Series logo.
The Grudge is an American horror film series released by Sony Pictures based on the Japanese Ju-on films created by Takashi Shimizu. The first installment of the series is a remake of Ju-on: The Grudge and follows a similar storyline of the Japanese film. However, the sequel to the first film, The Grudge 2 is not a remake and follows a different storyline albeit still drawing inspiration from several Ju-on films. The most recent sequel The Grudge 3 picks up after the events of the second film. The series focuses on those affected by a curse of a deceased woman's violent rage that destroys the lives of everyone who comes in contact with it. Known as The Grudge, this curse causes it's victims to become fatally afflicted by it which leads to a new curse being born and passed like a virus to all those who enter the Saeki residence or come in contact with the curse.
Films[]
The Grudge (2004)[]
- Main article: The Grudge
The series began with The Grudge, premiering on October 22nd, 2004. The story follows Karen, an exchange student studying social work, living with her boyfriend Doug in Japan who innocently agrees to cover for Yoko, a nurse who didn't show up for work. When she enters the assigned home, she discovers an elderly American woman, Emma, who is lost in a catatonic state while the rest of the house appears deserted and disheveled. As she is tending to the stricken old woman, Karen hears scratching sounds from upstairs. When she investigates, she is faced with a supernatural occurrences more frightening than she could ever imagine. Within this house, a chain of terror has been set in motion resulting from tragic murders that occurred years before. As more people die, Karen is pulled into the cycle of horror and learns the secret of the vengeful curse that has taken root in this house while simultaneously trying to keep her boyfriend from getting involved. The film was a major box office success, grossing over $180 million dollars at the box office, far exceeding the expectations of box office analysts and Sony Pictures executives.
The Grudge 2 (2006)[]
- Main article: The Grudge 2
The second installment was released on October 13th, 2006 and is set within two years after the first film and between two countries. It follows Aubrey Davis, Karen's younger sister who, after receiving a phone call from her mother regarding Karen's confinement in a mental hospital after the events of the previous film, travels to Tokyo, Japan to meet her. When she witnesses Karen dying horrifically, she sets out to find the source of the curse along with a journalist named Eason. An American teenager called Allison studying in a Japanese International School named Allison Fleming also has to deal with a terrifying supernatural event inflicted by a prank by her classmates. Meanwhile, in Chicago, Jake Kimble is also caught up in the curse that seems to have spread to his apartment after Allison Fleming moves back there with her family. Like it's predecessor, the film was a box office success, earning $70 million worldwide.
The Grudge 3 (2009)[]
- Main article: The Grudge 3
In Chicago, Jake Kimble, the sole survivor of The Grudge 2, is interned in a mental institution and his therapist Dr. Francine Sullivan does not believe that he is haunted by the malevolent ghosts of Kayako and Toshio. When Jake is killed in his cell with nearly all his bones broken, Dr. Sullivan decides to investigate further with an open mind. Meanwhile, Lisa Morrison, the sister of the building's superintendent, Max, steals the key of apartment 305 to have sex with her boyfriend Andy. When she realizes that the apartment is a crime scene, she immediately returns to her apartment, where she resides with Max and their ill sister Rose. In the meantime, Naoko Kawamata travels from Tokyo to Chicago to stop the curse of her sister Kayako. She meets Lisa and tells her that she needs hers and Rose's help to stop the fiend of her sister, but Lisa refuses to participate. When Max is possessed by the evil spirit of Takeo, Lisa decides to reconsider Naoko's offer.
Unlike the first two films, The Grudge 3 did not receive a worldwide theatrical release. In Mexico, the film received a limited release on June 25, 2010 and a nationwide release on August 6. It's reported sales of 2,271,177 DVD units (approx. $38,610,009 USD in sales) recouped its $5,000,000 budget, marking yet another successful release in the franchise.
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