Too many fans seem to be blown away

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I did not begin to get interested in Japanese horror until around the time that the American version of "The Grudge" came out. Having always been a loyal fan of the horror genre, when a friend told me that "The Grudge" was so terrifying that he came close to wetting himself in the theater, I decided to see it. After seeing it, I have made fun of that friend every year since. Although I enjoyed the movie, there was nothing scary about it. When I went to college at NIU, I took Japanese as my minor and one of the classes had us watch "Ringu." I enjoyed it so much more than the American version, which was saying a lot since I loved the American version. So began my love affair with Japanese horror and my parallel interest in seeing "Ju-On" in order to see if it were any scarier than the American version.Sadly enough, although I enjoyed "Ju-on" and the sequel, I was disappointed because it wasn't remotely scary. It was only upon giving the film a second chance that I realized it was not the first film in the series and that the one I am reviewing now is.After seeing this original offering in the "Ju-on" series, I finally get it. I have been watching horror for over 3 decades and it takes a lot to scare me. This movie actually gave me the creeps. Even though I knew what had happened due to watching the other movies, even though I knew Toshio was a ghost, there were certain scenes in this short film that actually scared the crap out of me.I think this movie proves that not only does a horror movie not need a huge budget in order to be scary, the big budget can ruin the movie. No CGI and just some makeup on Toshio's face, and the less pronounced death rattle...this was a good and scary movie and definitely the strongest offering in this series. Amazing.

Before I watched the Japenese original, I've watched the American Remake, which I even found very creepy.Compared to the Remake Ju On is structured very different. The viewer is confronted with peoples and their stories. All the protagonists are chased by the curse and there are so many creepy moments.Especially the little boy is scary and I really like the way the director plays with the viewer's mind. The horror might await you behind every corner, but you just recognize it when it is too late and you get scared.I like both "The Grudge" variants and this one should be seen by every horrorfan

This is one of those movies that proves budget isn't everything in movie-making, especially where horror films are concerned. It's a true gem of the horror genre, exploring the human psyche as part of its path to the spooky conclusion.A brutal murder of a young woman and her son by the husband and father (who is convinced of the wife's infidelity) opens the story, unleashing the curse of a malevolent evil presence which remains in the vicinity of the violent event. The lingering presence "infects" and tries to victimize, both psychologically and physically, others who visit the crime scene.The story is logically developed, breaking the stories of key characters that encounter the evil into separate chapters, with an eerie mood that is maintained throughout. The people in the story are very real and human, and the terror, helplessness, and madness of victims is acted out skillfully. The creatures are threatening yet develop to be complex characters rather than mindless killing monsters. Their back stories are gradually revealed as things unfold. The look of the beings suits the intent of the film's focus well.There are some truly scary scenes, not on a "jump out at you" basis, but more of the "implied danger creeping toward you from the darkness" variety. There is one profoundly goose-bump-inducing scene involving a security camera. Look for that one--it's a keeper. Good old style late-night ghost story, a must for horror movie fans.

I believe the movie that I saw twice is actually "Ju-on: The Grudge". The cover of the DVDs in IMDb are the same."Ju-On" is a very scary horror movie, based on a Japanese legend. In the beginning of the film, there is an explanation in this regard. When a person is killed in a violent way, his or her death generates a cursed evil spirit that will stay in the place where the crime took place. If another person meets this spirit, he or she will be chased and haunted to the death generating another curse. In Western cultures, the fiend is generally trapped in a haunted house, and the person is safe and sound if he or she escapes from the place."Ju-on" impresses because there is no bloody scene, only a tense psychological exploration of the inner fear of human beings for the unknown. The story is very simple and low paced, there are very few special effects, a great use of sound, no gore, but the creepy atmosphere is really frightening. Asiatic cinema proves again that in this moment their cinema is the number one in the horror genre. Unfortunately, the pretentious American industry of cinema insists in remaking and spoiling these Asian masterpieces. Today, 23 March 2007, I have just watched "Ju-on" for the second time with the intention of seeing the Japanese sequel and I startled many times with this excellent horror movie. I recalled the whole story and now I am familiarized with this Japanese belief of the Ju-on, therefore the non-chronological screenplay got better and better than in the first time that I saw. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Ju-On, O Grito" ("Ju-On, The Scream")