victim of previous violence. Premise is that great rage leaves an evil presence behind, which drives new inhabitants mad and causes them to commit more acts of violence, leaving more evil behind. Or something like that. Lots of interlocking flashbacks and intermittent shocks. Best left to fanciers of Asian horror; Japanese with subtitles. The 2004 American remake, “The Grudge,” holds no surprises. 92m/C VHS, DVD . JP Misa(ko) Uehara, Megumi Okina, Misaki Ito, Yuya Ozeki, Takako Fuji; D: Takashi Shimizu; W: Takashi Shimizu; C: Tokusho Kikumura; M: Shiro Sato.