User reviews

Sequels are a tricky thing. You have to serve the core audience who saw the first film, while trying to not prove too bewildering to a new audience that may have not seen the original. Horror films are even more difficult to spin a sequel off from, as suspense and scares are often, by nature, dependent on a lack of expectation from the audience. With The Grudge 2, director Takashi Shimizu and screenwriter Stephen Susco have attempted to not fall into that trap by approaching the sequel a little differently, but by the time it's over, unfortunately, it still proves to be a little too repetitive for its own good.

Unlike 2004's The Grudge, which unfolded in a largely linear fashion, The Grudge 2 shakes things up a bit by splitting the narrative between three different plot lines that all take place at different times. First, there is the continuation, essentially, of the story from the first film, where Karen Davis (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is being kept in a hospital after surviving the ordeal of the first film, which centered around a house in Japan where a woman had been killed by her husband and thus created "The Grudge," a rage that consumes every living being that enters the house. Arriving from America to attempt to retrieve Karen is her sister Aubrey (Amber Tamblyn), who quickly becomes embroiled in the same situation as Karen. Second is a plot thread featuring Allison (Arielle Kebbel), an American girl in high school in Japan who is goaded by two classmates to enter the spooky house from the first film and finds that it lives up to its haunted house reputation. Finally, the third plot string plays out in Chicago, Illinois, where Trish (Jennifer Beals) has moved in with her boyfriend Bill (Christopher Cousins) and his two children, Lacey (Sarah Roehmer) and Jake (Matthew Knight). The same day as she moves in, so does a mysterious neighbor, after which everyone in the apartment complex starts acting weird.

When The Grudge 2 works, the best word to describe it is creepy. The horrific imagery, mostly of a long haired, blue skinned Japanese woman and a young child, is unsettling and when they appear on screen, accompanied by some equally disturbing sound effects, it can't help but send chills up and down your spine. However, the circumstances in which these characters make their appearances have used up the suspense quotient of this franchise. By now the rules are clear, when characters are alone and everything seems normal, these beings are popping up somewhere to scare the bejesus out of whoever is on screen and attempt to exact their revenge. It works sometimes, but the film fails to make any adjustments to the situations involving these beings, and you stop really being surprised by their appearance and begin expecting it. Yes, they are creepy, but the circumstances that surround them are relatively rote. Suspense works well when you can't predict what is going to happen, but in The Grudge 2, after a while, it all seems rather familiar.

The film's fractured narrative, while giving The Grudge 2 some difference from the previous entry, works against the film in many ways also. Because it is constantly switching back and forth between three different subplots, it is difficult to get attached to any of the characters. Of course, as this is a modern horror film, the characters are relatively thin to begin with, but with the constant cutting between stories, it becomes enormously difficult to get a bead on anyone and develop much attachment to them. So, when the characters find themselves in peril, you have a hard time feeling much sympathy for them. The Grudge 2 also has a plot twist, which early on becomes reasonably obvious, so when it plays out at the end, there isn't much surprise in store.

The actors are the usual batch of relative no names, for the most part. The girls in the film, which is what the stories largely center around, do their best to cry, scream and shake hysterically, and they are all reasonably effective, but there is nothing revolutionary being performed. Sarah Michelle Gellar reappears for a relatively small role, so she doesn't make much impact, and the other major actress, Jennifer Beals, is also saddled with what almost amounts to a bit part.

The Grudge 2 isn't a complete bomb, by any means, it is more than disturbing enough in moments to provide some general discomfort that horror films should try to apply. However, other than some chills here and there, The Grudge 2 doesn't offer anything tremendously original or scary, resulting in a largely mixed bag.

Being a huge fan of the original Ju-On movies, as well as the original American remake, I was looking forward to this one. But my excitement dwindled right from the opening scene, as The Grudge 2 quickly became a predictable and mundane sequel. A typical American-ized sequel that sadly didn't follow the unique plot of Ju-On 2.

After Sarah Michelle Gellar's cameo, the movie focuses on her sister, but gives her nothing to do. What seems like a totally separate storyline inside an apartment building is more distracting than involving. The scares become very routine and there are so many characters here, that the viewer cannot become attached to any of them.

The movie does, however, kick it up in the final twenty minutes or so. And the ending is a lot darker and much more mean spirited than the original, and for that, it has to earn some points for not taking the safe way out.

The Grudge 2 is not a complete loss, but it could have been so much better.

In Pasadena, Mrs. Davis (Joanna Cassidy) sends her daughter Aubrey Davis (Amber Tamblyn) to Tokyo to bring her sister Karen Davis (Sarah Michelle Gellar), who is interned in a hospital after surviving a fire, back to the USA. After their meeting, Karen dies and Aubrey decides to investigate what happened to her and gets herself cursed in the same situation, being chased by the ghost of the house. Meanwhile in Tokyo, the three high school mates Allison (Arielle Kebbel), Vanessa (Teresa Palmer) and Miyuki (Misako Uno) visit the famous haunted house and are also cursed and chased by the ghost. In Chicago, Trish (Jennifer Beals) moves to the apartment of her boyfriend Bill (Christopher Cousins), who lives with his children, the teenager Lacey (Sarah Roehmer) and boy Jake (Matthew Knight). On the next door, weird things happen with their neighbor.

"The Grudge 2" has scary sound and visual effects, with the creepy woman and boy, and I have startled a couple of times while watching this movie. However, the complex screenplay with three subplots is totally confused, making the entwined story a complete mess. There are too much characters and situations, and in a certain moment I was completely lost with the disconnected and fragmented narrative. In the end, I was completely disappointed with this confused, but also spooky film. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "O Grito 2" ("The Scream 2")

Shoot me if you must. Shun me if necessary. But I actually really liked this movie. It kept me entertained for 102 minutes and provided some great scares. I never keep my hopes up for sequels and this movie was no different. This was atmospheric and despite what some people say, it did have a plot, although it was all over the place (so it's kind of hard to explain). The acting was good from all. Takashi Shimizu is a great director, he knows how to create suspense and keep it for the duration of the movie. He also knows how to keep an "all over the place plot" very easy to follow. I'm also glad he introduced some new elements into the plot which made it much more interesting. (Can't wait until the final installment)! And finally, the curse (Kayako and Toshio) is still as scary and creepy as ever. There were many scenes that had me very creeped out.

3½/5.

Why in god's name would anyone give this a ten? ANYONE!? Seriously, a ten? So they would say this is as good as say, Casablanca? Their top three go Lawerence of Arabia, the Godfather and the Grudge 2? I mean, MAYBE someone could have liked this and not have hated themselves for wasting money on it like I did, but a 10?!?! Anyway, this movie was terrible. Its the same damn thing that has been made about 50 times in the last 5 years. Its not scary, and relies on shock value, but even in that its terrible. It uses that same lame stop action camera trick that sucked the first time it was used in The Ring. I saw it on a date and we both walked out 2/3's through. Save your money, go rent Alien. Or better yet, go see The Departed.

I was very excited about seeing this, as I love the original series, I didn't think the first remake was that bad, Takashi Shimizu directed it, and I have gradually become a fan of Amber Tamblyn. Unfortunately, it was nowhere near as good as I had hoped. Of course, given the genre, and the fact that it was a sequel to a remake and not really a remake of a sequel, it was exactly what I expected. (Yes, I have high hopes, but realistic expectations.)

I prepped myself for this by watching the unrated DVD of the previous film just a few short hours before heading to the theater, which, in hindsight, was probably a mistake. While the first film relied heavily on cheap scares and "gotcha" moments, the second toned it down a little and aimed at being a little more suspenseful. The end result is a chaotic mess with a convoluted storyline that weaves through time without ever indicating it (slightly confusing at the start, as there is a two year difference between the events we see throughout the film, but I will refrain from spoilers).

The attempts at building suspense fall flat, as every significant event is telegraphed and, therefore, incredibly predictable even when you're not trying to think ahead of the film's pace. The kills themselves are far from satisfying, as they are simply more of the same that we saw the first time around. I'm sorry, but even if you have never watched the Asian originals, the creepy girl with the hair in her face and the hitch in her step fails to frighten after two Ring films, Dark Water, Pulse, and, of course, the previous Grudge film.

I had seriously hoped that Takashi Shimizu would bring some of his style to the film. Alas, we are the real victims here, not those portrayed on the screen, as we have to pay hard-earned dollars to witness (yet another) American Cinema (read: Hollywood) bastardization of a quality film. When will they learn that the true appeal of Asian cinema lies not with the creepy girl and the cheap scare, but with the overall feel of the film? The "boo!" moments may work for the casual viewer (and the target PG-13 audience), but it is the oppressive aura that haunts the viewer and keeps them awake at night.

I just saw this at a special screening, and I must say, it beats the first Grudge in every aspect: horror, gore, and more creepier scares. This time they don't try to surprise you with the scares as they did in the first movie, they make sure the audience KNOWS something is going to happen and just keeps you on the edge of your seat. Amber Tamblyn does a great job playing Sarah Michelle Gellar's sister, although Sarah is in the movie, she only makes an appearance for a short period of time (I think she was filming The Return at the time).

The horror in this is in no way cheesy or corny like some parts of Grudge had, this is full-on make you jump out of seat and leave the theater horror. I love this movie and can't wait to see it again in theaters.

Although the blue, black - haired ghost plot has been done, this film is enjoyable. People took things too seriously. I took this as a popcorn film. The acting could have been better with some characters. Sarah Michelle Gellar did a pretty good job, although she has little screen time. The effects and scares are most of the time pop - ups. The story is a bit messy and has too many things happening at the same time. Some moments are also rather stupid. There are pretty good scares throughout the whole film. I would recommend this film to all fans of the first. If your not a fan, don't see it; you'll most likely hate it.

Rated PG - 13 for mature thematic material, disturbing images/terror/violence, and some sensuality

This sequel now shows the infamous curse in more power and a greater range. But it does not improvise in any manner to its predecessor. The story remains the same. People are getting affected and dying the same deaths. Every thing that is going to happen can be pretty much well known in advance for a seasoned movie goer.

There are three parallel story lines that shift in ways that further reduce the fun in the movie and does not allow you get involved. Kayako's past is explained in more detail but the again the explanation does not seem too buy-able. All in all there is nothing much this sequel has to offer. It could be subjected to one watch, but on a rented DVD or VCD. But I would definitely not choose to buy the Grudge movies 1 and 2 for collection purpose.

This movie was BORING! there was nothing new that the audience learned. It is great if you like to jump while watching a horror movie. I will say that it made me jump a bit 3 times. The story was awful the acting sucked! I was interested in these movies because of Sara Michelle Gellar I am a huge Buffy fan but to see her in this film was awful. i was hoping that she would kick some butt, that did not happen. It was just bad! This is just my opinion, see it for yourself. Although I believe that you will come to the same conclusion as I did. Again BORING and there is nothing to the story. Well at least it was a night out with friends you could look at it that way and also some yummy popcorn and chocolate. Let us know what you thought Later everyone.

So I won 2 tickets to the Grudge 2 screener last night from the local radio station. First we got there, and about 5 security guards scanned us for video recording devices (standard procedure I guess). Anyway, after that we went in and got our seats. The cinema filled up shortly after.

To the movie: The worst (ABSOLUTE WORST) movie I have ever seen. Within the first 10-15 (after I gave it a chance to get started) I found myself uncomfortable. We should have just left at that point. The plot line is non-existent and the acting is below par. The only reason they made this movie was to play off the original and try to made some money at the box office. Very hard to sit through, overexposure of the little things that made the first one even slightly enjoyable. Constant black outs, and jumping around to seemingly useless story lines. Only cool part was that it was filmed partially in Tokyo =)

I got the tickets for free.....and I feel ripped off. I missed out on 2 hours of sleep for that trash. Don't waste your time with this movie.

I did enjoy the movie for the Ghost attack scenes as well as the story in general. I do think the movie had some very poor acting in it. Now the bad acting was obviously not present during the scare scenes but every time any of the characters spoke a line I cringed, especially in the first scene with the 3 school girls. I also found that Amber Tamblyn gave a bad performance. The only performance that didn't suck was Sarah Michelle Gellar. I think the bad performances can be attributed to the language barrier between the Japanese director and the English speaking cast. And here is what bothered me the most about the movie... How is it that a 70 year old Japanese exorcist who has lived in a very rural area of Japan her whole life and has gone quite crazy learn to speak perfect English?

This movie has officially been added to the collection of "never to be seen again horror movies" list. It was nearly unbearable to watch after an hour and a half in, due to the fact that the plot completely went a-wall. The director knew where he was attempting to go (and I understood what he wanted), but he basically did the 1 thing that you should never do in any kind of horror flick: violate your own story lines rules. Never, ever, ever have I seen such utter disregard for the story line, since watching "Darkness". It was as bad as watching Nightmare On Elm Street 1, and then watching it's sequel (#2). Anyway, back on track. Terrible plot (if any), confusing scene-cuts, no distinction for most of the females characters (hard to figure out who was who after awhile), and a waste of time to watch. Please, save yourself the stupidity -- don't watch or even rent this film.

"The Grudge 2" is one of the most scariest ghost/horror movie sequels I have ever seen. Set two year after the events of "The Grudge" left off, Aubrey Davis (Amber Tamblyn) goes to Tokyo to bring her sister Karen Davis (Sarah Michelle Gellar) back to the United States. However, this leads to Aubrey exposing to the same ghost that has plagued Karen. Meanwhile in Tokyo, high school students Allison, Vanessa and Miyuki visit the haunted house and are also chased by the ghost, and in Chicago, Trish (Jennifer Beals) moves into the apartment of her boyfriend Bill (Christopher Cousins), where paranormal events take place at their next-door neighbor's.

This movie starts out with Aubrey visiting Tokyo to find her sister Karen and discover what troubling her, where we get a taste of suspense that quickly captures the thrills and horror of the first movie. The tension builds when Aubrey also encounters the mysterious events in the house Karen was a caretaker in and, what follows, are one creepy moment one after the other as main ghosts Kayako (Takako Fuji) and Toshiro (Yuya Ozeki) take center stage, terrorizing not only Aubrey but two groups of people, three high school students and a Chicago family.

Takashi Shimizu did a great job directing this sequel, which grabs the audience's attention with bone-chilling scenes and with moments that make you jump. Like the first movie, this sequel has disturbing and creepy images that will stick in your mind after the movie is over. The mysterious yet dramatic atmosphere of the movie created an eerie feeling of the ongoing horror and the built-up suspense, which are contributed by the cast members' dramatic acting. However, I do feel that the separate story lines involving the different character groups is a distraction to the film and makes it difficult for the viewers to concentrate on a single character. This takes away from the character development and the flow of the plot.

Overall, this is a movie with the right balance of horror and drama, but doesn't surpass its prequel.

Grade B-

I'm one of those people who was looking forward to this movie for a while. I thought the first one was decent, and very scary at the same time. However, I also feared that because the new Grudge 2 trailer seemed to give so many scares away, that it would take the thrill out of the movie. I was wrong.

Now, I don't want to get your hopes up and have you think "Oh, a sequel to a horror that's actually good!", because the object of going into a movie is to not have your hopes so high, because they usually come crashing down on you. I had read some bad reviews before hand, so I thought this would be a typical bad horror sequel like The Ring Two. It's not that bad.

This movie has a variety of scary/suspenseful moments, and let me tell you, my heart was pumping a LOT throughout the movie. Sometimes the scares satisfied, sometimes they didn't. But there are so many, it really didn't matter to me.

Now, if you liked the first Grudge, I pretty much fully recommend this one. If you did not like the first movie, then stay away. It stays in the same vein as the first one a lot. Overall, it was a satisfying movie. It wasn't too bad, but it wasn't a masterpiece either. Just enjoy yourselves. :)

(And don't let the first few minutes fool you, the movie gets better than that.)

Of course the reason I may like this one is all the girls in the locker room shower scene, but hey that is a reason to like a movie. No seriously I thought it was okay. Though absolutely nothing you have not seen before...just think the first Grudge only with a bizarre Chicago family storyline that comes together at the end. Not that it wasn't thoroughly predictable. Okay, sounds like I didn't care for this movie much, but I found it a fun way to pass time. It wasn't boring as it had a kill every so often to keep the story going. The story you ask? Well there really isn't much of one, I hated it when they tried to add a reason behind the haunting, I thought that just cheapened the whole affair and I was glad to see it was short lived. The ending was nothing new and about the same, like I said it was not a boring movie thanks to the kills, however it was only mildly scary here and there and it just seemed to Americanized this time too. Sure all the Japanese horror remakes are a bit, but this one was more so. This one was better than the American Ring 2 as I found that one really boring, but this one is not nearly as good as its Japanese counterpart JuOn 2 as that one has a hospital scene that has to be seen to believe. Then again this one had that girl shower scene in it.

this movie is not very good at all. It is mostly like first movie, just way more confusing. what really bothered me was seeing the damn microphone popping up all the time on the screen. i kid you not people the microphone came out close to 15 times. seeing it would take me out of the movie. in one scene when one of the girls is in the principle office you can see the whole microphone and the long rod that is holding it for like almost 30 seconds. what the hell were the filmmakers thinking. i mean didn't they see all of that in the edit room. if anyone does go see i hope you catch the early bird special do you don't pay full price for this mess of a movie .

By far the worst film I've seen in a while and the list of movies i've seen recently include "fast and the furious: Tokyo drift" and "american haunting". so, that says quite a bit.

the acting was abysmal. the story was flawed and dull. the ghosts have lost their scare appeal. it was predictable.

i am EXTREMELY glad it was a free screening. i did manage to catch a few minutes of sleep, so it wasn't all a waste.

i would suggest you avoid at all costs. the first one wasn't the greatest, but it wasn't that bad. this one almost insults the first one it is so bad. and Amber Tamblyn should be ashamed of her performance in this one. even the cat did a better job.