The Grudge (2004)
Directed by: Takashi Shimizu
Premise: A day nurse (Sarah Michelle Gellar) gets wrapped up in a curse transmitted by the house of one of her patients.
What Works: The Grudge has a very clear vision in terms of its look. The cinematography has a visual savvy that walks the line between being organic and plastic and the visual effects are integrated very well.
What Doesn’t: The film’s story is a mess. The characters are dull and uninteresting. Things do not come together until the very end; in essence, the first act is in the last third of the picture. As a result, there is no sense or rising action; the body of the film is exposition and feels very disconnected. Worst of all, it is just not scary. There are a couple of jumps but The Grudge lacks any atmosphere of dread that would make it actually scary.
Bottom Line: The Grudge may have some visual flair but as a horror film it ultimately fails.
Episode: #24 (October 24, 2004)