The Grudge was created for one reason; to make money from horror fans and teenagers. Its success was pre-determined because it both rode the popularity of the Asian horror boom started by The Ring, and it starred Sarah Michelle Gellar of the incredibly popular and (at the time) recently cancelled Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

The Grudge 2 was created for one reason; The Grudge made a LOT of money.

Of course, this is true justification for almost every sequel, and like nearly every sequel, the law of diminishing returns applied. The Grudge 2 cost more and made less than its predecessor. Business wise, everything played out as expected. But what wasn’t expected was a damn solid film.

Following the finale of The Grudge, Aubrey Davis (Amber Tamblyn, TV’s Joan Of Arcadia) travels to Japan in order to see her hospitalized sister Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar, reprising her role) and find out just why she set a house on fire. What she walks into is more than she bothered for. It seems that the “curse” of the house has not been stopped, and soon after she gets there, Karen’s fate catches up with her and she falls victim to the curse as her acquaintances did in the first film. At the same time, an investigative journalist named Eason (Edison Chen, Infernal Affairs) is investigating the fire at the Saeki house and the odd occurrences (namely, people dropping dead or disappearing) that seem to be happening in conjunction with it. Together they examine the curse, and try to unravel its origin and determine how (if) they can stop it. Meanwhile, the main story is interspersed by two other stories involving “The Grudge” and its soon-to-be victims. One involves a trio of schoolgirls that enter the burned down remains of the house on a dare. The other sub-plot revolves around a series of similar murders, only for some reason they’re happening in Chicago. Just how is it that the curse is spreading?

Like the first film, the narrative in The Grudge 2 is completely non-linear. But this time around it seems to fit the logic of storytelling considerably better. The movie goes well out of its way to be understandable despite the disjointed presentation. This was a fantastic move, because while I love abstraction for the sake of itself, this allows the viewer to concentrate on the themes and less on the picking at story flaws. The stories themselves are also an interesting improvement on the first film. The characters are more developed, and definitely more engaging. The way they all eventually fit together is quite neat, but never spoon-fed, so some thought process was actually put into the film, which is quite amazing when you consider the logistics of the film are beyond reasonable grasp. Like The Ring, the “chain-letter from hell” stories, when made boundless are more unbelievable. If everyone who encounters the curse is cursed themselves, wouldn’t the entire world be cursed in a matter of a few days? Kayako must like to pace herself.

Probably the best thing this film has going on is that it packs some serious balls. First, it doesn’t explain anything. While we get a little more background on the vengeful spirit Kayako, and some possible motive to why its presence is so strong, little is revealed about triumphing over it, and the outcome is incredibly bleak. It’s an unwritten rule of American horror that you never kill a kid. The Grudge 2 could give a shit about your rules. In fact, pretty much anyone that comes in contact with Kayako is fucked, and if she doesn’t kill you straight away, she’s about to and is probably just having fun. With a theme as dark, dreary and full of despair as that of The Grudge 2, it’s amazing that it even passed with a PG-13.

On the technical side, the direction of the film is stunning. While certainly not on the same “beautiful” level as the American version of The Ring, it’s still a fairly gorgeous use of darks and not a single scene goes wasted in moving the film forward and creating atmosphere. I guess that’s something of a testament to director Takashi Shimizu. This is his sixth Grudge film (counting the Japanese releases) so he’s had ample practice. It’s certainly a considerable improvement over Nakata’s The Ring Two. But really the unsung hero of the film isn’t the actors of the director; it’s the score and sound effects. The creepy sounds of the first film are back, and the “death rattle” sounds incredibly effective subtly coming through the surrounds. The score itself remains low key, but the haunting melody plays throughout scenes with little action always reminding us of the dread the characters are under is never far away. Like too few horror films in recent memory, the score for The Grudge 2 is a perfect ambient experience.

Don’t care about things like plot or quality? Well there are tons of HOT CHICKS in this movie. If you are a straight male between the ages of 12 and 87 there should be no good reason why you can’t find at least three female cast members that you’d want to bang like a screen door in a hurricane. Arielle Kebbel plays one of the schoolgirls… HOT!

At the end of the day, if you really dig supernatural films you’re probably going to dig The Grudge 2. I think is surpasses the first film and stands right up there with the original Japanese masterpiece Ju-On.

The DVD Presentation
The Grudge 2 should serve as a benchmark in what standard DVD is possible of. Presented in anamorphic widescreen, I couldn’t spot a single blemish. The picture is breathtaking. There are lots of darks in this film and they simply shine. The 5.1 English audio mix is also to die for. Sound is integral to the experience of The Grudge 2, and every little creak, moan and death rattle are immersive. It isn’t difficult to sink yourself in to this movie, and the DVD helps out the experience quite well. In addition to the English track, a French 5.1 mix is included, as well as subtitles in both English and French.

It should be noted that there are several different releases of this film. This theatrical edition, an Unrated Director’s Cut, and a 2-disc Limited Edition of the Director’s Cut. All of them are in the correct OAR, so the choice is up to you. The theatrical cut of The Grudge 2 is only on this disc though.

And the Extras Are?
“East Meets West” Behind the Scenes featurette – (15:04)
A really great featurette going over the origins of Ju-On’s discovery in the US and how they got Shimizu to direct the American film. There is a great deal of discussion comparing and contrasting American filmmaking and lore with that of the Japanese. Great stuff, fans should definitely watch this.

“The Grudge 2: Storyline Development” Behind the Scenes featurette – (11:27)
It’s admitted right off the bat that the sequel was in the works before The Grudge even hit theatres. It’s interesting to hear that it was Shimizu’s request that this not be a remake of Ju-On 2. The writers and producers and the director are all included in this interview, which makes for a fascinating look at the creative process. This is the true must-see feature on the DVD.

“Ready When You Are, Mr. Shimizu” Multiple Behind the Scenes featurette – (13:10)
Despite having to overcome a serious language barrier, Mr. Shimizu seems to have no problem communicating with his cast through his sense of humor. The chemistry on the set seemed to be full of fun to the point that it’s infectious just to see it. Somewhat surprising considering the subject matter.

Cast & Crew Reel Change Montage – (8:08)
I grew bored quickly by this, but I appreciate its inclusion. Essentially, Shimizu filmed much of the cast for reel change cards. It must have been fun to do, but for the viewer it’s like looking through someone’s scrapbook – only you don’t know them or their friends.

3 Deleted Scenes –
Three deleted scenes are presented in non-anamorphic widescreen. The first, “When Closet Door Opens” is really two-scenes which further explore two character’s initial experience with the curse. “Itako’s Film” is a short bit showing Aubrey and Eason watching an old video of Kayako’s mother performing a sort of exorcism. Finally there’s “The Passport” which is nothing more than a clip showing Allison grab her passport as an in-your-face foreshadowing of her leaving Tokyo. Overall, these three scenes really don’t add much to The Grudge 2.

Trailer Gallery –
And finally we have a trailer of a bunch of other films released (or being released) by Sony. These include Ghost Rider, Spider-Man 3, Premonition, The Grudge, Crossover, Casino Royale, Gridiron Gang, The Covenant and The Exorcism Of Emily Rose. Sadly, there is no trailer for The Grudge 2.

Considering that the Director’s Cut will no doubt sell a great many more copies, it’s commendable that most of the extras show here as well. Fans of supplements should be on the lookout though; the other releases have more extras, although none sadly have an audio commentary.

The Bottom Line
Anyone interested in The Grudge 2 is probably going to purchase the Unrated Director’s Cut, and they should. But I relished that I got the chance to see the theatrical cut before hand. I was floored how a film that’s exceptionally bleak and hopeless was able to retain a PG-13 rating. All fans of The Grudge absolutely need this in their collection. For those who haven’t seen it, The Grudge 2 will kick your ass. Go buy it.