The Grudge (2004)

Director:

Takashi Shimizu

Writers (WGA):

Takashi Shimizu (film Ju-On: The Grudge)
Stephen Susco (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 October 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

It never forgives. It never forgets.

Plot:

An American nurse living and working in Tokyo is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse, one that locks a person in a powerful rage before claiming their life and spreading to another victim.

Plot Keywords:

Male Full Frontal Nudity | Child Nudity | Supernatural Powers | Gore | Stabbing

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Sarah Michelle Gellar	...	Karen Davis
Jason Behr	...	Doug
William Mapother	...	Matthew Williams
Clea DuVall	...	Jennifer Williams
KaDee Strickland	...	Susan Williams
Grace Zabriskie	...	Emma Williams
Bill Pullman	...	Peter Kirk
Rosa Blasi	...	Maria Kirk
Ted Raimi	...	Alex
Ryo Ishibashi	...	Det. Nakagawa
Yoko Maki	...	Yoko
Yuya Ozeki	...	Toshio Saeki
Takako Fuji	...	Kayako Saeki
Takashi Matsuyama	...	Takeo Saeki
Hiroshi Matsunaga	...	Det. Igarashi
Hajime Okayama	...	Suzuki
Yoshiyuki Morishita	...	Guard
Kazuyuki Tsumura	...	Peter's Co-Worker
Taiki Kobayashi	...	Policeman
Junko Koizumi	...	Mother
Nanna Koizumi	...	Daughter (as Nana Koizumi)
Yôichi Okamura	...	Restaurant Manager
Eiji Ôki	...	Morgue Detective
Katsuhiro Oyama	...	Morgue Doctor
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jason Thornton	...	Kayako's Supernatural Voice (voice) (uncredited)
Courtney Webb	...	Sick Girl (uncredited)

Directed by
Takashi Shimizu

Writing credits (WGA)
Takashi Shimizu		(film Ju-On: The Grudge)
Stephen Susco		(screenplay)

Produced by
Doug Davison	....	executive producer
Joseph Drake	....	executive producer (as Joe Drake)
Satoshi Fukushima	....	line producer
Aubrey Henderson	....	co-producer
Takashige Ichise	....	producer (as Taka Ichise)
Nathan Kahane	....	executive producer
Michael Kirk	....	co-producer
Roy Lee	....	executive producer
Carsten H.W. Lorenz	....	executive producer (as Carsten Lorenz)
Ray Quinlan	....	line producer (as Raymond Quinlan)
Sam Raimi	....	producer
Shintaro Shimosawa	....	co-producer
Robert G. Tapert	....	producer (as Rob Tapert)

Original Music by
Christopher Young

Cinematography by
Hideo Yamamoto

Film Editing by
Jeff Betancourt

Casting by
Nancy Nayor
Kelly Wagner

Production Design by
Iwao Saito

Costume Design by
Shawn Holly Cookson

Makeup Department
Dianne Ensor	....	assistant makeup artist
Masaaki Fukuda	....	assistant special effects makeup
Akiko Kawano	....	assistant makeup artist
Veronica Lorenz	....	makeup artist: Sarah Michelle Gellar, U.S. reshoots
Yuuichi Matsui	....	special makeup effects artist (as Yuichi Matsui)
Fumihiro Miyoshi	....	assistant special effects makeup
Sachie Munemura	....	makeup artist
Jane O'Kane	....	makeup artist
Miyuki Yamaguchi	....	assistant special effects makeup
Keiko Wedding	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Ed Licht	....	production supervisor
Jack Schuster	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Masanori Adachi	....	first assistant director
Hiroshi Chono	....	first assistant director: additional photography
Chikara Higami	....	second assistant director
Makoto Meguro	....	third assistant director: additional photography
Toyohiro Miyata	....	third assistant director
Jun Shiozaki	....	third assistant director
Takeo Sugawara	....	second assistant director: addditional photography
Amy Wilkins	....	second assistant director

Sound Department
Steven J. Berger	....	assistant sound
Gloria D'Alessandro	....	dialogue editor
Michael J. Fox	....	adr mixer
Richard C. Franklin	....	sound effects editor (as Rick Franklin)
Marti D. Humphrey	....	sound re-recording mixer
Chris M. Jacobson	....	sound re-recording mixer: director's cut
Ryan Juggler	....	adr editor
Ai-Ling Lee	....	sound effects editor
Howard London	....	adr mixer
Darrin Mann	....	foley mixer
Paul N.J. Ottosson	....	sound designer
Paul N.J. Ottosson	....	supervising sound editor
Carin Rogers	....	supervising adr editor
Carin Rogers	....	supervising dialogue editor
Joan Rowe	....	foley artist
Sean Rowe	....	foley artist
Kelly Vandever	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Shûichi Kishiura	....	special effects supervisor
Yoshitaka Makigi	....	special effects assistant
Atsuko Murata	....	special effects assistant
Keiichi Nishioka	....	special effects assistant

Visual Effects by
Jonathan Block	....	title animation
Francisco Chaigneau	....	digital effects artist
Toyokazu Hashimoto	....	3D artist: Big X
Andrew Heimbold	....	animator: Reality Check Studios
Steven Heimbold	....	animator: Reality Check Studios
Nobuya Ishida	....	2D artist: Big X
Kory Jones	....	visual effects supervisor: Reality Check Studios
Aaron Kaminar	....	lead animator: Reality Check Studios
Danny Martinez	....	visual effects producer: Reality Check Studios
Hajime Matsumoto	....	digital visual effects supervisor: Big X
Josh Novak	....	lead compositor: main title sequence
Tomoya Ohhata	....	2D artist: Big X
Shigenori Ohno	....	3D artist: Big X
Masaki Sasae	....	2D artist: Big X
Nobuaki Sugiki	....	assistant digital visual effects supervisor: Big X
Yoshiko Takekuma	....	3D artist: Big X
Takeshi Yamaguchi	....	compositor
Naoyasu Yutaka	....	assistant digital visual effects supervisor: Big X

Stunts
Jennifer M. Barr	....	stunt stand-in
Shunsuke Gondo	....	stunt double
Kaori Ichijô	....	stunt double
Hideo Saito	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Lukas Ettlin	....	additional cinematographer
Noriyuki Mizuguchi	....	director of photography: additional photography
Takashi Seida	....	still photographer

Casting Department
David Bernad	....	casting assistant
Jennifer Rudolph	....	casting: New York

Editorial Department
Joe Fineman	....	post-production consultant
Yoshie Ishiguro	....	first assistant editor
Mato	....	color timer
Kevin Soares	....	second assistant editor

Music Department
Max Blomgren	....	synthesizer programmer
Robert Fernandez	....	recording engineer
Robert Fernandez	....	scoring mixer
Simon James	....	music contractor
Sean McMahon	....	orchestrator
Thomas Milano	....	music editor
Sujin Nam	....	orchestrator
Sujin Nam	....	score coordinator
Jonathan Price	....	synthesizer programmer
Robert Puff	....	music preparation
David G. Russell	....	synthesizer programmer (as David Russell)
Martin St. Pierre	....	orchestrator
Martin St. Pierre	....	score coordinator (as Martin St.Pierre)
Brian Valentino	....	assistant recording engineer
Gordon Wimpress	....	score coordinator
Selena Arizanovic	....	music assistant (uncredited)
Scott Glasgow	....	score coordinator (uncredited)
Sean McMahon	....	score coordinator (uncredited)
Flavio Motalla	....	score producer (uncredited)
Michael Pelavin	....	score coordinator (uncredited)

Other crew
Tobin Adams	....	production coordinator
Jennifer M. Barr	....	stand-in: Sara Michelle Geller
Sue Binder	....	assistant: Mr. Tapert
Max Blomgren	....	synthesizer programmer
Jennifer Y. Craig	....	production assistant
Miyuki Dawson	....	assistant: Mr. Shimizu
Tom Fish	....	body double: Jason Behr
Jessica Franks	....	production assistant: re-shoots
Joey Cruz Manalang	....	cast liaison
Matthew Milam	....	assistant: Mr. Kahane
Tomoko Miyachi	....	production coordinator
Harue Miyake	....	assistant: Mr. Fukushima
Maureen Mottram	....	production accountant
Sean Muramatsu	....	dialogue coach
Atsushi Naito	....	legal service
Natsuko Nezu	....	production accountant
David Pollison	....	office assistant: Renaissance Pictures
Jonathan Price	....	synthesizer programmer
Patricia Rivera	....	assistant: Mr. Drake
Miyuki Sakaitani	....	production coordinator: Japan
Akiko Shima	....	adr voice
Kazuko Shingyoku	....	production coordinator: Japan
Kazuko Shingyoku	....	script supervisor: additional photography
Hiroko Stanhope	....	assistant: Mr. Ichise
Cid Swank	....	unit publicist
Hiroki Taniguchi	....	production assistant
Kathleen Thomas	....	script supervisor
Dina Valenzuela	....	production accountant
Irene Yeung	....	assistant: Mr. Lee and Mr. Davison
J.R. Young	....	assistant: Mr. Raimi

Thanks
Brendan Garst	....	special thanks
Nathan L. Smith	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Senator International
• Ghost House Pictures
• Vertigo Entertainment
• Renaissance Pictures
• Fellah Pictures

Distributors

• Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) (2004) (USA) (all media)
• Senator International (2004) (non-USA) (all media) (sales)
• Columbia Pictures (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• 01 Distribuzione (2004) (Italy) (all media)
• AQS (Czech Republic)
• Bioscop (2005) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Italia (2004) (Italy) (all media)
• Constantin Film (2005) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2005) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2005) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Europa Filmes (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Europa Filmes (2005) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Gativideo (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Golden Village (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Herald Film Company (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Highlight Film (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Independent Films (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• LNK Audiovisuais (2005) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Medyavizyon (2004) (Turkey) (all media)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Monopole-Pathé (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Nordisk Film (2005) (Sweden) (all media)
• Nu Metro Productions (South Africa)
• Panasia (2004) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
• Pioneer Films (2004) (Philippines) (theatrical)
• Roadshow Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Sam Film (Iceland)
• Tien (2007) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (UK) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (Ireland) (theatrical)
• Village Roadshow Entertainment (Australia)

Special Effects

• Big X (digital visual effects)
• Reality Check Studios (additional visual effects)
• Pacific Title (opticals)
• Big X
• Reality Check Studios

Other Companies

• Bastyr University Chapel  music recorded at
• DeLuxe Laboratories  color and prints
• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production
• Imagica  film lab
• JR Media Services  negative cutting
• Monkeyland Audio  re-recording mixing
• Northwest Sinfonia  music performed by
• Pacific Title  opticals
• Picture Mill, The  main and end titles designed by (as The Picture Mill)
• Pivotal Post  Avid editing equipment provided by
• Robert Puff Music  music preparation
• Senator International  financing
• Sony Pictures Studios  adr recorded at
• Toho Studios  thanks
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack published by

Also Known As:

Fluch, Der (Germany)
The Juon (Japan)
Untitled 'Ju-on: The Grudge' Remake (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

92 min | South Korea:97 min (uncut version)

Country:

Japan | USA | Germany

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Sweden:15 | Malaysia:18SG | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:R18 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40750) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Czech Republic:15 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Ireland:15PG (original rating) | Ireland:15 (video rating) | Italy:T | Norway:15 | Philippines:R-13 | Poland:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | UK:15 | USA:Unrated (DVD rating) | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Senator International

Trivia:

The character of Toshio is almost always found with his cat. In real life, the boy who plays Toshio, Yuya Ozeki, was terrified of cats.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the end, before Karen enters the morgue, she has a lot of blood and bruises in her face. Seconds later, inside the room, she appears with less blood than before, especially on the right side of her face.

Quotes:

[first lines]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

Just as good as the Japanese films (but with an ending rant against remakes of foreign films)

Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar), an exchange student in Japan who is just beginning to do some social work, is sent to aid an elderly semi-catatonic woman, Emma (Grace Zabriskie), after her previous caretaker, Yoko (Yoko Maki), disappears. Karen soon learns that something is not right in Emma's home, and she attempts to "see how deep the rabbit hole goes".

Maybe it's a delayed influence from the success of M. Night Shyamalan's films, but slower-paced, understated horror films are a recent trend. In some cases, such as Hide and Seek (2005), the approach works remarkably well, and in others, such as White Noise (2005), the pacing tends to kill the film. I didn't like The Grudge quite as much as Hide and Seek, but this is still a very good film--it earns a 9 out of 10 from me.

The Grudge has a couple significant differences from other recent examples of that trend, however. One, it is well known that this is a remake based on the Japanese film series that began with Ju-On (2000) (in particular, it's extremely close to the first half of Ju-On: The Grudge, aka Ju-On 3, from 2003). Two, as with many Japanese horror films, the slower pacing here isn't so much in the realm of realist drama as with surrealism. As is also the case with a large percentage of European horror, The Grudge should be looked at more as a filmed nightmare.

Director Takashi Shimizu, also the director of the five Japanese entries in the Ju-On series to date (the fifth is currently in production), and writer Stephen Susco have largely dispensed with linearity and are not overly concerned with logic or plot holes when it comes to the horror behind the story. The idea instead is to present a dreamlike sequence of scenes, with dream logic, where the focus is atmosphere, creepiness, the uncanny, and for many viewers--scares. How well the film works for you will largely depend on how well you can adapt yourself to, or are used to, this different approach to film-making (although admittedly, some of the seeming gaps are filled in by previous entries in the Ju-On series). Traditionally, American audiences consider as flaws leaving plot threads hanging and abandoning "rules" for the "monster". A more poetic, metaphorical, surreal approach to film isn't yet accepted by the mainstream in the U.S.

However, even if you're not used to it, it's worth trying to suspend your normal preconceptions about films and give The Grudge a shot. This is a well written, well directed, well acted film, filled with unusual properties, such as the story interweaving a large number of "main characters" (which is done better here than the more episodic Ju-On 3), good cinematography, subtle production design touches (check out Gellar's clothes, which match the color and texture of the exterior of Emma's house, when Gellar first approaches), and beautifully effective horror material.

Even though it is more slowly paced that your average horror film of the past, the pacing usually enhances the eeriness, and there is no shortage of bizarre events to keep horror fans entertained. The supernatural premise of the film is absorbing, and based on interviews on the DVD with Shimizu, have prodded me to pay more attention to Japanese beliefs and folklore. Although the most interesting subtexts would probably arise with a more intimate knowledge of Japanese culture, it's interesting to ponder why so many Japanese horror films feature scary children and adults who look like scary children.

I subtracted one point for the film slightly veering into clichéd mystery/thriller territory with a "here's what really happened" flashback, but even that was fairly well done, and otherwise, this would have been a 10 out of 10.

Now that I've said all of the above, let me finish with a mini-rant: It's not that I'm anti-remake, but it is ridiculous that U.S. distributors and studios feel that we need remakes of foreign films to make them appropriate for consumption. The original versions of these films should just be playing in U.S. theaters in wide release. There is no need to present an almost identical film but just substituting white American actors for non-white or foreign actors. Yes, The Grudge is a fine film, but ultimately, I'd rather see something original using this talent, and be treated to the latest foreign horror films--not just Japanese, but also Indian, Spanish, Chinese, etc.--at my multiplex. In the hope that someone with some pull at the studios reads this, it is also more cost-effective to do this, as (1) you can completely avoid production costs, and simply make domestic distribution deals from which you receive profit, and (2) you can make money off of fans like myself who otherwise pick up the foreign film DVDs in foreign manufactured or even bootleg versions.