Dir. Shimizu Takashi , 2003 , Japan , 92 mins
Cast:
Ito Misaki, Okina Megumi, Misa Uehara
For anyone with even a vague familiarity with Hideo Nakata's iconic Ringu, déjà vu will pester you during Ju-On: The Grudge like a mischievous demon with time on its hands. The most recent addition to the much vaunted Japanese horror renaissance, Ju-on is both a derivative, confused mess and a thrilling piece of scare-mongering capable of delivering whopping chills and frights.
Ju-On is: "a curse born of a grudge held by someone who dies in the grip of powerful anger". In this case, the grudge appears to originate from a family that lived in a seemingly normal Japanese house several years ago. The father, inexplicably, turns on his family and kills them. That's about as much information as we are given. From then on, anyone that comes into to contact with the house falls prey to the evil within. The opening credit sequence introduces the violence in stark and queasy digi-cam. Based on that alone, you feel as though you are about to watch the scariest film of your life.
The similarities between Ju-on and Ringu are not entirely coincidental. Takahashi Hiroshi, co-writer of Ringu, is listed as Creative Consultant, and Taka Ichise, clearly looking to replicate earlier box office success, produced both Ju-on and Ringu. Although this is not in itself a problem, the likeness is at times so glaring that it is quite possible that Hideo Nakata may bear his own grudge at the brazen plagiarism. The central "ghost" in the story is basically Sadako mark II, with the same face-obscuring hair and jerky, bone smashed movements. People about to be struck down by "the grudge" appear in photographs with eyes smudged to blackness, much like the blurred heads in Ringu. It's hard to shake the feeling that there is a certain degree of cynical rehashing at work here.
Unfortunately the problems don't end there. Ju-on's narrative is jerky and confusing. There are disorienting jumps in time, seemingly parallel universes, and an illogical plot thread involving a teacher going to visit a pupil that hasn't attended the school in six years. Takashi appears to compensate for this patchiness by upping the scare count in the film. Unlike the slow crescendo of Nakata's Dark Water, Ju-on contains a new fright at the rate of one every few minutes. It's as though we are just waiting to see how the next barely-introduced character will snuff it.
Because of the multiple plot lines, characters and the sheer muddle of it all, Ju-on lacks the real human drama of Dark Water or even Pang's The Eye. While female social worker Rika (Megumi) is an appealing enough central character, her function in the story doesn't really allow us to relate to her beyond hoping that she avoids being consumed by vicious demons. Trite as it may be, Takashi could even have done with adding some of the same relationship drama that underpinned The Sixth Sense.
However, amidst all the jumble there are some genuinely remarkable moments. A menacing evil shadow eyes a policeman through a TV screen. Duvets prove hopelessly inadequate places to hide, with terrifying consequences. Startling sound effects grate the eardrum. A cat's mewl emerges from the mouth of a small child. The house is utilised brilliantly - corners, stairs, banisters and attics are used in place of creepy cellars and dingy basements. Yet, for every spine-tingle, there is a snigger. Ju-on regularly fails by ignoring Spielberg's First Rule: Never show the monster until you have to. Instead, we are treated to chalked-up faces shuffling towards their prey. It also relies heavily on several horror clichés, including characters with a tendency to drop to the floor and stare rather than flee from oncoming horror, slow moving zombies that look like you could outrun them with all your limbs stapled together, and silent eerie children in need of a hug and a feed.
Horror guru Sam Raimi described the film as "One of the scariest I have ever seen". However, as he is currently wrapping shooting on his own Hollywood remake, we might be forgiven for thinking there is some sly marketing at work here. Whether or not Ju-on scares you is perhaps down to how much you can accept the meandering, borderline incomprehensible plot and the utterly un-scary Marcel Marceau zombies that crop up occasionally. Despite these reservations, beyond all the flaws is a film that can crank up the atmosphere, tension and shock factor to skin-shrivelling levels. Just make sure you see Ringu first.
Paul Mallaghan
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