Takashi Shimizu has made his career off a single haunted house.  He’s the man responsible for Ju-on, which was one of my first J-Horrors and it continues to creep the Jesus out of me, along with this second Japanese installment Ju-on 2.  In 2004, when I heard that he was directing the American remake staring Sarah Michelle Gellar, I was both anxious and very annoyed.  On one hand (my right hand), I wanted to see some new scare tactics from Shimizu and how they would translate in a more Hollywood environment.  On the other hand (my left hand), the movie would star Sarah Michelle Gellar and other actors that would mostly only appeal to a younger audience.  The Grudge was going to be produced with in mind that 13-19 year old boys and girls were going to be swarming to the theaters to catch a slice of cheesy teen horror pie!  Now, we all know that was some nasty pie...but...it was still pie, and I have to say that I had a good time watching the film despite its MANY shortcomings to Shimizu’s original achievement.  The Grudge 2 is really no different.  If you sit back and try to except the fact that a bunch of princesses are going to be running around the screen within a bunch of scenes that feel awkward or mildly scary, you might actually have a good time with The Grudge 2.  Now, if you are looking for Shimizu’s second attempt to achieve with what works in Japan to also work well in America...you will be very very disappointed.

Right away, when I was introduced to our main characters, I realized that the film was going to be complete shit.  I have never seen such a sorry excuse of actresses in my life.  Arielle Kebbel, and the other school girls that follow her around, are given by god, no talent and outlandishly HORRIBLE dialogue.  If you find yourself laughing uncontrollably in the first seven or eight minutes of this film...you are not alone because the world be with you.   Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Now, let’s take it easy for a second.  We'll put the talent and the script behind us and focus on Takashi Shimizu’s influences behind the camera.  I can almost picture him jumping up and down on the set yelling, "Oh OH!...you guys!  You know what would be rrreally creepy!!!"  After watching The Grudge 2 or any of the Ju-on films for that matter, you’ll come to realize that Shimizu has a wild and almost sadistic imagination.  It's as if he takes all of our nightmares we had as children and piles them all into 90 minutes of edge of your seat filmmaking.  Still, for the most part, this film will not run your fingernails down to the bone.  I found that most of the time I was too busy separating the scare scenes into categories of "incredibly lame" or "almost, but not quite."  You can do about the same with the story here too.  At times it's too confusing for its own good and you probably won’t even bother to retrace the films steps to figure it all out.  It really is that bad of a film and you have to acquire the right frame of mind while watching it to gather any enjoyment from the experience.

Simply put, the Ju-on series does not translate well to American horror cinema.  Ju-on and The Grudge gave you two totally different viewing experiences, and while comparing their sequels, we’re left with still the same outcome.  In America, you'll have to watch Shimizu’s films for a health dose of teen-horror fun.  Hardcore scary film freaks won't even jump once throughout The Grudge 2, but really...were you expecting too?  It’s Sarah Michelle Gellar and Amber Tamblyn in a PG-13 horror flick!  Sit back and have fun with this one.  Try not to get too critical.

I recommend this movie to people who like shitty horror films that are still glossed over by the glossy hands of Hollywood.  Also, if you liked The Grudge, you'll probably feel right at home with The Grudge 2.