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 - Better than the American version, for what that's worthI was not a fan of The Grudge. I found it boring and confusing and pointless. I am also not a fan of Ju-On, but it is a slightly better movie. I still have yet to figure out why this story warranted being told in the first place. From what I've read the idea here is to teach children the evils of abandoning their elders. This is seen in scenes such as one where a girl ignores an elderly man so that she can talk on her cell phone. However, how anybody found anything in this plot other than a mound of goo is beyond me. This film plays as series of episodes in which a serial killer knocks off people he doesn't like. Only in this case the serial killer is a shadow or a puff of smoke or something else not scary. The fact that no time is spent on the killer hurts this movie immensely. Their human characters are already flat, and not having a well hyped monster to cheer for kills this movie. It is worth noting that both this and Ringu show some sort of distrust of technology, and I find that quite interesting considering their empire was built on technology. **1/2 Rating: - Below AverageYes, I'll admit that I would jump if a black cat came out at me in the dark, and I would also get freaked out if a kid passes by running and I keep hearing his little never-ending footsteps. However, I really think the movie sucked. Where is the storyline? Why is the acting so bad? I didn't expect Oscar-worthy material, but it would've been good to at least watch something that made you say..."not too bad". Rating:  - This Is One Scary MovieI was so scared throughout watching this movie that I screamed once. I do not do that with any movie. This has left an impact on me, the storyline was great, this is a real horror movie. The little boy-Toshio-is excellent in his acting. When the mother shows up there is even more room for fear. I have other Japanese horror movies, but this one takes the cake. The Director has talent, as you watch this movie you feel like you are there with the little boy and his mother. The spooky settings were awesome. I have never been so scared in all my life with a movie. I could not wait to watch this. I had chills and was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire film. This is not for anyone with a heart condition. It is very scary. The realism is superb, I am not a horror film fanatic, but when I first saw just the front cover of this film I was very interested in seeing it because of the way Toshio was staring out at you. I don't usually tell a storyline, just how good the story is, but this one is one of the best horrors I have ever seen. So I give mucho credit to the Director and everyone else involved with the making of Ju-On. Looking for a night in with the family? Get this!! You will not be disappointed. Enjoy. Rating:  - Good Idea. Flawed Realization.A "ju-on" is a sort of self-perpetuating curse that is created when someone dies in a rage. The embodiment of the curse turns its rage on others, who die horribly themselves, perpetuating the curse and leaving a trail of death and terror. In this story, a young volunteer social worker named Rika (Megumi Okina) visits a home in the course of her work, but finds only an old woman and an unnerving young boy there. Later, when her colleague (Yoji Tanaka) arrives to check on the family, he finds the old woman dead and Rika in a state of shock. The police are summoned, only to discover the old woman's son and daughter-in-law (Kanji Tsida and Shuri Matsuda) dead in the attic. The investigating officers try to understand what happened in the house in the past, that seems to be continuing, as people who enter the house meet a terrible end or disappear mysteriously. "Ju-On" is a low-budget Japanese horror film written and directed by Takashi Shimizu, who previously made two films for Japanese video based on the same "ju-on" concept. The film is presented in 6 segments, each telling the story of one character, allowing the audience to piece together what has happened in the house and follow the continuing curse. The low budget is evident in the lighting and acting, but "Ju-On" has more serious shortcomings. I didn't find it scary. I was startled a few times in the first half hour of the film, but "Ju-On" exemplifies the problem with showing the source of the horror in films. Once we see something, we are no longer afraid of it. The ghostly corpses quickly become fixtures that have no emotional impact. I found the story reasonably interesting until the last two segments. At one point, the narrative takes a big leap forward in time. This segment is palpably contrived, removed from the present, and involves characters who are essentially extraneous. It causes temporal confusion and could easily have been replaced with more immediate and more effective material. I think the entire segment was ill-advised. The final segment is perhaps the most important, as it concludes the film and brings the story full circle. But it has the worst writing. The set-up is beyond nonsensical, and the conclusion, although fine in concept, is realized in such a way as to undermine itself. I had to watch it twice to understand it. And once I did, it was obvious that the conclusion would have been much more affecting and less confusing had the visuals simply been chosen more wisely. Horror films aren't supposed to make sense, but they need to make sense within their own context. This script is sloppy. A little more thought would have gone a long way in elevating the film. "Ju-On" has some thrills. It's a good concept. But it should have been scarier and more coherent. The DVD: Bonus features include some behind the scenes footage, cast and crew interviews, deleted scenes, an audio commentary, and a theatrical trailer. The bonus features are subtitled. "Behind the Scenes" is about 28 minutes of on-set footage, divided into 3 segments. It shows some scenes being shot without any commentary. "Cast and Crew Interviews" include interviews with director Takashi Shimizu (5 1/2 minutes) and actors Megumi Okina (1 1/2 minutes), Misaki Ito (1 min.), Misa Uehara (1 min.), and Yui Ichikawa (1 min.). There are 6 "Deleted Scenes", with director's commentary, including an extended ending. The audio commentary is by Sam Raimi (of Spiderman fame), who produced the American remake of "Ju-On" (The Grudge) and his long-time friend, actor and writer Scott Spiegel. It is a conversational commentary about how the film achieves horror, the horror genre in general, and their own films, by two men who enjoy "Ju-On" very much. Subtitles are available for the film and bonus features in English and Spanish. Dubbing is available for the film in English. Rating: - ...but 5 stars for the series!!I kid you not. For one of the creepiest experiences you WILL EVER HAVE...get the entire Ju-On series (shop.hkdvdstore.com) and watch them marathon-style. The movie above is the third in the series, and I think the slowest and least scary. But all of them back-to-back will freak out even the most desensitized among us. Yep.
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