The Grudge 2

{{Infobox film

| name = The Grudge 2

| image = Grudge2tease1-2.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Takashi Shimizu

| producer = {{unbulleted list|Sam Raimi|Rob Tapert|Taka Ichise}}

| writer = Stephen Susco

| based_on = {{based on|Ju-on: The Grudge|Takashi Shimizu}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| music = Christopher Young

| cinematography = Katsumi Yanagishima

| editing = Jeff Betancourt

| studio = {{Plainlist|

}}

| distributor = Sony Pictures Releasing

| released = {{Film date|2006|10|13}}

| runtime = 102 minutes{{Cite web |date=October 5, 2006|title=The Grudge 2 (15) |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-grudge-2-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zntm0njk|access-date=November 27, 2023 |website=British Board of Film Classification}}

| country = United States

| language = {{unbulleted list|English|Japanese}}

| budget = $20 million{{cite web| author= Box Office Mojo| date= October 16, 2006| title= Grudge 2 production budget| work= Box Office Mojo| url= https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=grudge2.htm| access-date= 2006-10-05| archive-date= September 5, 2015| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150905093118/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=grudge2.htm| url-status= live}}

| gross = $70.7 million{{Cite web |title=The Grudge 2 (2006) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Grudge-2-The |access-date=2023-03-28 |website=The Numbers |archive-date=March 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328070551/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Grudge-2-The |url-status=live }}

}}

The Grudge 2 is a 2006 American supernatural horror film directed by Takashi Shimizu and written by Stephen Susco. The film is a sequel to The Grudge (2004) and the second installment in the American The Grudge film series, based on the Ju-On franchise created by Shimizu. It is the sixth and last Ju-On or The Grudge film directed by Shimizu. The film stars Arielle Kebbel, Amber Tamblyn, Jennifer Beals, Edison Chen, Sarah Roemer, and Sarah Michelle Gellar, the latter reprising her role from the first film.

Like its predecessor, the film features a plot that is told through a nonlinear sequence of events and includes several intersecting subplots. It follows Karen's younger sister Aubrey coming to Japan after finding out about Doug's death, a schoolgirl named Allison being haunted by the ghosts of the Saeki family after entering the house with two of her classmates, and a young boy named Jake whose apartment building is haunted by the ghosts.

The Grudge 2 was released in the United States on October 13, 2006, by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received negative reviews from critics and grossed $70.7 million worldwide. A sequel, The Grudge 3, was released direct-to-video in May 2009.

Plot

The Grudge is described as a curse that is born when someone dies in the grip of extreme rage or sorrow. The curse is an entity created when the person dies. Those who encounter this supernatural force die, and the curse is reborn repeatedly, passing from victim to victim in an endless, growing chain of horror. The following events are explained in their actual order; however, the film is presented in a nonlinear narrative.

In 2004, American social worker Karen Davis tried to burn down the Saeki house to stop the curse but failed, finding herself hospitalized and haunted by Kayako. Karen's younger sister, Aubrey, goes to Tokyo to retrieve her. In Japan, Aubrey struggles to communicate with the hospital staff, but a journalist named Eason aids her. Aubrey briefly speaks with Karen, who panics and has to be restrained. Karen is later killed by Kayako in front of Aubrey and Eason. Eason explains the curse to Aubrey, revealing that he rescued Karen from the house fire and has been investigating the Saeki murders and surrounding events.

The two go to the house to retrieve Kayako's diary, but Toshio drags Aubrey inside to curse her. Eason takes the diary to an associate, who explains that Kayako's mother, Nakagawa Kawamata, was an itako who exorcised evil spirits from visitors and fed them to her daughter. Eason and Aubrey make plans to visit Kawamata. As Eason develops photographs he took of the Saeki house, Kayako emerges from a photo and murders him. After discovering his body, Aubrey travels alone to Kawamata's remote rural home. Kawamata skeptically warns her that the curse is irreversible, before being killed by her daughter. Aubrey ventures to the house, following an image of Karen inside. She encounters Takeo's ghost, who reenacts the night he discovers his wife's disloyalty and snaps Aubrey's neck.

In 2006, school girls Allison Fleming, Vanessa Cassidy, and Miyuki Nazawa break into the house on a dare. Allison is locked in the closet and encounters a ghost resembling Kayako (revealed to be Aubrey at the end of the film), but the girls escape. After Miyuki and Vanessa are consumed by the curse, Allison speaks with school counsellor Ms. Dale about the curse, but Dale denies its existence, revealing that she went to the house and is actually a ghost herself. Allison is haunted by the ghosts of her friends, and she eventually flees back to Chicago, where she stays with her parents.

The Kimbles move into an apartment block in Chicago. A young boy named Jake is disturbed by a strange presence in the building, brought about by a hooded stranger who covers windows with newspapers. Jake's father Bill and stepmother Trish are influenced by the curse: Bill, possessed by Takeo's spirit, suspects his wife of having an affair, and she bludgeons him with a frying pan. Jake and his sister, Lacey, return from school, but Jake finds that his family is all dead. He runs into the hooded person, revealed to be Allison, who explains that the curse followed her. Kayako appears inside Allison's hood, finally taking her, and then emerges to assault Jake.

Cast

{{Cast listing|

Sarah Michelle Gellar as Karen Davis, the sole survivor from the first film
Amber Tamblyn as Aubrey, Karen's younger sister
Arielle Kebbel as Allison, an exchange student from Chicago who attended Tokyo International School in Tokyo
Takako Fuji as Kayako Saeki, wife of Takeo Saeki, mother of Toshio Saeki
Edison Chen as Eason, a journalist who is investigating the Saeki murders
Sarah Roemer as Lacey, a cheerleader and Jake's older sister
Matthew Knight as Jake, a young boy who suspects something happening in their apartment
Misako Uno as Miyuki, Vanessa's friend
Teresa Palmer as Vanessa, a popular schoolgirl
Ohga Tanaka and Yuya Ozeki (archive footage) as Toshio Saeki, Kayako and Takeo's 7-year-old son
Jennifer Beals as Trish, Bill's wife
Christopher Cousins as Bill, Jake and Lacey's father
Takashi Matsuyama as Takeo Saeki, Kayako's husband
Joanna Cassidy as Mrs. Davis, Karen and Aubrey's ill mother who lives in Pasadena, California
Eve Gordon as the school's counselor
Jenna Dewan as Sally, Lacey's neighbor and friend
Ryo Ishibashi as Detective Nakagawa
Shaun Sipos as Michael, Miyuki's boyfriend
Jason Behr as Doug, Karen's boyfriend
Kim Miyori as Kayako's mother

}}

Production

Principal photography took place at Toho Studios{{cite web| author= Horror.com| date= October 6, 2006| title= Filming at Toho Studios| work= Horror.com| url= http://www.horror.com/php/article-1198-1.html| access-date= 2006-10-06| archive-date= October 31, 2006| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061031064617/http://www.horror.com/php/article-1198-1.html| url-status= live}} in Tokyo, Japan and production wrapped up on April 25, 2006. During an interview on Dread Central with Amber Tamblyn, it was reported that sets were created in Chicago for Tamblyn to re-shoot several scenes.{{cite web| author= Dread Central| date= September 10, 2006| title= Grudge 2 will reshoot| work= Dread Central| url= https://www.dreadcentral.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=287| access-date= 2006-08-17| archive-date= September 27, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070927221953/https://www.dreadcentral.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=287| url-status= live}}

Takashi Shimizu said in an interview with Sci Fi Wire, "For The Grudge 2, I was going for this mystery that was never there in The Grudge and I think that's going to fulfill the audience. ... There's a secret about Kayako's childhood life, so that's part of the big mystery. And the other mystery is this grudge will never stop and it's going to ... spread. And how is it going to get spread? That's another mystery."{{cite web | author= Sci Fi | date=September 10, 2006| title= Director discusses Grudge 2 | work= Sci Fi| url= http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=35283| access-date=2006-09-10 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060627054207/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=35283 |archive-date = 2006-06-27}} He also clarified that "The Grudge was a complete remake of Ju-on, meaning the storyline was very similar. Basically, it's the same. But Grudge 2 is actually different from Ju-on: The Grudge 2 and I don't think I would have accepted this job if it was going to be the same storyline. And because it was a different story, you know, my motivation was a bit higher and I actually enjoy doing this."

Release

File:Ribbon cutting at The Grudge 2 premier.jpg

The Grudge 2 premiered at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California on October 8, 2006. During the premiere, the theme park was open to the public and featured a Grudge 2 maze as part of its 2006 Halloween Haunt.{{Cite web |last=Sneider |first=Jeff |date=2006-10-10 |title=Knott's holds a Grudge |url=https://variety.com/2006/scene/vpage/knott-s-holds-a-grudge-1117951592/ |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=Variety}}

=Marketing=

Sony employed various methods to promote The Grudge 2. On April 1, 2006, a teaser site was launched with details revealing the October 13 release date. On September 19, 2006, Yahoo! Movies was the first site to release three short films titled Tales from the Grudge with an introduction from one of the producers of The Grudge, Sam Raimi. The series of shorts expands on the story of the Saeki curse.{{cite web | author= Yahoo Movies | date= September 20, 2006 | title= Yahoo Movies screening 3 short films | work= Yahoo Movies | url= https://movies.yahoo.com/feature/thegrudge2.html | access-date= 2006-09-10 | archive-date= May 22, 2011 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110522135837/http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/thegrudge2.html | url-status= dead }} The shorts were directed by Toby Wilkins (director of The Grudge 3) and written by Ben Ketai.

=Home media=

The Grudge 2 was released on DVD and UMD video for the PlayStation Portable on February 6, 2007.{{Cite web |last=McCutcheon |first=David |date=2006-12-12 |title=Grudge 2 DVD Due |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/12/12/grudge-2-dvd-due |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=IGN}} A Blu-ray version of the film has yet to be released in the United States. The film debuted on Blu-ray for the first time in France on March 2, 2010 in a standalone release and trilogy set with the first and third film. Though containing the Director’s Cut it is Region Locked. https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Grudge-2-Blu-ray/10216/ The film was released in the Netherlands on March 14, 2013 in a standalone release and as a double feature with the first film. This version is Region Free and contains the Director’s Cut but none of the special features. https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Grudge-2-Blu-ray/264671/ The film debuted on Blu-ray in the United Kingdom on November 2, 2020. This version only contains the theatrical cut and is Region Locked.{{Cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Grudge-2-Blu-ray/278463/|title=The Grudge 2 Blu-ray (United Kingdom)|access-date=February 26, 2021|archive-date=May 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510134024/https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Grudge-2-Blu-ray/278463/|url-status=live}} It grossed $8.5 million in home sales.{{Cite web |title=The Grudge 2 (2006) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Grudge-2-The |access-date=2023-03-28 |website=The Numbers |archive-date=March 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328070551/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Grudge-2-The |url-status=live }} The film then debuted in a double feature (and later a standalone) release with the first film in Germany on November 19, 2021. This disc, though Region Free, only contains the theatrical cut.https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Grudge-1-and-2-Blu-ray/298067/

Reception

=Box office=

The Grudge 2 opened in 3,211 theaters and was projected to generate $27 million across the October 13–15 weekend{{cite web|author=Rotten Tomatoes |date=October 13, 2006 |title=Box Office Guru Preview: Grudge Reborn at Box Office |website=Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/news/comments/?entryid=369272 |access-date=2006-10-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070209201306/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/news/comments/?entryid=369272 |archive-date=February 9, 2007 }} but generated $10,018,039 on its opening day and $20.8 million on its opening weekend. It placed number one at the box office, beating out The Departed. The film grossed $39.1 million in the United States and Canada, with $31.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $70.7 million.

=Critical response=

The Grudge 2 was not screened in advance for critics.{{cite web| author= Rotten Tomatoes| date= October 13, 2006| title= Grudge 2 not screened for critics| work= Rotten Tomatoes| url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/news/comments/?entryid=369285| access-date= 2006-10-13| archive-date= December 20, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081220122147/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/news/comments/?entryid=369285| url-status= live}} {{Rotten Tomatoes prose|12|3.6|78|consensus=A diminished sequel that makes even less sense than The Grudge 1|access-date=November 27, 2023|ref=y}} {{Metacritic film prose|33|16|ref=yes|access-date=November 27, 2023}}

The film was criticized by several critics for its confusing plot. Keith Phipps from The A.V. Club wrote, "While The Grudge 2 deserves some credit for creating and sustaining a creepy atmosphere, it doesn't matter much when the plot doesn't go anywhere."{{cite web | last=Phipps|first=Keith| date=October 13, 2006| title= The Grudge 2| website= The A.V. Club| url= https://www.avclub.com/content/node/54068 | access-date=2006-10-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061025191104/https://www.avclub.com/content/node/54068|archive-date=October 25, 2006|url-status=dead}} Pete Vonder Haar from Film Threat found "[t]he same problems that plagued the original are on display here. Most notably, the lack of any coherent plot."{{cite web | last=Vonder Haar |first=Pete| date=October 13, 2006| title= The Grudge 2 | website= Film Threat| url= https://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=9364 | access-date=2006-10-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017092423/https://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=9364|archive-date=October 17, 2006|url-status=dead}} Paul Debrudge from Variety stated, "The story is incidental, as auds merely anticipate the scares."{{cite web| last=Debrudge| first=Paul| title=The Grudge 2| website=Variety| url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117931852| access-date=2006-10-13| date=October 13, 2006| archive-date=November 12, 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112114242/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117931852/| url-status=live}} Tim Goernert from JoBlo.com "found it really hard to follow the story as well, as there were three of them happening at the same time."{{cite web | last=Goernert|first=Tim| date=October 13, 2006| title= Review: The Grudge 2 | url= https://joblo.com/index.php?id=13122|website=JoBlo.com| access-date=2006-10-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805225422/https://www.joblo.com/?id=13122|archive-date=August 5, 2011|url-status=dead}}

References

External links

{{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20080913131306/http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/thegrudge2/}} (archive)
[http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2007/02/05/the-grudge-2-production-notes/ Production notes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809052106/http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2007/02/05/the-grudge-2-production-notes/ |date=2019-08-09 }} at Sci-Fi Japan
{{IMDb title}}

Category:2006 films

Category:2000s psychological horror films

Category:American supernatural horror films

Category:Films directed by Takashi Shimizu

Category:Columbia Pictures films

Category:Ghost House Pictures films

Category:American haunted house films

Category:2000s Japanese-language films

Category:American sequel films

Category:American nonlinear narrative films

Category:Films about curses

Category:Films produced by Sam Raimi