It's been several years since Hideo Nakata's Ringu swept Asian Box Offices ushering in the new wave of Japanese horror films. The renaissance that this movie triggered in Asia seemed to have run its course by the time Hollywood released Gore Verbinski's remake, The Ring. However, director Takashi Shimizu, has taken his V-Cinema (Japanese Straight-to-Video Market) classics Ju-On and Ju-On 2 and delivers a remake/remix/sequel with Ju-On: The Grudge that is sure to continue the genre's movement.

Having trained beneath director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Cure, Charisma, Pulse) and writer Hiroshi Takahashi (the Ringu Trilogy), Shimizu takes the classic "Onryou" (Japanese ghost story) and reinvigorates it. Ju-On: The Grudge is about a family's demise, at the hands of their Patriarch, that was filled with so much hate and rage that an unforgiving curse was placed on the home where they died. The concept is similar to another Japanese "curse" movie, but Ju-On: The Grudge one-ups Ringu's vengeful spirit and gives us an entire family of blue-skinned, black-eyed ghouls to scare us out of our wits.

Ju-On: The Grudge is separated into a series of segments that move back and forth along the film's timeline, each one eventually ending with the death of their main character. These sequences show pieces of the mystery without revealing too much by way of exposition or explanation. Failing to provide a concrete resolution only enhances the viewer's feeling of dread. With repeated viewings, the complex design of the curse reveals itself, spanning years over the course of the story.

Ju-On: The Grudge is one creepy looking film. The cinematography is very effective and creates the sense that the house itself is a character, where every dark hallway and empty room becomes a host for the curse. Even more terrifying is Toshio, the child who turns up everywhere; hiding at the top of the stairs, under tables, in your bed and even appearing inside a woman's blouse (!). He is usually the first sign of the curse, signaling that a character's doom is soon to follow. Shimizu also uses other visual and audio devices to keep the audience on the edge of its seat.

Ju-On: The Grudge is not a stand-alone film, but is actually the third in a series by the same director. The first is Ju-On (2000), followed by Ju-On 2 (2000), which similarly played as a series of connected segments about a cursed house. These original videos, highly regarded by those that have seen them, form the basis for Ju-On: The Grudge, a Theatrical remake/continuation of the earlier V-cinema films, revisiting some scenarios, while withholding some of the back-story. Shimizu even topped himself again by following up with a wholly original Theatrical sequel called, what else, Ju-On: The Grudge 2.

Conclusion: Ju-On: The Grudge is yet another outstanding film in the genre of Japanese horror. The curse has already spread here to the States, with no less than Sam Raimi Executive Producing a US version starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Bill Pullman. To Raimi's credit, he was smart enough to hire the films original creator, Takashi Shimizu to write and direct this English Language version, as well as, letting him shoot it in Japan. Whereas The Ring turned people's attention to Ringu, I would recommend viewing this [original version] before the new version is released simply to savor the chills this series has brought to so many.

It's been several years since Hideo Nakata's Ringu swept Asian Box Offices ushering in the new wave of Japanese horror films. The renaissance that this movie triggered in Asia seemed to have run its course by the time Hollywood released Gore Verbinski's remake, The Ring. However, director Takashi Shimizu, has taken his V-Cinema (Japanese Straight-to-Video Market) classics Ju-On and Ju-On 2 and delivers a remake/remix/sequel with Ju-On: The Grudge that is sure to continue the genre's movement.

Having trained beneath director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Cure, Charisma, Pulse) and writer Hiroshi Takahashi (the Ringu Trilogy), Shimizu takes the classic "Onryou" (Japanese ghost story) and reinvigorates it. Ju-On: The Grudge is about a family's demise, at the hands of their Patriarch, that was filled with so much hate and rage that an unforgiving curse was placed on the home where they died. The concept is similar to another Japanese "curse" movie, but Ju-On: The Grudge one-ups Ringu's vengeful spirit and gives us an entire family of blue-skinned, black-eyed ghouls to scare us out of our wits.

Ju-On: The Grudge is separated into a series of segments that move back and forth along the film's timeline, each one eventually ending with the death of their main character. These sequences show pieces of the mystery without revealing too much by way of exposition or explanation. Failing to provide a concrete resolution only enhances the viewer's feeling of dread. With repeated viewings, the complex design of the curse reveals itself, spanning years over the course of the story.

Ju-On: The Grudge is one creepy looking film. The cinematography is very effective and creates the sense that the house itself is a character, where every dark hallway and empty room becomes a host for the curse. Even more terrifying is Toshio, the child who turns up everywhere; hiding at the top of the stairs, under tables, in your bed and even appearing inside a woman's blouse (!). He is usually the first sign of the curse, signaling that a character's doom is soon to follow. Shimizu also uses other visual and audio devices to keep the audience on the edge of its seat.

Ju-On: The Grudge is not a stand-alone film, but is actually the third in a series by the same director. The first is Ju-On (2000), followed by Ju-On 2 (2000), which similarly played as a series of connected segments about a cursed house. These original videos, highly regarded by those that have seen them, form the basis for Ju-On: The Grudge, a Theatrical remake/continuation of the earlier V-cinema films, revisiting some scenarios, while withholding some of the back-story. Shimizu even topped himself again by following up with a wholly original Theatrical sequel called, what else, Ju-On: The Grudge 2.

Any adventurous moviegoer looking for a good scare will find exactly that in "Ju-on: The Grudge". And those who say Japanese horror cinema is past its peak will find a harsh rebuke. Well-crafted, stylish, and scary, "Ju-on" manages to frighten with surprisingly little bloodshed. It's a haunted house story taken to the next level, and a beautifully photographed one at that.

The "grudge" referred to in the film's title is more accurately a curse, created by someone who has died a violent and premature death. In the movie, the curse was born when a jealous husband killed his entire family, believing his child was not really his and that his wife loved another man. The house became a contagion of evil, infecting anyone who entered it. As in previous installments, the film is divided into an anthology, with the audience watching the curse spread to new characters with each separate story. Possibly the most memorable of the bunch is the tale of a young social worker sent to visit an elderly lady. The young woman is shocked to find the elderly lady in a traumatized state, alone, and the house in disarray. While trying to clean up for her, the social worker encounters ghosts and learns of the true nature of the house.

Takashi Shimizu, the sole "voice" of the "Ju-on" movies (there have been 4 so far, including two shot-on-video versions in 2000), does another excellent directing job, endowing the film with a nightmarish aura that looms over every scene. He takes the audience on a terror-filled roller coaster ride and manages the impressive feat of doing so without blood or gore. Shimizu also gives the film a surreal quality, as if everything that happened in the house was part of someone's bizarre dream.

Unfortunately Shimizu is not quiet as successful with the screenplay. While "Ju-on" has an imaginative premise, the writing has a disjointed feel that makes viewing the film somewhat confusing. It can be hard to tell in what chronological order the stories are taking place, and how they fit into the overall scheme of the film. Occasionally some plot points seem to have been skimmed over and some story details too briefly mentioned. For those that need a linear narrative while they're being frightened, the film could be difficult to follow.

But problems like that can be forgiven if the film has style to burn, and "Ju-on" has ample helpings of that. The cinematography by Tokusho Kikumura is bleak and beautiful, and always gives the impression that terror lurks behind every corner. Production design is also exquisite, making the interior of the house seem foreboding, with something menacing lurking in the background. The music by Sato Shiro accentuates all the jolts and general eeriness nicely, but sadly seems to fade away in less tense scenes.

While not perfectly written, "Ju-on" is a visually enthralling and frightening film. It re-imagines the familiar haunted house story with an innovative new take on the genre. "Ju-on" isn't just for foreign film buffs; it will appeal to anyone who wants a good scare.

"The Ring" didn't quite live up to expectations I had, though there were many elements of it that I did appreciate. On the other hand, "Dark Water" scared the crap out of me, turning me into a screaming little girl the first I watched it (a good thing, mind you) while also revealing a lot more emotional and thematic depth than I had expected from a horror flick. But they're nothing compared to "Ju-On" (trans. "The Grudge").

"Ju-On" doesn't really have a plot per se, but rather a premise that merely plays out through a series of episodes.

In a grainy, black and white flashback that begins the film, we catch glimpses of a man going insane and killing his family (including the cat). He hides his wife's body in the attic before committing suicide, but their 6-year-old boy goes missing and is never found. Jump forward to the present, where their spirits now haunt their old house. However, don't expect the poor, misunderstood specters of "The Sixth Sense". Because of the violent nature of their deaths, "Ju-On"'s spirits now bear a terrible grudge against the world of the living, and anyone who comes in contact with the house is subject to their wrath.

The first of these unlucky souls is a young social worker named Nishina Rika, who heads to the house on her latest assignment. When she arrives, the place is in complete disarray. The only person there is an elderly woman named Sachie who is virtually comatose. But as Rika searches the house, she discovers a young boy named Toshio hiding in the closet. As Rika goes back downstairs to ask Sachie about him, the house suddenly takes on a more menacing atmosphere. A black mist seems to envelope Sachie before Rika's eyes, and what she sees practically drives her mad. The last thing we see is her face twisted in terror as she presses up against the wall... and then the screen goes black and the next episode begins.

At first, the episodic nature of the movie is a bit confusing and disjointed. Characters disappear, captured by the spirits, only to reappear a few episodes later. Episodes seem to take place days, months, even years apart from each other. But as the film continues, a pattern begins to emerge, revealing a web of misery and terror with the house and its spirits at the center.

While some horror films rely on cheap shock tactics or gore to get their chills, "Ju-On" relies almost entirely on the unbearable sense of dread that it creates and sustains right up until the very end. It does have its shocking moments. Occasionally, a door suddenly slams shut or someone (or something) leaps out of the dark to grab a character. The audience jumps out their seat, and then nervously laughs at how silly it is. But more often than not, "Ju-On" will have you sinking down into your seat, as it piles on the dread until you think you're going to suffocate, and then piles on even more.

Most of the time, you can see the scares in "Ju-On" coming from a mile away. After awhile, it's safe to assume someone's a goner the minute they step inside the house. And if you're still confused, a name flashes on the screen at the beginning of each episode, announcing whose going to meet their Maker within the next 10 minutes or so. What's more, it's pretty obvious just how they're going to be dispatched.

In one episode, a girl believes she's being chased by one of the spirits, and being a, well, silly girl, she hides under the covers. Of course, the audience giggles because you should never, ever do something like that when being chased by a ghost. But whereas a scenario like that would be played for laughs in an American horror movie, it becomes absolutely terrifying in "Ju-On". The viewer is never once let off the hook or allowed to laugh at the characters' demises, no matter how obviously stupid their actions are, because Shimizu puts you right there with them. I'll confess, I screamed like a little girl when she peeked under the covers.

Even when the movie seems to let up for a bit halfway through, Director Takashi Shimizu (who directed the original direct-to-video releases on which the movie is based) always finds subtle ways to send shivers down your spine. It might be a creepy reflection, some unsettling photographs, or even just the gloomy music that always seem to playing in the background. As a result, when the movie's really big scares start mounting, you're already prepped for whatever disconcerting sight Shimizu is about to unveil.

"Ju-On" is a horror film, plain and simple. Its only aim is to terrify the audience, and it does so extremely well. It's a wonderfully chilling piece of mood and atmosphere, creating an alien sense of dread so pervasive that I still get the heebie-jeebies whenever I think about it (which usually occurs when I'm in the shower or putting stuff away in a darkened closet).

There are certain things in this movie that I'll never get out of my head: Rika opening her eyes and seeing Toshio, white as a bone and his eyes blackened pits, staring over her; the shower scene; watching a character cover their face only to realize that there are a few too many hands there; the horribly nasty sounds that announce the spirits' presence; the puppet-like manner in which a bloodied woman crawls down the stairs (which would give Sadako fits); and many more. And I can't wait to experience them all over again. But this time with friends, so I can have the sadistic glee of bringing "The Grudge" a whole new set of victims.