How does The Grudge hold up to the originals Ju-On: The Grudge and a dab of Ju-On: The Curse? phelous.com / phelous Originally Released: August 10, 2014
Meowing is the sound children who are damned make because they become strays. It relates to old folklore in Asia but it does seem silly with no context.
Al X. Andra it’s a cultural difference thing. YOU might not find it creepy but that doesn’t mean Japanese audiences didn’t. In fact, what we find scary might make them laugh.
I love love love all the effort Phelous puts into doing his homework. Especially since his gags are based on someone putting in little effort. He really knows what he's talking about when he compares versions. And again, always saying what works and why some things don't.
The Grudge is what ignited my interest in Asian horror films, and when I saw it in the theatre at 19, I was scared shitless. I find you either love the film, or hate it, with few people in between. But that's from my experience. Personally I love both the original(s) and the remake, though a majority of the sequels from both countries were... pretty awful. Kayako Saeki is a terrifying antagonist, however, no matter what version.
You get an instant like from me because 1.) you know that The Grudge is a remake of Ju-On: The Grudge and not Ju-On. 2.) You know that Ju-On: The Grudge is the third movie in the Ju-On film series (fifth if you count the two short movies “4444444444” and “Katasumi” that precede Ju-On). You would not believe how many videos I’ve seen not know either of those things, so it was refreshing to finally hear it for once lol.
True, it would've been nice if there were more Japanese actors. But I'm guessing as an American remake, they'd probably use the excuse of the cheaper housing in Japan compared to America, I guess.
nodinitiative I get the feeling that he’s much more calm in his reviews when he’s reviewing something that isn’t off-the-walls trash and has a good balance of positive and negative elements.
I'm glad I watched the American grudge before the Ju-ons. I like the Japanese ones better but I think the US Grudge did a good job introducing the plot to me.
Phelous' opening skit was great. Honestly, I would watch a full horror-parody with him directing and starring. I watched the American version as a kid first, and found it decent. Like you mentioned, it's probably mostly because it had the same director, (which I didn't know). I later watched the Japanese Ju-On the Grudge and found it a good slow-burn, suspenseful horror.
I liked The Grudge, though I haven't seen the original. I thought the cat screech coming from the kid was fucking terrifying when I was younger haha. I'd never seen such an odd thing, an animal noise like that coming from a person was just so alien to me.
That scene of her just opening her eyes scared the shit out of me, theres no stupid sting and it's just a slow casual opening of her eyes. Absolutely chilling.
you don't need to die to become a yokai. Intense suffering, anger, loneliness, betrayal, literal grudge, age, passage of time, dirt, rejection or shame work just as well, and some things are just born yokai, such a this one thing that eats its mother. There are other ways too, such as drinking to much. Oh, you think I'm joking? nope, the leader of the oni became such because he drank too much and him and all his followers were transformed into oni.
I used to be able to make these Grudge noises in kindergarten, just for my amusement and probably weirded the other kids out in the progress. Almost 30 years later though I can't make them anymore. My voice is breaking whenever I try to.
I really like the review, even though "The Grudge" is actually one Remake I really like. But it has it´s weaknesses, like you mentioned. I watched the japanese Original when I was 15 or so and it freaked me out, even though I didn´t understand some parts. That was mostly because of the jumping timelines and my inability to recognize asian faces. It got better after a few rewatches (and Wikipedia-summaries xD) and when the Remake came to the cinema and I found out that it was also set in Japan I was really excited. The movie did SO much better than I expected and sometimes I think, the "loud parts" work. Not all the time though (best example is the scene with the sister and her charm) But still. Even though, the first 2 american "Grudge-Movies" had it´s flaws, I really enjoyed them. The THIRD one... You should do "The Grudge 3". Any other Ju-On /Grudge Movie will seem like a perfect masterpiece. It. Is. Awful. And I would love to see you do a review of it.
I haven't seen the Grudge because when it came I wasn't really into japan that much and I tend to stay away from remakes. But Ring 2 and the Thai horror film shutter made the spirit is behind me in the loony bin cell ending much better.
I like the original I thought the American movie try too much to appeal to the american-style which it's a bad thing because since around that time and now American movies have always been just jumpscares they used to be not cheap and kind of Heaven similar formula to Japanese horror movies where they actually were brilliantly made but now they don't care about making good movies anymore so I think they were going to remake it they should had an American audience but they should have made it like the one in Japan white with subtle and not just cheap jumpscares I preferred the original Japanese version is far more Superior
The point of the meowing is supposed to be that his soul fused with the soul of their family cat, because they were drowned together - at least in the remake. He meows because he and the cat have become the same entity at this point.
I haven't seen either one of the Grudge movies. They both look like they would freak me out... honestly, the clips in this review kinda freaked me out, since both movies seem to play on things that get to me pretty bad. But my main reason for commenting is just to say... Jesus CHRIST Phelous's death rattle creeps me the fuck out!
@@ThePhantomSafetyPin Some people who are more "Ramen experts" know how long the ramen is cooked in the water to make it the right texture. Some dont like the ramen to be overcooked, so they would only put it in for 5 mins then drain the water.
Crimson Trax that is pretty cool though I'm not gonna lie i like the match up they been having a long laating rivalry sorry if I offended or angered you in anyway shape or form sorry
This movie used to freak me out when I was little. I thought that god awful sound The Grudge makes was horrifying, the way she'd move scared the shit out of me. I'd have nightmares for two days after watching it. The gargling still creeps me out a little.
0:16 This is now even funnier considering Phelous is done with CA. Though, some part of me wonders if "To Boldly Flee: The Somehow Even Longer Cut" really exists. Given Doug's massive ego, I wouldn't be surprised. Then again, I don't think ANYBODY wants THREE MORE HOURS of To Boldly Flee.
I don't know why you're under the impression that Doug has a massive ago. I don't know him but he always seems pretty down to earth and humble in his videos. Rob on the other hand..
Only two movies have ever truly scared me, this movie and Goosebumps: Slappy. the Goosebumps one is from when I was a kid, I had nightmares for a long time. The Grudge was my early teens, and I had nightmares for a long time.
Seriously the Japanese version of The Grudge is one of the few movies that actually scared me. It's so effective! Just like the original version of Dark Water, I had the chance to see it in theaters. I'll never forget the chills it gave me.
My biggest issue with the Grudge (the remake, not Ju-On) was the ending. How it implied that burning the house down passed the ghosts onto her. Granted the sequel would help fix that but it doesn't change the fact that, as far as I know, you can't change the focal point of a haunting. My dad snapped at me for constantly bringing that up.
It was nice to see you mix up the format with this review. Non-linear and a side by side comparison was a good choice. Would happily watch more of these if you fancy doing any new ones.
and yes your horror part of the skit DID terrify me so um well done :D I hope that extra-long cut' didn't cause too many PTSD moments😅 so glad it's NOT real (the extra long 10 hour cut thing)
Damnit Phelous, did you really have to include the creepy AF original ending?! You were reviewing the remake. The “setting the house on fire” thing bothered me a bit the first time I watched it (especially after the commentary). One of the people on the commentary track said they did it because she was Buffy and they wanted her to have a kickass moment. But rewatching it now, I think it works because it shows what was always important about the grudge- once you’re cursed, it’s inescapable. Even though she fights back she can’t win. I think it fits with the feeling of isolation from the original film (and I agree, they really should have put that to better use. They could have done a lot more with the isolation coupled with what it feels like to be in a foreign country.)
I wanted to watch the Grudge but then I decided to see Ju-On instead first. I liked it but afterwards I wasn't sure anymore if I also should watch its remake.
I loved that franchise. Ju-On 1+2 are great, The Grudge introduced the franchise to me, there are 2 interesting TV specials with Woman in White being the better one (with an old woman ghost this time), The Grudge 2 is a bit silly and The Grudge 3 and Ju-On 3 are just non-subtle garbage. Ju-On 3 has a crazy final scene though.
Juon to watch a movie? HaHAAAAaa.... I'm sorry. Your bugged out eyes were creepier than the death rattle sound.. I try to imitate that sound but people don't get the reference and think I'm fake burping..
Brb, I need to cover my laptop in red tape before I watch this one. Last thing I need is more internet ghosts. Joking aside, I appreciate you touching on asian horror films again. It's my favorite genre of movies, I couldn't agree more about your points. I hope you can do more, but alas, that means you'll have to talk about asian vs. western travesty remakes. The Thai horror film and remake of Shutter would be a good one to discuss, if you haven't already.
@@MrGMoney1944 It's a joke you'd only get if you've either seen Pulse, or his review of Pulse. The characters cover everything in red tape because they think it'll stop the ghos- Holy shit, is that a metaphor for internet censorship? Red tape stops the evils of the internet. Huh.
Thanks, Phelous, I wanted to see what you had to show and tell. One of my favorite things is to watch "The Grudge" (the English remake) with RiffTrax. I've been told watching horror movies can be good for depression. I think my mileage would vary greatly, but with RiffTrax joking along, I get the best of both worlds. Thanks for a look at the Japanese originals. :)
I have to admit, the American remake of the Grudge terrified me as a child. I remember it well, my mother would never let me watch horror films until I was 15, so the only way I could experience them was by sneakily watching them when they were on television at night (Hastily switching off my telly when I heard them going to the bathroom so they couldn't see the light under my door. Then switching it back on when they got into bed again). When I was 8, I saw in the TV guide that The Grudge 2004 was going to be on Channel4 around midnight, so at that time I sneakily switched my telly on to watch it and......... trauma, so much trauma!!!! DX To my 8 year old mind this was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen! And surprisingly my love of East Asian horror grew from there. Because even though it is an American remake, it does still have the original director, making it the best remake of a J-Horror I have ever seen. So it still had that creepy feel that the originals do (which I watched a few years later, which scared me even more) and almost retains the style that Japanese horror usually goes for. The reason my love for these kinds of films grew was because they were actually able to scare me to the point of not sleeping for a week, the images they left haunted my nightmares more so than any American or European horror ever did. That's probably why I'm doing a PHD on East Asian Horror :P
See, the thing with Japan is that they censor too many things. That's another reason why Japanese horror needs to get more clever with their content. But with America, we have more access to gore and shit like that, making us slightly lazier. But this is a pretty good remake all-in-all.
Never understood the joke with the mail till I recently ran into the movie To Boldly Flee. Lol a , Long Boring, confusing ass "movie" that just would NOT End!
If ever you decide to revist horror, and from that, japanese horror, mind looking over the Junji Ito adaptations? That's got some good material to tear into.
