The film's repetitious, episodic structure seems to unnecessarily alleviate the building tension, making it a far less frightening film than it might have been.
Ju-on: The Grudge(呪怨じゅおん)
Japan · 2002
Rated R · 1h 32m
Director Takashi Shimizu
Starring Megumi Okina, Misaki Ito, Misa Uehara, Yui Ichikawa
Genre Horror
Add to Watchlist
Please login to add films to your watchlist.
When Takeo Saeki brutally murders his family after discovering that his wife, Kayako, is in love with another man, he inadvertently creates a curse that consumes anyone who enters their house. The arrival of a social worker years after the murders set off a chain of horrifying events.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
The New York Times by Dave Kehr
Because there is a new hero to identify with every 10 minutes, the viewer isn't drawn into a sustained suspense, but is merely subjected to a series of more or less foreseeable shocks.
Ju-on never snaps into focus like a "Go" or a "Pulp Fiction," and what at first registers as sloppy plotting starts to seem positively diabolical.
A haunted-house one-trick pony.
Basically, what you have in Ju-On is a collection of effectively scary sights and sounds - sound effects play a huge part in rolling that chill down your spine – and that's about it.
New York Daily News by Jami Bernard
Its shapelessness and the cultural differences in acting style will keep this version filed under "cult oddity."
TV Guide Magazine by Maitland McDonagh
Shimizu generates a sense of palpable dread in each segment, expertly manipulating tried-and-true scare tactics supplemented by a truly inspired use of spooky sound effects.
Occasionally scary, never coherent.
The story is told in fractured time. This might not be a problem if his visuals were more fear-inducing.
Users who liked this film also liked
FearDotCom
The last site you'll ever see.
- ✭
- United Kingdom, Germany, Luxembourg • 2002
- Director William Malone
- Cast Stephen Dorff, Natascha McElhone, Stephen Rea, Udo Kier, Amelia Curtis, Jeffrey Combs
- Genre Horror, Thriller, Crime
- Available on Screambox Amazon Channel, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Freevee
Ju-on: The Grudge 2
(呪怨2)
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2003
- Director Takashi Shimizu
- Cast Noriko Sakai, Chiharu Niiyama, Kei Horie, Yui Ichikawa, Ayumu Saito, Emi Yamamoto
- Genre Horror, Thriller
- Available on Tubi TV, Hoopla
The Cooler
When your life depends on losing... the last thing you need is lady luck.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2003
- Director Wayne Kramer
- Cast William H. Macy, Alec Baldwin, Maria Bello, Shawn Hatosy, Ron Livingston, Paul Sorvino
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, AMC on Demand, Pluto TV
Ju-on: The Curse
(呪怨)
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2000
- Director Takashi Shimizu
- Cast Yurei Yanagi, Ryôta Koyama, Chiaki Kuriyama, Hitomi Miwa, Takako Fuji, Asumi Miwa
- Genre Horror
- Available on No streaming locations found.
A Millionaire's First Love
(백만장자의 첫사랑)
Kang Jae-Kyung is set to inherit his grandfather's fortune on the day he turns 18, but on one bizarre condition.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2006
- Director Kim Tae-gyun
- Cast Lee Yeon-hee, Hyun Bin, Lim Ju-hwan, Jeong Wook, Lee Young-hoo
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Loft
(ロフト)
Another misery is coming... I can feel it.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, Korea • 2005
- Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- Cast Miki Nakatani, Etsushi Toyokawa, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Yumi Adachi, Sawa Suzuki, Haruhiko Kato
- Genre Horror, Mystery
- Available on Google Play Movies, YouTube
Ju-on: The Curse 2
(呪怨2 ビデオ版)
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2000
- Director Takashi Shimizu
- Cast Yurei Yanagi, Ryôta Koyama, Yuko Daike, Makoto Ashikawa, Tomohiro Kaku, Takako Fuji
- Genre Horror
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Please Teach Me English
(영어완전정복)
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2003
- Director Kim Sung-soo
- Cast Lee Na-young, Jang Hyuk, Angela Kelly, Jeong Seok-yong, Na Moon-hee
- Genre Comedy, Romance
- Available on No streaming locations found.
The Quiet Family
(조용한 가족)
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 1998
- Director Kim Jee-woon
- Cast Park In-hwan, Na Moon-hee, Choi Min-sik, Song Kang-ho, Lee Yoon-sung, Go Ho-kyung
- Genre Horror, Comedy, Thriller, Crime
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Amazon Video, Freevee, Cineverse
Arteholic
"Arteholic" Udo Kier lives, breathes, and makes art; at times he is even a living art piece.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany • 2014
- Director Hermann Vaske
- Cast Udo Kier, Jonathan Meese, Nicolette Krebitz, Marcel Odenbach, Rosemarie Trockel
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube
Don't Grow Up
or you will die!
- ✭ ✭
- France, Spain • 2015
- Director Thierry Poiraud
- Cast Fergus Riordan, Madeleine Kelly, McKell David, Darren Evans, Natifa Mai
- Genre Drama, Horror, Science Fiction
- Available on Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Hoopla
Run-Off
(국가대표 2)
The only and last national ice hockey team now makes its first challenge.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2016
- Director Kim Jong-hyun
- Cast Soo Ae, Oh Dal-su, Oh Yeon-seo, Ha Jae-sook, Kim Seul-ki, Kim Ye-won
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Birdboy
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Spain • 2011
- Director Pedro Rivero, Alberto Vázquez
- Cast Ana Lemos, Tacho González, Óscar Fernández, Antón Rei, Matías Brea, Xermana Carballido
- Genre Fantasy, Adventure, Animation, Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
The Seen and Unseen
(Sekala Niskala)
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Indonesia, Netherlands, Australia • 2018
- Director Kamila Andini
- Cast Ni Kadek Thaly Titi Kasih, Ida Bagus Putu Radithya Mahijasena, Ayu Laksmi, I Ketut Rina, Happy Salma
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Video