I've read this was the scariest Japanese movie ever made, and I'm inclined to believe it is a cultural thing, though not entirely. The most effective horror plays off the human fear of things that could actually happen to you. Make a movie about people being killed in movie theater parking lots, and theatergoers are going to be running to their cars after seeing it. Thus, a film about an evil begrudged spirit is going to resonate with Asian audiences, whose cultures are permeated with animist beliefs -- for the Japanese specifically through their Shinto and Buddhist religions. The fact that it has done so well in the West may prove this is an inate human fear and not just superstition, but the beliefs are so up front and center in Japanese life and day to day ritual that they probably have more than a little to do with the "scariest movie ever" label. The shot of two ghosts staring out from behind a Buddhist altar, trapped in limbo after being savagely ripped from the circle of life, further cements the connection. Playing off cultural fears seems to be why a lot of Asian horror movies involve the supernatural world and restless ghosts, while most American horror involves being hog-tied in the back of a van or being corraled by inbred mountain men.

Cultural pondering aside, this is a horror movie, and it just wants to scare you whoever you are. For me, it failed. I'm actually kind of perplexed as to how this is almost uniformly revered. It's a well done movie, and the little blue boy is sure to be an instantly recognizable image for years to come, but the scares just weren't there. Not even the jumps. Alas, back to the list.

Hey you horror lovers: This movie was my first [horror] movie I saw, a long time back. Ever since, I have been buying horror movies. I love Asian horror, it has that something that can really scare you. To start, the movie is about a woman whose husband has found a diary of hers, confirming a man she love, and that man does not even know she's alive--but hey, the heart dictates. They both had a son. But the father already thinks that it's not his son. He kills the little boy, the poor cat, and last, he kills her. He dies later that same day in the streets, but had no marks on him. since then the house was alone for several years. Then a new family moves in. What they did not know is that the house had evil in it now. The suferring and anger, hate, all combine together. A horrorific ghost that when it does show itself to you, you know there is no escape. There has been the "Grudge" American style, and in Japanese style, the movie originated in Japan. It is the best movie I have seen in the Asian horror. By the way, no one survives, once they enter the home, no matter what. You die, it has no happy ending. The Japanese believe that the ghost is far more powerful, you don't beat it, it beats you, Yep, if you really like horror movies, then this one should be it.