The Grudge

In 2002 Ju-On (The Grudge) was released in Japanese cinemas. Technically the 3rd installment, the first 2 parts were released direct to video, it was a big hit in it's homeland and riding on the popularity of the Ringu series of films, became a big draw in Europe and the States too. A bland, toothless American remake followed which of course spawned sequels, each worse than the last. The original Japanese movie had it's fair share of sequels too, none of which lived up to the promise shown in the first movie. Now 18 years later and produced by Mr Evil Dead himself, Sam Raimi, The Grudge is back and yes, its about as good as you'd expect....

Detective Muldoon (Andrea Riseborough) is new in town and she's rattled, a recent widow and struggling to care for herself and her young son Burke. She's a cop and her first call out is for a dead body found mangled beyond comprehension in a car. Clues lead her back to a house at 44 Reyburn drive, an avenue in the town she now calls home. Her new partner, Detective Muldoon (Demián Bichir) is wary though. He's dealt with this house before....

The 2020 version of The Grudge should work. It has a fine cast and it's a film that's not afraid to embrace it's R rating and all the blood and crunch that's permissible at that rating. And yet, there's nothing really here at all. There's no snap, crackle or pop, there's no reason for this continuation of the series, nothing new is brought to the table and ...well it's not a disappointment as much, more of a predictable sigh. These kind of horror movies always do well by trading in on brand recognition and earn their money from an undemanding teen crowd eager for a splash of gore and a jump scare or two but anyone looking for anything else will leave disappointed. Even more will be annoyed by the story's fractious way with chronology. Instead of mystery it's confusing and just as one timeline takes off we jump to another adding frustration to the mix too.

The slowburn dread of the early part of the series was what made it so successful. The way things were every so slightly off, the "did i actually see that" appearances that set you on edge, the unpredictable quirks of Japanese cinema that made anyone who grew up on American horror unnerved. Now 20 years later that's all old hat to us, we know exactly what's going to happen down to knowing exactly when a ghost is going to pop up. It's unnerving alright, unnerving in how foreseeable it all is. Will that dope head off into the dark by herself? Yup. I bet that's a ghost she's talking to. Yup. Ok, something is going to jump out of the darkness in three...two...o.. ya there it is. It doesn't exactly make for riveting viewing and it's annoying because it does some stuff right.

Lin Shaye. The 21st century's most unexpected scream queen

There's a pleasing tangibility and earthiness to it's gorier moments (wrecked fingers and faces will forever disturb...) and it's always nice to see the more horrific moments created with practical effects instead of CGI. The cast too is far better than the story deserves and they do surprisingly good work. Andrea Riseborough's Muldoon grounds the whole story with her gaunt and stark portrayal of the aftermath of tragedy and Betty Gilpin's mother to be Nina adds a dose of tension to proceedings. The always great William Sadler does a lot with a little as a haunted cop and his last appearance is the one moment of this film that will stick with you. It's great seeing quality actors like this in genre pieces but I just wish this one was as good as the people in it. 

If you're a fan of the franchise you might get something from this but everyone else will just leave the cinema rolling their eyes at one cheap jump scare too many. It's always a shame when you go into a movie and you get EXACTLY what you expected.