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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.85:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  • Dual Layer (RSDL )
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • English: Dolby Digital Surround
  • Commentary - English: Dolby Digital Surround
  Subtitles
    English
  Extras
  • 1 Theatrical trailer
  • 1 Audio commentary
  • 2 Featurette
  • Animated menus

The Grudge (2004)

/Roadshow Entertainment . R4 . COLOR . 87 mins . MA15+ . PAL

  Feature
Contract

The 2003 Japanese cult classic Ju-On: The Grudge from director Takashi Shimizu that caused a minor sensation for its unnerving ability to scare audiences was quickly remade in 2004. Sam Raimi saw fit to lead the quest to remake the film for a western audience after seeing it, and immediately falling in love with it. A sad state of affairs really, that so many people will not watch a foreign film due to the language barrier. Instead of making a stock-standard Yankee remake ala The Ring, Sam was able to bring the original Director on board as well as the tragic family who are the centrepiece of The Grudge and most of the original crew. The only difference, the principle cast are Americans, the story is still set in Japan.

Sarah Michelle Gellar heads up a reasonable cast of familiar faces. She plays a young nurse who has followed her boyfriend (Jason Behr from Roswell) to work in Japan. She works as a caregiver and is offered a stint at a house where the previous carer has gone astray. That would unnerve me to begin with! Little does she realise she has walked into a house that has been the scene of a grisly murder prior and that those who enter the house shall fall prey to these violent spirits. Upon her arrival she finds a catatonic old woman alone. Weird! She sticks around and right away things get worse. After investigating noises from a room upstairs she finds a cupboard that has been taped shut with a little boy and a black cat inside! If that isn’t a good sign to get out I don’t know what is!

Without giving too much away, the story of the house and the violent demise of the original family is delivered in a non-linear fashion where time moves back and forth. The events involving the characters, or should I say victims, overlap throughout the movie which lead to the birth of a curse against those that enter it. This is where this remake hits the mark for me for as much as I was blown away by the original, it was a little incoherent. The script here is re-tooled and is more fluid in its delivery yet still retaining the spirit of the original. Now anyone who has seen The Amityville horror series has every right to be jaded about the premise here. But this film is definitely a worthwhile variation on the haunted House theme.

  Video
Contract

The film is presented in an aspect ratio of 1:85.1 and is widescreen enhanced. The transfer is relatively free from artefacts with only minor instances of aliasing and moiré effect. Examples can be seen on Sarah Michelle Gellar’s cable knit jumper at the start of the film, as well as close-ups of computer monitors and speaker grills. An acceptable amount of Grain is visible throughout and only really drawing attention to itself in the film's darker scenes. Given the majority of the films scarier sequences are in the dark they are handled well with the blacks displaying an inky quality about them, whilst plenty of shadow detail is present. The colour palette is somewhat muted via de-saturation. I absolutely loved the look of the film and found it perfectly suited to the style.

Another top-notch disc from Village Roadshow similarly using a high bit-rate transfer on par with The Lord of The Rings: Extended Edition releases. Only marred by the minor amount of aliasing and moiré. The use of burnt in sub-titles for characters speaking Japanese rather than a player generated stream is nice touch too.

  Audio
Contract

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track encoded at 448 Kb/s is of reference quality. The soundtrack is totally immersive and features some impressive surround activity. For those with EX decoding, turn it on! You're in for real treat here as the additional channels help smooth out the full 360 degree pans; a highlight being the sequences of things going bump in the attic. You literally get the feeling that some one is running around doing laps in your ceiling. Even if you don't have a full EX set-up, the 5.1 is still a joy. The surrounds barely let up during the movie, with all manner of environmental noises spilling into them and featuring some nice localised sound effects. The sub woofer is no slouch either, reinforcing the score and the dread by adding some truly deep bass. This has got to be hands down one of the most impressive soundtracks to a horror I have heard in years.

This is definitely a demo disc for your system; you can retire your trusty action flick and blow the crowd away with this subtle chiller instead. There is also a Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround track encoded at a healthy 320 Kb/s on offer as well, but sadly lacks the oomph of its discrete Big Brother mentioned above.

  Extras
Contract

All featurettes are presented 16:9 enhanced with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.

A Powerful Rage (47:41):
Roadshow have done the right thing here with this behind the scenes piece. On the Region 1 disc it was broken up into 5 individual segments: a personal pet peeve of mine. We have the benefit of watching it as one full length uninterrupted feature only which mainly consists of behind the scenes footage plus interviews about the original and the motivation to remake it in English. There is information on the mythology of Ju-On and the experience of filming in Japan. Oddly enough there are no subtitles present when the Japanese cast or crew are interviewed.

Under The Skin (12:26):
Interview with Joseph LaDoux, PhD, who details the scientific explanation as to the how and why Horror movies scare us and why we still go to see them. The professor is a little dry and takes all the fun out of watching a horror film. This ones all filler and no killer!

Audio Commentary
A group commentary that at times resorts to a ‘Mutual Admiration Society” gathering which is usually the case with such a large number of participants. Key Cast members and some of the production people share this track, but sadly no director. I would have loved to have had a commentary by Takashi even subtitled, given that he does not speak much English.

We complete this analysis with the obligatory Theatrical Trailer.

  Overall  
Contract

The Grudge is an excellent remake of a Japanese cult classic that maintains its origins making it a true companion to the original, not a replacement. Takashi Shimizu helming again is a nice touch and validates this remake for me. Sure the film pulls out some traditional horror clichés, but the overall feeling of the film is that of complete dread, knowing that a reasonable portion of the cast is going to meet their maker by the end of the last reel. I can’t remember the last time I felt so on edge while watching a horror film since the whole referential Slacker/Teen Slasher flicks of late.

Presented with some lean extras only to be redeemed by a decent transfer, The Grudge is definitely worth a rental, so strap in, turn the lights down and enjoy the ride!


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      And I quote...
    "Strap in, turn the lights down and enjoy the ride!"
    - Anthony Bethell
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Sony DVP-NS780
    • Projector:
          Infocus 4805 DLP Projector
    • Screen:
          LP Morgan Galleria 95" 16:9 fixed screen
    • Receiver:
          Sony STR-DB795
    • Speakers:
          Sony SS-MF650HM
    • Centre Speaker:
          Sony CR550HM
    • Surrounds:
          Sony SS-550HM
    • Subwoofer:
          Sony SA-WM500M
    • Audio Cables:
          MaxCable Optical
    • Video Cables:
          MaxCable Component
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