Nail Biter


Buffy is no match for Japanese ghosts.

I spent my Halloween night fittingly watching a scary movie to end the day. The movie is The Grudge, the U.S. remake of the original Ju On by Takashi Shimizu. Unlike The Ring, which was also remade from a Japanese film but megged by a Hollywood director (Gore Verbinski), The Grudge retains the original director for it's translation. Another difference is, while The Ring was literally transplanted and translated into an American setting and storyline, The Grudge is basically the same story with American characters replacing the leads from the original story.

So, in addition to the main premise of a terrible, death-dealing curse and malignant spirits, the remake also gives a sense of the fear, alienation and insecurity of foreigners trying to live in xenophobic, non-english Japan.
For the most part, it works, I think. Sarah Michelle Gellar, who plays the lead female character Kare Davis, is fairly good in her part, though I half-expected her to tear into the ghosts with martial arts moves several times. The rest of the cast of American and Japanese actors carry out their roles adequately.

Except for some changes to the script (which serve to make the plot tighter), a bit of exposition towards the end and the ending itself, The Grudge is pretty faithful to the original, if only for the reason that the actors who play the roles of the Saeki family (Yuya Ozeki, Takako Fuji, Takashi Matsuyama) are THE same performers from the original Ju On films (and still as freaky as before)! Despite my knowing what happens, I still found myself biting my fingers, gritting my teeth or holding my breath. The music, the situations, the growing feeling of dread and anticipation... it's all here. In my book, that means a good translation. And a good way to celebrate Halloween.

Watch The Grudge in theaters when you can. If you dare.

Eeeeee-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e--e-e-e-e-e--e-e-ee----eeee