The Grudge movie review: Tepid and tedious

A still from The Grudge

The Grudge
Cast: Tara Westwood, Junko Bailey, David Lawrence Brown, Joey Fish, Andrea Riceborough, Demien Bichir, John J Hansen, Joel Marsh Garland
Director: Nicolas Pesce
Rating:

A horror-thriller about a house being cursed by a vengeful ghost, this film, a remake of Takashi Shimizu's( credited for original story) 2004 hit co-starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr and Clea DuVall, is about an American nurse living and working in Tokyo being exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse - one that locks her in a powerful rage before claiming her and her family's life and thereafter spreading to another victim.

Takashi Shimizu managed to eke out quite a thorough scare fest in the 2004 version but Nicolas Pesce's underdeveloped skill set doesn't allow for the spine-chilling effect expected from this version. The narrative feels rather be-laboured, the plotting is uneventful and even the dialogues sound alien here. Other than the shadowy camerawork and some Post-production effects, there's little to appreciate in this miserly horror-thriller that fails to even create the typical 'jump scare' to work up some enthusiasm.

Watch the trailer of Tara Westwood, Junko Bailey, David Lawrence Brown, Joey Fish, Andrea Riceborough, Demien Bichir, John J Hansen, Joel Marsh Garland starrer The Grudge here

With an unconvincing story and meagre thriller mechanics to go with it, this horror story feels rather tepid and tedious - even with such an ah-so-short runtime. This one's certainly no patch on Ju-On, Kayako films. At the end of the film you'll still be left wondering what 'The Grudge' was about. Such is the cluelessness inherent here.

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