xanderlavelle Before I watched the Japenese original, I've watched the American Remake, which I even found very creepy.Compared to the Remake Ju On is structured very different. The viewer is confronted with peoples and their stories. All the protagonists are chased by the curse and there are so many creepy moments.Especially the little boy is scary and I really like the way the director plays with the viewer's mind. The horror might await you behind every corner, but you just recognize it when it is too late and you get scared.I like both "The Grudge" variants and this one should be seen by every horrorfan

ferbs54 I had been looking forward to seeing "Ju-on: The Grudge" (2003) for quite a while, after having heard it favorably compared to 1998's "Ringu," one of the best horror films I'd seen in years. As it turns out, "Ju-on" is not quite in "Ringu"'s league, but it still remains a fairly creepy, if ultimately frustrating, film. The picture deals with a house possessed by the spirits of a murdered mother and little boy, and presents us with a series of characters who have some pretty freaky and usually lethal experiences in said haunted abode. Admittedly, the mother, Kayako Saeki, and her son, Toshio, stake their claim to immortality in the classic-ghosts pantheon; every glimpse of Toshio is chilling, and every hint of Kayako's scuttling form fairly terrifying. Still, neither one is as scary as "Ringu"'s Sadako Yamamura, and the film eventually leaves the viewer feeling that all the pieces haven't been fitted together quite properly. Or, more likely, that some of the film's pieces are totally missing. For example, the film's director, Takashi Shimizu, reveals in an interview "extra" that the strange, staccato gurgling noise we hear throughout the movie is the result of Kayako's throat having been crushed when she was murdered by her husband. However, there is no way that the viewer could possibly know this by any hints supplied by the film itself. A nonlinear story line utilizing some bizarre time warping doesn't help clarity much either (the Izumi episode is particularly puzzling). Thus, while the film is well directed, features some fresh attractive players and boasts some nice touches (I love the way Toshio dawdles his fingers), it sure did leave me scratching my head. But as one of the film's characters, Rika, would probably tell you, better to scratch your own head than have someone else do it while you're in the shower!

qiowisj I anticipated Ju-on with high hopes before viewing it. The American remake, The Grudge, was so awful that I thought the Japanese original had to be a better undertaking. I was sadly wrong.From the first frame one feels the low budget quality of the picture. This by no means signals mediocre cinema, just take a look at Takashi Miike's Visitor Q. But, in this case, the poor production values put a real hinder on the film's scares. The atmosphere never attained that sense of dread that I relish so much in a good horror movie. Instead, the scenes just lulled me into a quasi-sleepy state, with a few jumps interspersed here and there. Added to this is generally bad acting by the cast.Try to avoid this one, there are so much better J-horror titles to choose.

EVOL666 Personally, I tend to lean towards "blood-and-guts" types of films, because most horror out there these days just doesn't have any atmosphere or real "scare-factor". Ju-on was a pleasant surprise. The story surrounds a house where some "unpleasantries" occurred and now holds a curse that tends to "infect" anyone who comes into contact with it. Some really creepy stuff going on here, with little to no gore (which normally I would knock points off for, but Ju-on really didn't need it). Not anything that will make you p!ss your pants, but good atmosphere, sound effects, strange/creepy visuals, and an engaging and pretty original story-line keeps this one afloat. Hats off to the Asian horror film-makers - they seem to be carrying the horror torch and pushing the limits these days...Recommended 8/10