Harry here... Oh man, oh man oh man, I want to see this film. Ever since I posted that trailer months ago, it has been weighing on my noggin. Curse this tricksy Quint for getting to it first! Curses him, I says. Argh. Here's the boy-man of the hour!
Ahoy squirts! Quint here with the first in a series of reviews from flicks I snuck into during the American Film Market last week. I was debating on whether to start with with a praising review of a great flick or a venomous review of a miserable piece of shit film. Being the kind of person I am, one that actually likes to enjoy film, I figure it'd be easier to start with me gushing all over the newest genius work of horror and suspense from Japan, JU-ON: THE GRUDGE.
JU-ON is produced by the team that brought you the original RING film and directed by Takashi Shimizu, a protégé of Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who directed the uneven, but very creepy flick PULSE. The film is technically about curses, but it's easier to think of it as a haunted house flick. A brutal murder happens in this house and that puts a curse on the house. Any unlucky fool who enters ends up a victim of the curse and can pass it on to damn near anybody they have contact with.
But like I said above, think of it as a ghost story. This curse is carried out by two spirits, a little boy named Toshio. He himself is pretty creepy and is responsible for some great scares in the film, but the lady... Jesus. If you see the little boy spirit, the lady spirit is close behind. If you see her, then God help you 'cause no one else can.
The film is broken up into chapters that follow a single character that is affected by the curse in some way. Using these chapter breaks, the film jumps ahead and back in time, interconnect with other character story lines, etc. After seeing the film, I found that this can confuse some people. It didn't hamper me at all, though I do admit that I'm not one of the kinds of people that has to be totally caught up with every single thing onscreen. I let the film wash over me. I don't try to figure every detail out as it's happening. I like putting the pieces together later.
Now, I saw this flick for the first time at a screening at the AFM. There were about 10 other souls in the theatre with me, but the sound was terrific, the print was great and in that dark theatre I found myself getting very scared. That's quite a feat in and of itself. I've been watching horror films since I can remember and it has been a long, long time since I've been scared during a movie. Sure, I've been caught by jump scares, but to be really genuinely creeped out at a film... It has been ages.
Damn near the whole time I was watching the movie I had my hands clenched together, fingers interlocked and eyes wide open. After the film I found my fingers were aching from the tension I had while watching the film.
It makes you wonder what the Japanese know that we don't. They are so far ahead in action, drama (INFERNAL AFFAIRS, which I'll get to in a few days), horror and even scoring it's not even funny. I was actually talking to a friend about this and he brought up a great point. For the longest time the only way to get the best '70s horror (i.e. Fulci, Argento) was via Japanese Laser Discs. Not just horror, but classic film from all genres. While America was busy ignoring the classics that depended on mood and story and character to get you through instead of how many CGI shots we can cram into each scene, the Japanese were analyzing the classics
Now, I've heard two things in relation to this film. One thing I heard was Lion's Gate picked up the rights to JU-ON: THE GRUDGE. I also heard (here) that Ghost House Pictures (Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi's new production company) have picked up the remake rights to the film, with the original director, Takashi Shimizu, onboard directing. Does that mean Lion's Gate is partnering up with Ghost House to film a remake? I'm not sure. I heard they weren't making many in-house horror flicks at the moment, just buying up the good indie ones. So, does that mean Lion's Gate is handling the original?
I have to say, that I'm not sure a remake will do this movie justice. Look at THE RING for example. Most will agree that THE RING was handled terrifically. I think so, too, but the remake both succeeded and failed in my eyes. It took the original, great story and improved upon the narrative, making it flow much better and make more sense. Where it failed was really capturing the creepiness of the original. The corpses looked gnarly and fucking scary, but they totally dropped the ball on the girl.
Now, looking at JU-ON... This succeeds almost solely on atmosphere, lighting and sound. There really isn't much story there. I've also noticed from a second viewing of the film on video that it plays so much better in a dark theatre with huge sound than on a small TV with faulty stereo sound...
I trust Raimi's instincts and I think it's a strong step to have the original director helm the remake. I just hope that JU-ON gets at the very least a small theatrical release so people can experience it as it was meant to, the way I was lucky enough to have seen it, big in a dark, dark theatre with the creepy throat and cat noises attacking the senses from front, sides and back.
We ran a trailer for the film a while ago. Click here for the original article! Check it out. One way or another you'll see this film, whether they're going to make you folks wait until the remake comes out on DVD or if by some amazing chance it gets a theatrical release. Keep an eye out for it it. I recommend the film wholeheartedly. Just remember to bring a change of underwear.
Well, that's it from me on this flick. Very soon I will unleash hell upon a movie that was so bad it hurt to watch. They will feel my wrath! 'Til that day this is Quint bidding you all a fond farewell and adieu.
-Quint
