Ju-on: The Curse

Before Ju-On achieved worldwide fame, the franchise originally began with this film, which at the time was only released in Japan. Although it is a low-budget film that was only released on VHS, what lay in this film was something that would end up becoming a horror film phenomenon. The original genesis of the franchise begins in this film, where Kayako's mythology begins from the beginning. The stories told here present how it began, why and who were the first victims. It is a simple film that, despite not being in chronological order like the other installments that came later, can be understood well. Obviously, it didn't age very well due to the quality with which it was made. The special effects seem to be quite crappy. Even so, it is an enjoyable film and it is good to know it as it is the first original chapter of the franchise. Ju-On (2000) is undoubtedly a diamond in the rough that is worth knowing for having started the Ju-On mythology. My final rating for this movie is a 7/10.

Ju-on: the Curse is absolutely the scariest movie ever made. I found myself gasping out loud at times. Forget cheap scares, forget the need for special effects. Forget even the need for a dark setting. Most of the scenes are in broad daylight, yet they will nearly scare you to death. I've seen a lot of horror movies, but I can easily say that nothing compares to this one. Takashi Shimizu has mastered the art of bringing terror to the screen. If there really were such a thing as ghost, really mean, really vengeful ghost, this is what they would be like. I should note that Ju-on the Curse is really two movies, Curse I and II. The second has some overlapping material, but adequately compliments the first. If you want to be frightened, really really frightened, this is the one to watch.

I first watched Ju-On: The Grudge (2002) earlier this year and was blown away, I felt rare horror-chills throughout. It became an instant Top 10 Horror Film! A couple of years earlier I saw the american The Grudge 1 & 2: the first was nicely watchable but not scary. The sequel quite meh.

Now I'm on to my third version of the same story, tho' The Curse (2000) was released first. Unlike the american version I got a couple of scare-chills down my shoulders! Just not as often as its bigger-budget remake Ju-On: The Grudge. The lower budget and samey feel of the different sections make The Curse feel less substantial than the epic trippy feels of the 2002 version, the acting is also a level below. It's still superior to the american version.

Fair warning: there is a horribly-disturbing scene involving a baby near the end. It's not graphic in a gore sense (you don't see an actual baby), but it's hard to watch. Neither the 2002 version nor the american-remake had such a scene...it's just a bit much, frankly (i'm a parent of small kids so maybe a bit more sensitive).

Still, The Curse is objectively an impressive low-budget effort, but is only really worth watching if you've already seen the superior 2002 one, and are curious what the makers did before. It's essentially the same story.

I will watch The Curse 2 next, as it appears that Ju-On: The Grudge 2 is its own thing. Tho' not quite clear on that, and I don't wanna stumble on any spoilers by digging too deep.

It can get confusing to keep track, here's the Grudge films I've seen so far:

The Grudge (USA 2004) - 6/10.

The Grudge 2 (USA 2006) - 4/10.

Ju-On: The Grudge (Japan 2002) - 9/10.

Ju-On: The Curse (Japan 2000) - 7/10.

The 2002 one is essential, and should be watched first for maximum impact. If The Curse 2 and/or Ju-On: The Grudge 2 are close to that quality then I may be tempted to check out all of them (there's at least five more related films after these!).

I saw the US version in the theatre and wasn't very impressed. I guess it could have been the fact that I was in a ghetto theatre in the inner city with people yelling the obvious or the strange smell emanating from beneath the seats that reclined way to far past horizontal.

So, upon returning home, I watched the Japanese version. Since the US version took liberties to change the plot somewhat and over-explain every single detail of the movie, I was doubtful. True to form, the Japanese version was exquisite. The atmosphere created closely resembles the creepy feeling you get in a cursed house in Japan. The sounds and special effect sounds were some of the best. US horror films should emulate the lack of sound in spots to create tension as this film does.

Personally, this film caused me to glance over my shoulder every now and again expecting to see a little painted white Asian boy or a black cat lurking in the dark. This film is a must see for horror buffs and those that enjoy a good scare. The film starts with a horrific scene while the US version just has you confused from the very beginning. Great Movie.

This is one of the scariest movies I've ever seen, and I've seen quite a few classics (F13'th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Exocist, you get the picture). I'd already established, after seeing Ringu, that even a pretty tame Asian horror flick is probably scarier than most Western ones. Face it, they can just scare people better. But Juon, as short as it is, may very well win the cup for the scariest. This was a TV movie, and from what I can see, about the only effects they used were fake blood and Photoshop (you'll know what scene I'm talking about once you see it). This was because of the noticably low budget. But the effects they did have were put to fine use to provide the maximum scaring effect. The movie is about a Juon, which is a Japanese idea about a curse started when one dies a horrible death, and killing all who come in contact with it, creating more Juons. It is basically a series of 6 or 7 scenes about a Juon started in a house that spreads to everybody who goes in the house afterwards. The scenes loosely connect together, but you'll have to read between the lines until you can get Juon 2. Or you could buy both at the same time ;). At the end of the movie you know what happened on camera, but you don't know why. Audiences are forced to hypothesize, keeping in mind the idea of "Juons" that was introduced at the beginning of the film. While many sequels blow up their prequel's perfectly good resolution and open the story back up, the movie Juon never really has a resolution, so the sequel is so necessary that it was obviously planned to be a two-part excursion. When I say sequel, I'm not talking about the two theatrical releases, those are more remakes, I'm talking about the second TV movie. I just finished the first tonight, but I can't wait to see the second. Lots of gruesome images and things. If Ringu gave you chills, this is like Ringu on steroids.