The Grudge (Extended Cut) (DVD)

Sony should have learned from New Line's unrated release of Blade: Trinity when it came to The Grudge, but then again double-dipping has become the nature of the home video beast as DVD sales have skyrocketed, forcing consumers to buy two editions of the movies they love. Then again that is what reviews are here for, to warn you about such foreseen situations, and if you bought the first edition you certainly didn't read my review. I warned you the Extended Cut was coming and it sounded like it was going to be better, and it is.

Takashi Shimizu's Director's Cut of The Grudge is more scares, including some additional neck stretching goodies, as well as some story building additions the original lacked. On top of that, there are a couple deleted scenes that should have been in this cut as well.

The Grudge centers on an ancient supernatural spirit, born of a grudge held by someone who dies angry, that wreaks murderous vengeance on anyone coming within its powerful grip of rage. In this case it takes on the ghostly form of the individuals who suffered and gave "life" to the vengeful spirit.

This extended cut incorporates an additional seven minutes of footage into the film and a good chunk of them come at the end and are certainly worth it as you learn more about how the family that once lived in the house died and an extended look at how sadistic little Toshio's ghost can be.

As far as special features go these are all new, none of which can be found on the first release, and while a couple of them are pretty much crap, the others prove that this is definitely the version to own. Hell, the first release didn't even have deleted scenes.

First, let's toss out the garbage.

The two video diaries with Sarah Michelle Gellar and KaDee Strickland are boring in my opinion. Gellar takes you on a short trip into the filming of a conveniently boring scene and KaDee takes you on a tour around Japan, whoopee. Following that are three features, a couple of which are semi-interesting. One feature introduces the Production Designer's Notebook, and while this isn't exactly super exciting it does show some really amazing sketches of the haunted house they built for the film. The second one features animated storyboards drawn by Shimizu for a couple of scenes from the film and the third one is pretty much a bore as you are taken through a tour of the "Grudge House," not a whole lot new here.

Now come the good parts.

There are two of Takashi Shimizu's Original JU-ON short films on this DVD titled "4444444444" and "In a Corner." If you needed proof that this movie about a horrific curse was Shimizu's passion then feast your eyes on these 3 minute shorts. They are low budget, but a lot of fun and will probably encourage young filmmakers all over the place to make their own Grudge films.

Next is the best feature, aside from the extended cut of the movie itself; 15 deleted scenes with optional commentary by the filmmakers including Shimizu. Of these 15 scenes several are good, but there are a couple that are excellent. In my opinion, the one titled "Go Away" should have been added to this extended cut. Although it wouldn't make a ton of sense the first time you watch the film, every other time around it would end up being the best scene in the movie.

Finally, the feature commentary with Shimizu, producer Taka Ichise and actress Takako Fuji is excellent. It is a bit frustrating to have to read the commentary since I don't understand Japanese, but it doesn't really matter, these three are a lot of fun to listen to and Shimizu gives a ton of good insights into the making of the film including pointing out everything new that has been added.

Overall, I think you understand I was thoroughly impressed with this edition of the film, considering my massive disliking for double-dipping and forcing fans to purchase two editions of the same movie. If you already purchased the first movie that means you liked it enough to do so, which also means you should probably be buying this edition as well, but it is your money. Then again this is a hard one to pass up.

If you would like to check out a couple of unrated screen captures click on the "Images" button above.