The Grudge

Sarah Michelle Gellar gets spooked in 'The Grudge'.

Herald rating: * * *


The most shocking moment of The Grudge occurs in the first five minutes, for which I was grateful, as I still had my eyes open at this stage.

From then on it's hard for me to say exactly what happens in this film. I scare easily and spent most of the time looking anywhere but the screen. What I did catch, however, shows that this remake of the Japanese horror film Ju-On follows a classic horror formula: hear a noise, investigate, die. Though you know what to expect, The Grudge still manages to unnerve with its creepy antics and unusual characters. The soundtrack plays a big part in the suspense, including terrorising noises that make you very uncomfortable and drove this reviewer to block her ears at times. Yeah, pathetic I know.

Sarah Michelle Gellar revitalises her stagnant career as Karen, an American exchange student living in Japan and studying social work. On her first case she is sent to look after an elderly American woman, Emma. When Karen arrives she is surprised to find Emma in a catatonic state and the house a mess, and it's not long before the noises start and we begin to find out why as Karen meets the other inhabitants of the cursed house. My eyes were well covered by this stage.

Through a series of flashbacks we begin to piece together what has happened to Emma's family and those who have been in contact with the house. The local police arrive with stories of a terrible crime that was committed in the place, and it's up to Karen to try to solve the mystery and, if she can, put the curse to rest.

The Grudge focuses on frightening the audience, rather than the development of story and characters. Though the story is actually very simple it's confusing in its delivery.

But all you need to know is when you hear the walls creaking ... run.

CAST: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, Clea Duvall, Bill Pullman
DIRECTOR: Takeshi Shimizu
RUNNING TIME: 91 mins
RATING: M (horror scenes)
SCREENING: Village, Hoyts, Berkeley cinemas