After having seen “Ju-On” a couple of months ago, I have been dead curious to see the American remake. It boasts the same director and story with the add in of American actors. Does it live up to the original?

Yes … and no. I personally felt that some of the enhanced “visual” scares were pretty sweet. But the trade off is a movie that is way more polished than its predecessor. Gone is all subtlety … all the mystery. I guess the filmmakers felt that there had to be an explanation for everything that happens in the story … which does take some of the edge off. I don’t care why the house is haunted. Just scare me. The addition of American actors was distracting as well. It seemed way too contrived that so many Americans would be involved in the same chain of evens.

Sam Raimi says in the “making of” footage that the reason he was interested in producing a remake was that many people would be so turned off to seeing a Japanese film. He loves the original and wanted to bring it to American audience. So, what you ultimately end of with is a pretty redundant movie in terms of story and visuals. Some shots are almost exactly the same as shots in “Ju-On.”

So, if you have seen “Ju-On” you can skip “The Grudge” and you won’t be missing anything. If you haven’t seen either, definitely pick up “Ju-On” for a viewing.