'Grudge' has scares, but nothing else

By Mick Forgey
Scene Editor

If all you want is tension and pop-up-out-of-nowhere scares, give “The Grudge” a shot. It has scary, unnerving moments, but that is it.

We learn at the film’s opening that when someone dies in the grip of a powerful rage or sorrow, a curse is born that occupies that space. All who enter that space will be consumed by the fury of the curse left behind. Zoinks, Scooby.

An American family has moved to Japan and bought a house. There’s a “grudge” in the house.

American social worker Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar, sans Buffy powers, wielding a solid confused/scared gaze for the film’s duration) stops by to care for the mother. From there, the story (which jumps back and forth chronologically) and the scariness sally forth.

The film was produced by Sam Raimi, the director of the hyper-kinetic “Evil Dead” and “Spider-Man,” and Taka Ichise, the producer of “Ringu,” the original Japanese film upon which the American version “The Ring” was based. Elements of both “Evil Dead” and “The Ring” are in “The Grudge.” The film uses cinematography, editing and mood very well.

Nearly every scene builds up tension (tries, anyway) and then comes out of nowhere with a sometimes clever, sometimes lame pop-up fright. Some scenes are drawn out, some go right for the jugular, but that is the fun of “The Grudge.” Something is going to happen, but you just do not know when.

The grudge itself? The first few times it pops up, it might scare the hell out of you. It makes one of the creepiest sounds I’ve heard in a while (imagine a creaky door mixed with the sound your jaw makes when it pops).

Its various forms range from eerie (a chalk-white, scrawny Asian boy with a penchant for hide-and-seek) to…(find out for yourself but…YUCK) God-awful creepy.

Like the nemesis of “The Ring,” the grudge itself is initially frightening as a relentless supernatural force. It sets up ominous traps (murky bathtubs! Run!), arouses characters’ curiosities and waits for the foolish Americans to investigate. “The Grudge” delivers swell “wait for it...wait...huh — BOO!” scares.

But that is all you’re getting here. During the second act, you will stop jumping. The tension’s consistently good, but until the monster really cuts loose at the end, the ghost jumping out of the corner routine wears thin.

That is when you realize this movie is slim pickings. The nature of the Grudge is somewhat explained but not satisfactory. Nobody in this movie acts well or makes good decisions, and there’s no character development.
The filmmakers could have intelligently played with the idea of Americans being haunted in Japan in many ways, possibly with xenophobia, culture clashing, hell, even as a commentary on outsourcing. But there is really no point for the Japanese setting or for an American to be the lead.
The story is weak, shooting off in pointless flashbacks, and there is no damn ending. PSEUDO-SPOILER ALERT, KIDS! This movie needs a resolution; instead, we get a contrived “last scare before the credits” deal.

For great horror, rent “The Shining,” “Alien,” “The Thing,” or “The Exorcist.” Also try “Night of the Living Dead,” “The Omen” or the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
For basic thrills, you can try “The Grudge,” or just go on a hayride. Straw is always a good time.