Horror fans will be getting a big treat this year with The Grudge (2020) releasing. It’s a dream come true for any lovers of this classic, originally Japanese horror franchise called Ju-On, which has influenced the genre for years. Even if you’ve never seen a single movie, you may have recognized the face of the pale ghost with long black hair from other pop culture references.
If it’s your first time going in to see a The Grudge movie, and you have no idea what to expect, there are a few helpful things we’re here to share with you from the past movies and the conception of the franchise in general. Here are 10 things you need to know before sitting down at the movie theater to watch The Grudge of 2020.
Inspired By A Dance Group
The idea for the ghost seen in the movies comes from a pretty strange place. Japanese director and creator of the franchise Takashi Shimizu actually states that he first thought of the ghost’s appearance as he saw a dance group’s performance, where the dancers were covered in white paint. Freaked out by the show, he kept the idea for his movies.
Moreover, as he was coming up with ideas on how the curse of the movie was born, he was inspired by something truly tragic that was taking place in Japan at the time. Domestic abuse incidents were on the rise, which gave him the thought of basing the ghost’s past on a domestic abuse case.
The Meaning Of Ju-On
The franchise has had many variations for movie names, but The Grudge is probably the most common and is seen in the majority of the movie titles. However, you may have also noticed there’s something called Ju-On: The Grudge out there, and perhaps you wondered what the meaning of Ju-On is.
Well, Ju-On is Japanese and it literally translates into “curse grudge”. This is a reference to the events within the movie, which tell the story of a woman who was brutally killed by her husband. As a result, a curse was born from the grudge she felt against her violent husband.
The Original Movie
Most horror movie lovers will probably have seen the very first big movie featuring the pale ghost, as well as Sarah Michelle Gellar. The Grudge that came out in 2004 was actually just an American version of the original Japanese movie, which came out in 2002 and was titled Ju-On: The Grudge.
However, even Ju-On: The Grudge isn’t the first movie in the series. If we go even further back, Shimizu actually released a movie well before that in 2000 called Ju-On: The Curse, which was basically only shown in Japan at the time it came out.
The 1990s Predecessor
Believe it or not, Ju-On: The Curse of 2000 still wasn’t the very first time and place that we saw everyone’s favorite pale-faced ghost. Director Shimizu started his conception of the ghost and its story well before that, in a movie called Gakko No Kaidan.
In 1998, this movie featured two short stories titled Katasumi and 4444444444. Both of these stories follow a ghost story featuring The Grudge’s ghost Kayako Saeki, as well as her son Toshio Saeki. From there on, Shimizu developed their stories more in the movies devoted to these ghosts.
The American Happy Ending
There’s something culturally very interesting and different about Japanese horror movies, and it definitely shows in how different The Grudge (2004) is from the Japanese Ju-On: The Grudge and its sequel, Ju-On: The Grudge 2. Both Japanese movies have bad endings where characters tend to die or get consumed by the curse.
However, Sarah Michelle Gellar’s story in The Grudge (2004) was very different. She actually survives the curse and sets the Saeki house on fire at the end. Perhaps it was believed the movie would be better released if it had a somewhat positive ending compared to the haunting deaths of Ju-On.
The Woman Behind The Ghost
Anyone who has seen at least one movie featuring Kayako, the main ghost of the curse, will know just how terrifying she is. Her death rattle has become an iconic horror instrument, along with her slow crawling, wide gaping eyes, and bloodied form. Anyone would be terrified when witnessing her crawl out of the dark.
Kayako’s actress is a now-famous Japanese voice actress called Takako Fuji. She took Kayako’s role in most of the early films and played her to absolute perfection. You can really tell when it’s not her doing the performance, which is why she’s become a bit of a horror icon thanks to her flawless performance.
Based On Traditional Spirits
Fear is sometimes hard for us to explain since it’s difficult to point out what exactly terrifies us about a specific creature. However, in Japan, it was easy to make Kayako look the way she did because it’s actually a reference to something that’s been part of the culture for a long time now.
Vengeful spirits and ghosts have been portrayed in white gowns, with long black hair for decades, if not centuries in Japanese traditional art. Folklore also tells the tale of these vengeful spirits, known as onryo according to Japanese culture. Later, these became well-known horror tropes in Japanese media and gave us Kayako, as well as The Grudge franchise.
An Infinite Curse
The whole main plot of most of the franchise’s movies focuses on a set of victims that become afflicted by a powerful curse. This is the curse of Kayako and her family, which, unlike many other curses in horror movies, is portrayed as practically unbeatable. Kayako’s curse is in fact infinite.
The curse is shown in many movies to have no boundaries. Once a person comes into touch with it, the curse will follow them anywhere they go, regardless of geographical boundaries. Moreover, once a person dies to the curse, another place can become infected with it, which further spreads it into the world like a disease.
The Saeki Household
It all begins with a house, like in most horror movies. The Grudge and Ju-On aren’t any different in that regard. The Saeki household is one of four characters: Kayako, the mother, Takeo, the father, Toshio, the son and Mar the cat. All of these characters have met terrible ends within the house, and they now haunt it.
Kayako will often appear at the attic and in the stairway. Toshio, on the other hand, haunts the bathroom and the top of the stairway. Takeo has no set place he appears in, but Mar, the cat, is actually the first sign that comes to warn visitors of their impending doom.
A Tortured Soul Or An Evil Woman?
Much has been said about Kayako and her past, though much of it still remains unclear. Novels and early movies tell us that she had a bad childhood, with parents who didn’t seem to care about her too much. In school, her peers saw her as freakish and creepy, which may have turned her bitter long before she met her husband Takeo.
However, later movies portray a different version of Kayako, as a woman who’s simply evil and bad to the bone. She’s cruel, rather than a tortured soul forced to haunt those who disturb her home. Whether you believe in this portrayal or the original one is for you to choose, as you sit down to enjoy the newest installment in the franchise.
