The Grudge 2 is nothing new. There isn’t really any furthering of the story aside from adding a slight twist to the curse from the original. The poor victims of the curse no longer need to enter the cursed house to fall prey to the evil – it follows the afflicted so that anyone that comes in contact with them also suffers. It made for a more workable plot and added a little something to the story.

Other than that, the scares are the same and so is the general creepy feel the first remake had. The story is told a little differently as well, and I think that’s where a lot of the negative reviews came from. If you’re not paying attention or generally have a logic deficiency, you may have a hard time following the direction The Grudge 2 takes. Everything comes together in the last ten minutes, though, so be patient.

And let’s not talk about the ‘plot twist’. If you don’t see that coming I’m  not sure there’s hope for you.

Quick Review: The main fault with The Grudge 2 is how familiar it all feels. It’s like watching the first movie with new faces and a slightly different story. That said, although you know the jump scares are coming, they’re still scary and the creepy feel of the movie is still there. Overall, despite some major faults, The Grudge 2 is worth a watch and not as bad as the reviews would have you believe.

Love the movie? Buy the DVD:

The Grudge 2 (Unrated Director’s Cut)

Let’s be honest – in general, American remakes of Japanese horror films suck. It’s just a fact, so there’s not much point in exploring that further. The Grudge is of course one of those American remakes and whether or not it’s better than the average film in this category is really something I’ve never really been able to decide.

The Grudge succeeds in being creepy and giving the audience plenty of decent jump scares. I’m one of the few that actually really liked the ending. Although it’s not overly gory, it is frightening and if that’s what’s what you’re looking for, this is a good movie for you – a good, creepy, watch-with-the-lights-out movie with gorgeous Sarah Michelle Geller in the lead role.

Quick Review: The Grudge isn’t a complete waste of time and can really be credited with the onslaught of Japanese horror remakes… wait, that’s not necessarily a good thing. Watch it anyway. It’s creepy – a good time, but don’t look for anything deeper than that.

Love the movie? Buy the DVD:

The Grudge (Unrated Director’s Cut)