Ju-On: The Grudge (DVD)

With how much I loved the Hollywood version of Takashi Shimizu's The Grudge I had to check out his original Japanese version, which was the basis for the remake. Considering it was the same story told by the same director I didn't see where it could go wrong.

Ju-On is virtually the exact same story you saw in theaters with The Grudge, minus a few scenes here and there and one storyline that was dropped and replaced by another. The creepy house remains, where violence has stained the dwelling with a horrible curse infecting anyone who inhabits the place. The story is told through a series of intertwined stories where unsuspecting souls soon become dinner for a hungry ghost.

As far as comparing this film to the Hollywood version, it doesn't really compare. It was obviously shot with a much smaller budget and since I saw it second I feel that may be a large reason for why it didn't really give me the creeps like The Grudge did, but that doesn't mean it won't for you.

If you are yet to see The Grudge, this may be a worthwhile pick-up, it really depends on which one you see first and your tolerance for subtitles. I had a couple of friends screen it to see if this was the case and they definitely got into it much more than I did, which has got to be determined by which order you see the two films.

As for the special features I was surprised to find myself interested in the interviews with the director considering they all have subtitles, as do the commentaries on the deleted scenes. Shimizu has a lot of good things to say about the creation of the film and where it came from and what he was trying to do. The deleted scenes themselves are sort of boring and in most cases just extensions of scenes already in the movie, but Shimizu's commentary makes them a worthwhile once over.

Next is a behind-the-scenes featurette, which I really didn't care for too much, although it is truly "behind-the-scenes" it feels more like a home video look at the shooting, and is nothing to really brag about.

The final main feature is the audio commentary with Sam Raimi and Scott Spiegel. If you are wondering why these two, Raimi was the executive producer on the remake, The Grudge, as for Spiegel as far as I can tell he is just Raimi's buddy along for the ride. Spiegel has appeared in a couple of tiny parts in Raimi's films as well he wrote From Dusk 'til Dawn 2 and Evil Dead II.

These two guys basically banter back and forth as would anyone watching a movie, it really doesn't add or detract from the DVD's value whatsoever. Their main comparison is between this film and American horror films, primarily actor reactions and the use of loud sound effects to scare the audience. The only problem is that this movie would be much scarier if it tried a little harder.

Compared to The Grudge, Ju-On doesn't even hold a candle in the fright department, but if you are yet to see The Grudge this might not be a bad pick-up. If it was my money and I was looking for a good Japanese horror pick-up I would much sooner recommend The Eye before putting this one in my shopping bag.