They also got the original actress (Takako Fuji) to play the ghost lady, Kayako. She also returned for the first US sequel, but was tired of playing the character after a decade and had them recast the role afterward.
Yeah, but I'm not sure why they couldn't remake the movie by casting japanese-americans like... I get that the americanized version has to be mostly in english, but like do a story with japanese-americans who don't speak japanese very well. Because it makes even less sense that all these white americans in Tokyo just happen to be intertwined into this obscure japanese curse and die one by one. 🤷🏻♀️
so, in case you didn't catch it, as I see you're confused, here's the backstory of the grudge: Kayako fell in love with Peter. So she wrote down her feelings inside of her journal that her husband (an insanely jealous man who'd get upset if she complements someone on TV) later discovers. But, her husband jumped to the conclusion that instead of his wife simply crushing on another man, she cheated on him (and believes that Toshio may not be his son). In a jealous rage, he kills her, their son, and then the family cat (because he's a massive a-hole).
A couple of things in the Director's cut made this movie a lot more disturbing. 1: It explains the croaking sound Kayako makes. When the husband was killing her, she was in the middle of screaming when he snapped her neck. That was the last sound she made. 2. When Karen finds the father hanging, it pans back into the room to show you the whole picture: The dad hanging from Kayako's hair, while Toshio repeatedly swings him against the wall. Have a Nice Day. :)
WHAT. I didn't know the director's cut had that! I've seen the movie a dozen times and saw the american and japanese sequels (even the kayako vs sadako film). So she and her son were the ones that killed him, I thought he hung himself after the murders.
Western remakes normally have a bad rep as being bad, blunt and replacing chills with violence but the Ring remake and Grudge remake are fantastic horror movies. I like that they're almost mystery detective movies just with creepy ghosts and oppressive atmospheres, they really did a good job capturing the feeling of the originals.
Let's be real, this movie isn't great. Yeah it's spooky but the plot is everywhere at once and the screenwriting is absolutely horrifying. Not really even comparable to The Ring (which I'm not the biggest fan of either but the value lies within the quality of the script and acting)
@@zalkkareita9017 Yeah I definitely agree. For me, the imagery, sound editing and music makes up for it in The Grudge. Man, I had night terrors as a teenager when I saw it.
@@zalkkareita9017 imo, the Ring is surely inferior. The Grudge is written so good everything ties up in the end, while the Ring (remake) changed the origin of Sadako and the logic of her character (and thus the ending) was ruined.
@@slonmishwhy do you feel the direction they took the Sadako character ruins the ending? I think The Grudge originals are easier to follow because they label all the chapters, so you have a better sense of where you are in the timeline. The Grudge 2004 kind of feels like a studio let a Japanese director have creative freedom, and then they were horrified when the movie was non linear. The editing in The Grudge (scene-to-scene editing, not the moment-to-moment ending) is a little funky imo
the fact that this film features manifestations of tainted energy and emotions, and not simply ghosts, demons, or the like, is what makes it so unique and deeply terrifying.
I agree. I never thought of Toshio and Kayako as “ghosts”. That’s what makes it so tragic, Kayako and Toshio (especially in the Japanese ones) aren’t themselves anymore. Death is all they know and they are trapped in the time of their deaths forever, so they kill everything they encounter. It can’t be helped in any way.
This was the first scary movie that gave me nightmares as a kid. I was so scared, I thought I saw the Grudge girl crawling in my hallway,so my mom put on Little Rascals so I could stop thinking about The Grudge and go to sleep.
I thought I saw her in my closet! I think I was 10 or so. My family knew I loved horror movies so they bought me the DVD. Very few movies actually scared me. This one...deeply scarred me psychologically, lol.
I think SMG’s character didn’t try running from the house in the end because at that point she knows it’s hopeless; the grudge will follow her wherever she goes like it followed everyone else-I mean, it was in every place she looked and blocked her escape attempt. So she just gave in and decided to burn along with the house and the person she loved. Kind of tragic, actually.
@@tjfrizzi5965 I sort of preferred how the curse worked in the original films. Not only were you cursed if you went into the house, but anyone you touched would also be cursed. That security guard (same actor between both versions, I believe) didn't end up so well in the original!
I think my favorite role of hers is from simply irresistible. But her best role by a way lot is Cruel Intentions. Either she is that horrible in real life or she’s a crazy good actress!
The tv show based around the Grudge even goes more in depth about how a “bad death” can curse someone or something. Things like pain, anger, shame saturated every inch of that house the foundation of that home was already rotten-the small crush mutated into something ugly, the small burst of anger blossomed into blinding fury; even before the deaths the house was already haunted.
plus the timelines of the deaths come together inside the house. It was so confusing at first but someone explained how bc of the grudge, it was able to combine the world of the living and the dead. I've never seen this film but now everything makes sense as to how she was able to see what happened in the past while inside that house. Very crazy and sad that everyone who enters that house is doomed to die.
fun fact about the hair scene: it genuinely traumatized me BAD as a child. anytime i’d shower and wash my hair, i’d have to close my eyes so shampoo and whatnot wouldn’t get in my hair. and for some reason when i’d close my eyes, my mind would immediately go to that shower scene from the grudge which would make me have a panic attack basically cause i’d think it would happen to me, open my eyes out of fear, and now i’m in pain from shampoo in my eyes. 😭 and this would occur anytime i washed my hair essentially for like 4-5 years after watching
I saw it when it first came out when I was 12 and I wasn’t able to sleep with the light off again until I was 30 😩 this movie legitimately traumatized me
Peter was a professor that Kayako knew from University, that's how she fell in love with him. So the jealous husband found that out in her journal and came to the conclusion that she was cheating and snapped her neck while she was screaming (which is the reason she growls). I think the reason why the son and the cat are "bonded" is because they were both drowned by the dad in the bathtub, so they always appear together. This movie is slowly paced and you kind of have to get into the "vibe", but I was terrified of it when I was a kid lol
Yuko’s scream and getting snatch up into the attic and the brother’s sister getting pulled underneath the blanket used to traumatize me pretty much after. I used to not sleep with blankets for a good while.
Interesting facts about The Grudge (2004) Jason Behr met KaDee Strickland on the set of the film and both began dating due to their interest in Japanese culture (which is why they accepted their roles in the film) despite not sharing any scenes together in the film. They eventually married two years later. (2) The character of Toshio is almost always found with his cat. In real life, the boy who plays Toshio, Yuya Ozeki, was terrified of cats. (3) Before filming, the cast and crew went through a ceremony where they were blessed so that nothing bad could happen to them for filming.
Seeing this movie as a youngster was really something else 💀 especially one day it was just me and my older sister home alone. She flipped her hair over her face and started to make the grudge sound and I’ve never ran SO FAST out of my house 😭😭😭
"If I had seen that imagery in 2004 I don't know if I would have recovered." Yeh that was my problem for quite a while being 14 lol then I ended up loving this movie. Thank you for your reaction I was so excited for this movie specifically! In regards to Toshio him meowing is supposed to be either his soul merged with the cat because they were both killed in the bathtub (different in the original) or because in Japan there is a belief that lost children's souls become cats. Also in the original I do feel the pacing is better as it's more character focused jumping from character to character instead of past to present so much.
Idk if this is in the original, but I love that the rabbits foot seemingly took a hit and worked as a protection charm for the first attack at least. That’s how I interpreted it
One of my favorite things about both this film and the original is how fucking insanely creepy that house is. It’s so perfectly cramped and strange and unintuitive with weird corners, twisted up corridors, no lines of sight, etc it really elevates the story just by being really well-designed for what the story is tryin to do
Kayako is easily the scariest horror movie villain I’ve seen. I also don’t watch horror movies. I think it’s a combination of her inky, long, black hair that helps her meld into the shadows or that she uses it to attack people. And the way she moves. Her wide eyed stare. But mostly, it’s that awful croaking noise. I didn’t see if someone mentioned it in the comments, the croaking sound is because her husband broke her neck, but didn’t fully kill her. The noise is her trying to breathe. Easily one of the most hunting noises and I still sometimes get chills when I hear it.
This movie actually got me into horror from outside the US. The character of Yoko's ghost haunted me for a few years in fact. The whole apartment segment is honestly still peak, especially with the elevator scene. I just realized that there is a lot more noise in comparison to the original (more music cues, jumpscare cuts, etc.). The original is a lot more unsettling with it's choice of silence. I wonder if takashi approved that because this was for American audiences or if the production team did it on their own.
I watched this film when I was 10 years old and it truly terrified me, as an adult it's not scary but the theme/story is... I actually thought she handled it quite well 😂 The second film is also really good I thought despite the reviews
I totally vouch for the originals of this franchise. There's actually tons of lore and several different families that have lived in the house. And for the most part each movie ties into the previous one perfectly.
Yes! Agree. The originals are low budget and it shows from time to time, but the storytelling is very fluid in those originals. This remake is good but I do think the mystery is a little clunky having the careworker character investigating it all and meeting the professors wife. They removed a lot of disturbing elements from the story of the professor and the Saeki family. The lore and storyline in better in the original 4 movies imo
@@robertyeah2259 yes, the story (and timeline) are MUCH more clearly explained in the original movies. having just finished this video now, i forgot how clunky this version was!
Sarah Michelle Gellar will forever be the ultimate scream queen in my eyes - Helen, Cici, Karen, the list goes on. Nobody will top my love for the slayer! PRIDE SUGGESTIONS: For horror - Knock at the Cabin (2023). For laughs - Do Revenge (2022).
Think about all the people that died. We followed just like a few of them, but there were actually many many people in the house. The realtor, all the like 10 police officers on the scene, the cute investigator-assistant of the main investigator guy. They all died!!! I love the theme of the cycle of violence. The husband brutally killed his entire family and then Kayako's vengeful spirit exuded violence against others. That's the true villain of the story - violence and the cycle it propagates.
I think they really missed an opportunity to do what the original Japanese films did. Like adding in details of the streets slowly becoming more and more empty with missing posters everywhere. Because of how the curse spreads it makes sense, but the remake trilogy never really addresses just how many people the curse kills.
I always regret not getting to see a world like this. I don't mean one filled with vengeful spirits but one that is different BECAUSE this spirits are real and can be documented not just a scary story. It shouldn't be a "Your crazy there's no such things as ghosts" but one like Ghost Sweeper Mikami where you have professional exorcists and magic users making a fortune because they fight these things and you can find them in the yellow pages alongside pest exterminator.
I saw this with my scary movie friend. We went camping right after the movie. At camp, we talked about how scary the movie was. Then my friend fell asleep, leaving me awake in a pitch black tent. I was afraid to turn on my flashlight. i thought I would see the grudge making that noise. Took forever to fall asleep. Fun times.
The story of the grudge/ju-on is pretty complicated. A woman named Kayako was married to a man named Takeo, Takeo and Kayako have a son, Toshio,.and Kayako is in love with another man, who doesn't reciprocate her feelings, so she writes in her diary and stalks Peter/Katsuya (depending on which movie you watch) from afar, but her husband Takeo finds her diary, thinks she's having an affair, and snaps her neck but she survives for a short amount of time, making the death rattle sound, and then proceeds to drown both Toshio and the family cat in the same bathtub, and their souls fuse together and that is the reason Toshio meows in the movie, and then Kayako's ghost kills Takeo afterwards, by hanging him with her hair. In Japan there is something called an onryo, which means vengeful spirit, and the entire family becomes onryos, and onryos will kill anyone who steps inside of their place of death, without mercy, but Kayako is the angriest because of how gruesomely she was killed by Takeo. Some people say Toshio is a warning of what's to come, as well as Takeo. The way in which Peter/Katsuya die is very different from Ju-On to the Grudge. In Ju-On, Katsuya is killed directly by Kayako, while Peter is killed indirectly at the beginning by jumping off the ledge.
This is one of the few movies that legit terrified me when I was younger, but I was also obsessed with the lore of it all. I'd constantly watch the original Ju-On and Ju-On 2. The sequels to this one aren't good, though. But yeah the time-jumps are just in the spirits of the Japanese versions, they have these different segments with different characters, jumping around and at some point, you get to see how they actually connect. Overall it is an interesting universe, with so much lore.
Ohhh my god Alanda! The most traumatic movie of my childhood. I watched it when I was 12 years old and it left me terrified for years! Even now I avoid the movie and I’m nearly 30 lmao. I only dare watch now because you are watching “with” me 😂❤️
When Alanda said about that scene in the shower would haunt her if she watched in 2004....I felt like it did haunt a lot of people then. When I was showering washing my hair back then I'd turn back multiple times 😣
I watched this as a college freshman in the theater. In hindsight not the scariest of horror- but at the time- I was petrified. With the added love for SMG, one of my top 5 all time theater experiences.
I haven't seen this in about 15 years so this will be fun. I do remember seeing it in theaters with my aunt and I kept intentionally scaring her on the way home. Good times.
I remember seeing this in theaters when it came out and it was one of the first scary movies i had seen on a large screen and i remember coming out feeling empty, like drained of any emotion, and a bit shaky. I believe kayako was a student of Bill Pullmans character and thats how the obsession started. I also remember being confused on the first watch with the skipping timelines, it didn't really click with me until halfway through.
Fine, I guess I’ll rewatch my childhood trauma movie, as long as Alanda is watching it with me 😉 My mum still makes that horrific noise, to this day, just to freak me out! Sending love and good vibes chick 🥰💖
This movie is the reason I couldn't watch scary movies for almost 10 years. I watched it when I was little and it scarred me so much I just refused to watch anything with label horror until I was like 18.
@@lessismore8533 Nah, they didn't know until after, we had a bunch of unmarked VHS that got mixed when we moved and this one ended up in a cartoon pile. I should have stopped watching when I got scared but didn't cause I was dumb. So I ended up scarred and grounded.
As a 10 year old I watched this when it came out. I've been obsessed with horror movies my whole life, barely EVER get scared honestly, its just all pure fun to me. But THIS MOVIE still haunts me. I could only watch this review with you because you're sweet soul makes me feel safer. I don't know what it is about this movie specifically but it still shakes me to the core seeing that face and hearing that noise. Also that hand in the shower scene DOES stay with you, forever.. hahah but I'm fine I promise ;)
I’m 2004 when I saw this I was scared for a week.The movie was my fave.The noises made by the boys at school to scare us lol was crazy.I loved your reaction
My family decided to watch this in 2004 when i was just 10 years old it legit scarred me no joke. It was the scariest movie i had ever seen uo til that point. If you wanna get into J-Horror, i highly recommend Noroi: The Curse its my favorite horror movie of all time and its just sooooo good
This movie reminds me of The Skeleton Key for some reason... The "caretaker works at a new house and discovers something terrifying," plotline never gets old, lol. I'd love Alanda to react to that! The twist at the end is so worth it, and Kate Hudson killed that role!
omg I just realized that Clea DuVall was the student in Buffy season one who became invisible when no one would talk to her! And SMG's boyfriend in the Grudge played Ford, the kid who wanted to get turned into a vampire. 🤯
Of course classic originals vs remakes, but I do think the original Ju-On movies explained things better. The Grudge franchise kinda shoved multiple plot points from multiple Ju-On movies into one. Like for instance I think the family who moved in (Clea and Grace) actually had its own movie as a whole. I’m not sure though it’s been probably well over a decade since I’ve seen the originals.
If I remember correctly these remakes were directed by the OG director of the Ju-on series and were adapted to better fit his vision. I HIGHLY recommend the sequel as it delves more into the curse itself ( 3rd one is optional 😂)
Yeah, it's confusing the First time You watch, but this is How It goes: Kayako (the wife) Fell in love With Peter (it's hinted he was her teacher) she writes About It in her diary, Takeo (the husband) finds out and goes Crazy and murders her, than drowns Toshio (the kid) and his cat, and Locks them in the closet, causing both to die together causing their souls to combine (that's why the boy does the meow Thing) he than hangs himself (in the director's cut it's show that Kayako actually killed him) and this causes the curse, all four of them haunts the house. Thanks for watching this, I love Your reactions 💖💖 u are a Queen💖👑
Backstory: Ju-On: The Curse 1+2 were released back in 1998 to direct to video. Then later, Ju-On: The Grudge 1+2 were released theatrically which were pretty much remakes. The Japanese versions are a lot more bloody and gorey, just a caution to those wanting to check them out. Then comes American remake, The Grudge 1+2. These remakes were part of the early 2000s trend of remaking Japanese/Asian horror movies. The Grudge 3 came later but released to video. The recent American one, The Grudge (2020) is a reboot. The series became popular so it spawned some more reboots and spin offs, but they all generally follow a similar storyline with someone dying or getting killed and thus begins a curse that spreads. I personally watched them all just for a casual enjoyment, but don't expect any spectacular storytelling.
Another great reaction!! They actually released a Freddy v Jason-esque movie in 2016 called Sadako vs. Kayako. It’s the grudge vs samara from the ring, it’s a wild ride 😂
@@lessismore8533 Buffy has stopped the Master,an amalgamation of demons in Adam, A hell God, the first evil, and countless apocalyptic events! Buffy Ann Summers can stop ANYTHING!! 😤😂
I haven't seen this movie since i saw it at the cinema when it first released. All i remembered was the little boy (who freaked me out) and that croaky/crackling voice sound (still makes my skin crawl) that same night i saw the movie i heard a similar croaky/crackling sound coming from outside my bedroom window (it was a possum) and if you know the awful sound possums make coupled with having just watched the Grudge...I was traumatized 😭
I have fond memories of my OGs since 03 and I freaking out in my bunk bed watching this movie. We couldn't sleep; we were 4th graders! I think we rented it at a Blockbuster!
Huzzah!! I was excited for you to do this movie! :) I remember going with my friend Brianna and she jumped, turned her head, screamed, and bit my shoulder in fear all at once. Hahaha. I was more afraid of her. Such fun!
"Snatchin' Corner" 😂 I personally prefer The Grudge to The Ring. The entire cast (both American and Japanese) is ICONIC! And the story itself is real and horrifying (in terms of the DV that causes the Ju-On). I hope you watch The Grudge 2, and of course the OG as you mentioned 🖤
I went to go see this movie in theaters with my mom and best friend at the time and we were all shooketh for months! My mom still mentions this movie and how creepy it was to this day 😂 Also the repeated, "Don't show me," at 23:10 took me OUT 🤣
This movie scared me so bad when I was a kid and it still holds up for me. I’ve always loved SMG too, lifelong Buffy fan here ✌️ it also makes a Buffy fan happy to see her be reunited with Ford from that episode Lie to Me in season 2 🤣
The Grudge and The Ring are actually 2 seperate films. Ringu, the original japanese film is the one where the ghost comes out of fhe TV. Juon: The Grudge & Juon: The Curse is based on Kayako's Death curse inhabiting the house and killing anyone who steps into the house. The one thing about the director's cut version of this remake is that it also has extended scenes compared to the theatrical release. Yoko's jaw scene in my opinion was the scariest highlight of all the extended scenes combined. It stuck with me for a very long time.
Omg lol it took me eight times to watch this movie till I could watch it the entire way through without closing my eyes. That sound (you know THAT sound) scares the ever loving hell out of me to this day 😳
The timeline of this movie is out of order so as I understand Yoko was the first victim. She arrived at the house when Clea Duvall was out shopping because we saw the note from her, then Clea returned to a clean house because Yoko was just there, she cleaned up and then got snatched by Slayako shortly before Clea returned. She ate noods and then she also got snatched, then the husband Matt got snatched and the next day Karen arrived, she got spooked by the phone call from Matt's sister then after that the old lady logged out of life. So the sister died shortly after the old lady. I think that's the order of murders. But I'm not sure 100% 👁️👄👁️
the timeline in this one is SO wonky. the original films at least had title cards between each section that made it clear we were skipping around. perhaps an unintended positive, since the originals were made for TV.
Btw Toshio is screaming like a cat because both him and the cat were drowned pretty much at the same time, they became a sort of demon-cat ... Pretty creepy when it's meowing...
A really great horror movie to check out, probably alone, is the Ruins. Such a good movie and absolutely creepy. Also a great reason to stay out of the rainforest or any forest in general. What I’d don’t understand is why would you agree to moving to a different country with a different language and not be prepared. I mean she could of gotten a Japanese language book to at least learn some words and then find a tutor when you get there.
Yesss so ready for your review. My bestie and I loved this movie she uses to be scared of them crawling down the steps and all the body contortion scenes lol. I still tease her on this lol.
