The Grudge is ferocious

Crystal Hohenthaner

Crystal Hohenthaner

The Movie: When the film starts, these words flash across the screen: “When someone dies in the grip of a powerful rage a curse is born. The curse gathers in that place of death, those who encounter it will be consumed by its fury.”

This explains part of the plot before the actors are even on screen. It’s almost like an old-fashioned melodrama because it tells the audience something the actors must find out for themselves.

It is quickly made clear to the audience that the the curse has gathered in a large house in Japan. The characters have to meet the curse for themselves before they realize something is wrong with the house.

As character after character, including Sarah Michelle Gellar, enter the house and encounter the fury of the curse the audience always knows the frightening ends that lie ahead.

Why you won’t like it: If you don’t like horror movies and you don’t like getting scared do not go to see The Grudge. I’ve had nightmares ever since I went to see it.You should keep in mind this film is rated PG-13. That means that 13-year-olds are allowed in the theater, and that could mean a lot of screaming and giggling. If you can’t handle that, wait ’til the flick comes out on DVD.There is also a chance that Gellar will ruin the movie for you. She did a good job, but if you hate her it will make the movie difficult to bear.

Why you’ll like it: Because you want to be afraid. It has been a long time since a movie has scared me as much as The Grudge, partially because I don’t like scary movies and I usually know what is coming. But in this movie, even though I knew what was coming, I was scared nearly to death when the bad guy attacked.

The film is very well written and the story unfolds through several overlapping vignettes. This is a good device in the plot because the audience gets a chance to see through the character’s eyes while still getting an overall grasp of what’s going on.

There is a little twist to the plot that the audience learns as Gellar investigates the house.

If you want to watch scary movies for the effects than this is the scary movie for you. The special effects and the sound editing are fabulous. The men and women who did the animation on the female ghost deserve many, many awards and the music played into each scare perfectly.

To top it all off, Gellar does a good job acting the part of the frightened American and Bill Pullman does well as one of the victims of The Grudge.

The bottom line: This is a great movie that was well-crafted in every way. I don’t like scary movies, but I can’t really think of anything that was bad about this movie besides the fact that I keep looking behind me hoping that little ghost child and his cat aren’t following me.If you want big scares and great movie making you’ll find it in The Grudge.

Four stars out of five

#1.885766:2194274712.jpg:grudge20.jpg:The Grudge has two of the scariest ghosts of all time in it. The woman ghost above haunts a house she used to live in and consumes all those who encounter her.: