JU-ON: THE GRUDGE (呪怨)

Directed by: Takashi Shimizu
Country of origin: Japan
Starring: Megumi Okina, Misaki Ito, Kanji Tsuda


Takashi Shimizu's Ju-on is probably the scariest movie I've ever seen. I've watched hundreds of horror films, from the bottom shelf FearNet movies to the cult classic thrillers of the 70's, and few come close to matching the sheer terror that Ju-on inspires in its viewers. Like most J-Horror films and most of the more successful scary movies made in the past ten years, Ju-on relies less on gore and more on disturbing images and a claustrophobic sense of suspense. Like Kurosawa's Kairo, Ju-on employs a fantastic use of RGR (rationed gradient of revealing) to keep viewers guessing and to keep them scared. One of the key pioneers of the Asian horror film craze, Shimizu's directorial debut tells the story of a fabled yūrei, a spirit remaining in the world of the living due to some presence of an extreme emotion. In the case of Ju-on, the ghost, Kayako, was murdered by her crazed husband, who then proceeded to kill their only son. The mother and son then proceed to torment the new inhabitants of the house, until they are driven insane and then consumed by the spirit. The symbols and situations in which the film's message is communicated are very original, and with constant sudden sightings of the yurei the audience is kept entertained and on its toes. The narrative structure is also presented uniquely, portrayed in a fractured chronology that reveals more about the past little by little. Director Shimizu approached the making of the film very minimalistically. Locations and characters are average and plain. There is no noticeable score. The deaths of the characters occur in a very uniform fashion. But this "bland" approach is what makes the story so chilling. These horrific images of the ghosts are displayed on-screen with such  a lack of hesitation that it catches the viewer off-guard in numerous key points. Due to this simple approach, there isn't much to analyze when it comes to Ju-on. The story is simple and easy to grasp. But again, this aspect seems to deepen the horror of the film. Ju-on is original and horrifying, one of the grandfathers of J-Horror cinema.

**** / *****