Following in the immensely successful footsteps of RING, JU-ON: THE GRUDGE is an influential, creepy and utterly disturbing low-key ghost story from Japan, successful enough to spawn both a sequel and an American remake. This is Japanese horror at its finest: shot on a minuscule budget, utilising real-life 'run down' locations, and with a cast of subtle actors and actresses fleshing out the roles. Director Takashi Shimizu seems to have cast only deeply attractive actresses in his movie, perhaps to keep the attention of his male audience, and this makes the slow-burning proceedings very easy to watch.

The 'haunted house' storyline is very straightforward and there isn't much of a plot to speak of: basically, we see a series of interconnected stories showing how a series of characters are haunted. There are a couple of ghosts; one is a cute little boy, whose manifestation mixes fear and pathos; the other is a more traditional female spirit with long, dark hair and staring eyes, the sort who inhabits every Asian horror film since the similar ghost in RING proved so successful. JU-ON: THE GRUDGE dwells on scares and shocks all the way through, which is why it's so effective: it's 100% focused on scaring the viewer. There are many great bits, my favourites including the duvet shocker, the television breakdown, the bloody staircase set-piece at the climax, and the bit with the three dead schoolgirls. There's even time for a twist ending for those who like that sort of thing. For unsettling, deep-rooted frights and genuine creepiness throughout, JU-ON: THE GRUDGE comes up trumps and will be hard to surpass.

The movie unfolds following different connected stories in a non-linear timeline. "Ju-on: The curse of one who dies in the grip of powerful rage. It gathers and takes effect in the places that the person was alive. Those who encounter it die, and a new curse is born."

The non-linear telling leaves the movie in a disjointed flow and it does not allow any tension to build up. The acting is subpar to fair. The creepy kid and the growling sound is the only compelling aspect of the movie. The initial introduction of the kid is rather underwhelming. It doesn't help that it's in daylight in a non-interesting way. There isn't anything particularly scary in this movie.

This movie managed to create a VERY creepy atmosphere and was pretty terrifying to watch--much more so than the Japanese film RINGU (which, like Ju-on, was re-made into a very successful American film). And, the images are rather disturbing--so much that younger kids should definitely NOT watch the film. However, despite its R-rating, it has no nudity and the violence is somewhat tame. I could have easily seen this rated PG-13 instead and think it's okay for the average teen to view.

Now as far as the plot goes, it's very muddled and lacks depth. So, if you sit and think about what you are watching, you may not like the movie as much. My recommendation is to just sit back and try not to think too much. And, for a creating a chilling atmosphere it's hard to beat this film. In many ways it reminds me of SUSPIRIA. Both were very chilling films whose plots were't exactly deep.