review: THE GRUDGE 2

Sony Pictures  //  Buy from Amazon.com Acclaimed producers Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Taka Ichise have re-teamed with director Takashi Shimizu and screenwriter Stephen Susco to present this heart-stopping sequel to the smash-hit thriller, The Grudge. When Aubrey Davis (Amber Tamblyn, TV's "Joan of Arcadia") learns her sister Karen (Sarah Michelle Geller) has been hospitalized, she immediately flies to Tokyo. Once there, she learns her sister's horrifying story and discovers that the fatal supernatural curse has been unleashed. Now, as the grudge spreads across the world, a new host of unsuspecting victims are about to become infected by the force that can't be stopped -- and won't be killed. I'm not entirely sure as to where I sit with this so-called "J" (Japanese) horror wave we're currently experiencing. Whether it's import movies, remake movies, remakes by original directors, or what have you, there's a very interesting movement afoot to scare us North Americans in ways we haven't before been scared. I saw "The Ring" in the movie theater, and I was more scared than I had been in years... subsequent J-horror flicks have come close, but not quite. Well, much to my surprise (AND enjoyment), "The Grudge 2" creeped the hell out of me. I wasn't expecting much - a sequel to a Sarah Michelle Gellar remake will give you those non-expectations - but within 15 minutes my eyes were peeled wide open and the familiar creepy-creepy-ass clicking noise of the bad ghost was thundering through my home theater and directly into my soul. YIKES! I should not have been as scared as I was, and to be honest, much of the terror in this film you see coming - but that didn't change me from having the daylights scared out of me, nor did it change the fact that I am sleeping with the lights on tonight. Video The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is first-rate through and through, with the deepest blacks and creepiest color palette ready to scare the piss out of you. Audio The Dolby 5.1 surround mix is freaky as hell - if you were to turn off your TV and just listen to this movie you'd get freaked out - yikes! Extras introduction from Sam Raimi cast & crew montage "Holding a Grudge: Kayako and Toshio" featurette "East Meets West" featurette "The Grudge 2 Storyline Development" featurette "Ready WHen You Are, Mr. Shimizu" featurette deleted scenes alternate ending epilogue Closing Thoughts Creepy, creepy movie + TONS o' extras = get ready to wet yourself (and have fun doing it!)