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Ju-On (to give it its Japanese title), is essentially a good old fashioned haunted house movie, but with an amazingly modern twist. Told via a series of interconnected chapters, linked to the house and concerning the effects of the haunted house on a series of women who come into contact with it, the film has a slightly nonlinear structure, which means to get the most out of it you really have to pay attention, but this investment in time pays of handsomely. The Grudge concerns the after effects of a brutal murder carried out in an apparently average house in an average suburb. A husband murders his wife and then kills himself, and as we later find out, the couples young son is never seen again, although it is never verified whether or not he is dead (just adds to the mystery). However, as explained at the beginning of the movie, when people die violently in the grip of great anger, a mark is left, something of that person's anger is left behind, and effects anyone who comes into contact with it. As a result of this, further occupants of the house were the murder took place become the unwitting victims of this curse.
The cast are uniformly good, although the real star of the film is Yuya Ozeki as Toshio, the little boy who now haunts the house (and indeed anyone who enters the house), turning in a performance that manages to be deeply creepy simply by using facial expressions and his physical presence, rather than going for any Hollywood style over the top nonsense. Director Takashi Shimizu handles the over all sense of dread and lurking evil with a deft touch that never reveals too much and never descends into violence for the sake of violence. Indeed, for a horror movie, there is very little in the way of bloodshed and gore, what we do see is implied rather than explicit, and the film works so much better as a result of this restraint.
Before you say anything, I know Shimizu went on to direct the Americanized remake of this masterpiece, although I can't imagine why he would want to remake this gem of a modern day horror. This is probably one of the most deeply unsettling films I have ever seen, and I mean that in a good way. Atmospheric, unsettling, and altogether brilliant.
A social worker visits an untidy house to find a confused old woman. She hears noises and, when she investigates, discovers a black cat and a feral boy locked away upstairs. The enigmatic weave of the mystery is then elaborated as we follow the tales of other visitors to the house ... some before the social worker, some after her ... each of whom assists us in unlocking the story of what has happened to the child and what will become of the social worker.
The horror, here, is never defined. Ju-On follows in another Japanese tradition - horror, evil, the inexplicable are portrayed as timeless qualities. Fear is in the unknown, so is horror being unable to understand what is happening? Now you see it, now you don't.
The plot is decidedly disjointed. You are unable to decide, from moment to moment, where the story starts ... or where it will end. We have a feral child who plays a macabre version of peek-a-boo. Now you understand it, now you don't ... until the next scene offers some explanation. And further confusion.
There is no music, no special effects, no dramatic sounds, hardly any action. The story unfolds in slow motion. It's scary in places, it's strange throughout. Some spirit of vengeance haunts the house ... but what has caused it to possess the place, what has disturbed it, what has caused it to remain?
Peek-a-boo, now you see me, now you don't. The haunting image of the feral child, Toshio, keeps appearing, then disappearing. Japanese horror has often been accused to failing to follow a logical (western) plot sequence. Ju-On consciously abandons any logic, attempting to capture the essence of horror - its unpredictability. The story bounces backwards and forwards - you have to constantly check your bearings. Characters appear, then disappear.
Is it scary? Well, more unsettling than scary, largely because of the uncertainty of what might happen next ... or the discovery of what happened before. It is claustrophobic, disjointed, and consciously confusing. And it will not be to everyone's taste. Macabre, disturbing, I still cannot make up my mind whether or not I really enjoyed the experience. Now I see it ... .
I was well impressed with it. Eventhough the american one has been `beefed up`, you cant beat the original for its sophistication and somewhat uncomfortable subtle eery atmospheric horror scenes. Quite alot is left to the imagination rather than being subjected to seeing full on `in your face` horror. This is what makes it so realistically scary, where the horror is brought so close to home and seems to happen so very easily - which certainly makes it play on your mind afterwards, especially if your just about to go to bed.
So if you want a film that will leave you a bit bewildered and chillingly shaken up then I recommend you see it. You`ll be discussing it for ages with others who have seen it trying to interpret and analyse the story in your own way. Cheers.
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