The Grudge 2
Encyclopedia
The Grudge 2 is the 2006 sequel to the 2004 American horror film
remake
The Grudge
. The Grudge 2 is the second film in Sony
's The Grudge series and is directed by Takashi Shimizu
(director of the original series
) and written by Stephen Susco
. The film is produced by Sam Raimi
and stars Sarah Michelle Gellar
, Amber Tamblyn
, Arielle Kebbel
, Jenna Dewan
, and Edison Chen
. As stated by Takashi Shimizu the film is not a remake
of Ju-on: The Grudge 2
and follows a different storyline.
The film was released in North America
on October 13 after being pushed forward a week from the original October 20 release date
. The film was released in United Kingdom
on October 20 and in Australia
on October 26, 2006.
murdered his wife Kayako Saeki
, son Toshio Saeki
and the family cat Mar before being hung by Kayako's vengeful Onryō. Karen Davis, an American careworker became involved in the curse and attempted to burn the house down to end it, only to be hospitalised. Her ill mother sends Karen's sister Aubrey to bring her home. Aubrey struggles to speak with the Japanese hospital staff so a journalist, Eason, translates for her, having dragged Karen from the house fire. Aubrey briefly speaks with Karen who gets into a panic due to telling Aubrey not to go into the Saeki house and has to be strapped to her bed. Karen escapes to the roof, pursued by Kayako's ghost who throws her off the building to her death in front of Aubrey and Eason.
Eason explains the curse to Aubrey, venturing to the house to retrieve Kayako's old diary. However, Aubrey is lured into the house and becomes cursed like Eason. Taking the diary to an associate, Eason and Aubrey learn Kayako's mother Mrs. Kawamata was a priestess who exorcised
evil spirits from cursed people and fed them to a young Kayako. Planning to visit Mrs. Kawamata later, Aubrey falls asleep in Eason's apartment whilst he develops some photographs of the Saeki house. However, Kayako emerges from a photo and kills Eason. The next day, Aubrey finds Eason's body and flees to find Mrs. Kawamata. She finds the elderly woman in a rural village, but Mrs. Kawamata explains the curse is irreversible. She realises Aubrey brought Kayako with her, and is murdered by her daughter Kayako in retalation for her mother mistreating Kayako. After calling her mother for a final conversation, Aubrey ventures into the Saeki house. She demands to know the motive of the curse and sees her sister walking into Kayako's bedroom, looking for her boyfriend. Aubrey follows her and shouts at her not to enter, but then meets the evil Takeo Saeki in Kayako's bedroom, reading Kayako's diary. Takeo attacks Aubrey, breaking her ankle and forcing her to crawl downstairs just like Kayako, before he catches up with her, seizes her hair, and breaks her neck. Toshio watches as Takeo drags Aubrey into the attic, where Kayako comes out of the dark and stares at Aubrey as she dies, showing her that the curse seeks to claim more people.
In the second plot, three schoolgirls, exchange student Allison, vain Vanessa and her friend Miyuki, visit the Saeki house to challenge the rumours that it is haunted. However, Vanessa and Miyuki trap Allison in the house's closet where Toshio and then seemingly Kayako appear. The girls flee the house and are haunted by the Saeki family. Miyuki is killed by Kayako whilst staying at a love hotel
with her boyfriend. When she leans back, feeling something in her sheets, she rests her back on the mirror, then suddenly Kayako reaches out from the mirror behind her and drags her into the glass to her death. Miyuki's boyfriend came out of the shower but didn't find her. Allison and Vanessa are spoken to by the school counselor Ms. Dale, but the distraught Allison runs off, followed by Ms. Dale. Vanessa is terrified when Toshio calls her using Miyuki's phone, and she is quickly consumed by Kayako's hair upon fleeing to a public phone booth. Allison later speaks with Ms. Dale about the house, but discovers she went to the house herself and is really a ghost. Allison is menaced by the ghosts of Myuki and Vanessa before she flees from the campus and leaves for America in a panic.
In the third plot, focusing on an apartment block in Chicago
, Jake Kimble is disturbed by the strange presence in the building. His father and stepmother Bill and Trish are influenced by the curse, Bill becoming convinced that Trish is have an affair but his confrontation is short-lived when Trish wallops him with a frying pan, killing him. Sally, best friend to Jake's sister Lacey is also affected and dies. Jake is mostly fearful of the hooded stranger seen in the apartment of the Flemings, Jake's neighbours. The stranger covers the windows in newspaper, revealing haunting eyes to be staring through them. Jake and Lacey return from school to find their apartment in a mess, Jake finding his father's body, then witnessing Lacey and Trish to be consumed by the curse. Fleeing his apartment, he finds the Flemings dead too and confronts the hooded stranger, revealed to be Allison, the Flemings' daughter (who has unintentionally spread the curse to the building, the ghost she saw in the Saeki house' actually being Aubrey's). Kayako comes out of Allison's hood and drags Allison to the Underworld. Jake, left alone in the corridor, picks up Allison's discarded hoodie, and then Kayako emerges from the hoodie, uttering her death rattle, and looms towards Jake.
in 2004
and was officially fasttracked after a positive box office
response with the film grossing
$
110,175,871. In early January 2005 Takashi Shimizu
suggested ideas regarding the film's plot. Ideas included the origin of the curse and new character subplot
s.
The film was later placed into production hell
for almost a year until December 2005, when the first few cast (Sarah Michelle Gellar
and Teresa Palmer
) members were cast. Other production details were also revealed, including the original scheduled date for principal photography, which was due to begin January 30, 2006, but was postponed until February. Principal photography
for The Grudge 2 was held at Toho Studios
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
, Illinois
for Tamblyn to re-shoot several scenes.
Takashi Shimizu
stated 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."
He also stated 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 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."
In the Unrated Directors cut DVD are various shots included that were missing from the theatrical release, including extended shots of Karen's death in which blood spatters all over Eason and Aubrey, and a longer shot of blood gushing out from Karen's head.
Many extra scenes were included in the Unrated Directors cut DVD:
was launched with details revealing the October 13 release date. Many Database
forum
sites such as IMDB
were swamped with claims that Sony
was playing an April Fool's joke. A few days later, the site's authenticity was proven, and claims that it was a hoax
were dismissed.
released a missing person
s file on its official blog
stating a student filmmaker known as "Jason C" disappeared a few weeks after visiting the set of the film. The blog originally broadcast interviews with the film's stars including Sarah Michelle Gellar
and Amber Tamblyn
but has been taken over by his roommate
who filed the report.
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 short expands on the story of The Grudge curse. The shorts also appear on the film's official site Sony Pictures Entertainment, here fans who volunteer their mobile phone number, will get surprise calls from Kayako or Toshio. The films are also available on other film and horror related web sites as part of a wide reaching and unique digital marketing strategy
.
The shorts were directed by Toby Wilkins Official Site, IMDb page, and written by Ben Ketai.
d 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.
on the release date (others included The Marine
and One Night With The King
). It received very negative reviews from critics, with a freshness rating of 10% on Rotten Tomatoes
(7 out of 69 reviews
counted fresh), despite heavy advertisement.
The film has received criticism
s from several critics regarding a poor plot. Keith Phipps from The A.V. Club
stated, "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." Pete Vonder Haar from Film Threat
stated, "The same problems that plagued the original are on display here. Most notably, the lack of any coherent plot." Paul Debrudge from Variety
stated, "The Story is incidental, as auds merely anticipate the scares." Tim Goernert from Joblo
stated, "For the most part, I found it really hard to follow the story as well, as there were three of them happening at the same time."
The film has also been criticised as being eye candy
. Terry Lawson from Detroit Free Press
stated, "The Grudge 2 is just a mélange
of images, some mildly disturbing, but mostly just variations on a theme." The film has generated generally negative reviews with an average score of 34/100 on Metacritic
.
s and was expected to generate $
27 Million on the October 13 - 15th weekend but generated $
10,018,039 on its opening day and $20.8 million on its opening weekend. The film showed exceptionally poor staying power and earned $39.1 million in North America, making it the first ever film to open over $20 million yet gross less than 50% of its earnings after opening weekend. It goes without saying that it also easily set the record for lowest gross of a $20 million opener. It earned an additional $30 million internationally. The movie made $70 million world wide.
on the film, Takashi Shimizu
discussed ideas of creating another sequel, "During the script meeting, Our ideas didn't go anywhere good, and we couldn't come up with anything interesting to stop the curse, so if that's the case, I would rather just go for something that could never be stopped. But who knows, maybe something can be stopped in The Grudge 3. During Comic Con 06
, Sony
officially announced plans of creating the sequel
. Takashi Shimizu
stated he has offered to direct
the sequel but would rather produce
the film instead. Moviehole recently reported that the film was putting out a casting ball for new actors to play Kayako and Toshio, since Takako Fuji
(Kayako) and Yuya Ozeki
(Toshio) have passed on the opportunity. Bloody-Disgusting reports that Shawnee Smith
, who appeared as Amanda in Saw, Saw II, and Saw III, has finished filming her scenes for the movie.
! Country >
|Netherlands
|Canada
|USA
|Iceland
|Malaysia
|United Kingdom
|Pakistan
|Philippines
|Australia
|Germany
|Brazil
|Sweden
|India
|Finland
|Croatia
|France
and UMD video
for the PlayStation Portable
on February 6, 2007. Both are available in a rated and unrated director's cut format. The unrated format is 6 minutes longer than the rated version.
Both DVD formats include the following extras:
The movie was also made available on iTunes
in October 2008.
A Blu-ray version of the movie is yet to be released.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
remake
Ju-on: The Grudge
is a 2003 Japanese horror film written and directed by Takashi Shimizu. The film is the third entry in the Ju-on series and is the first film theatrically released...
The Grudge
The Grudge
The Grudge is the 2004 American remake of the Japanese film Ju-on: The Grudge, and the first horror film in the Ju-on series, Ju-on 1. The film is the first installment in the American horror film series The Grudge...
. The Grudge 2 is the second film in Sony
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
's The Grudge series and is directed by Takashi Shimizu
Takashi Shimizu
Takashi Shimizu is a Japanese film director, best known for the Ju-on series of horror films.-Filmography:...
(director of the original series
Ju-on
is the title of a series of horror films by Japanese director Takashi Shimizu. Shimizu attended the Film School of Tokyo, where he studied under Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Kurosawa helped Shimizu shepherd the Ju-on projects to fruition.-History:...
) and written by Stephen Susco
Stephen Susco
Stephen Susco is a film and television screenwriter who is most famous for writing the hit movies The Grudge and The Grudge 2.-Career:...
. The film is produced by Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
and stars Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Prinze , known professionally by her birth name of Sarah Michelle Gellar , is an American actress, singer and executive producer...
, Amber Tamblyn
Amber Tamblyn
Amber Rose Tamblyn is an American actress and poet. She first came to national attention in her role on the soap opera General Hospital as Emily Quartermaine, followed by a starring role on the prime-time series Joan of Arcadia portraying the title character...
, Arielle Kebbel
Arielle Kebbel
Arielle Caroline Kebbel is an American model and actress. Arielle is perhaps best known for her roles in films such as American Pie Presents: Band Camp, John Tucker Must Die, Vampires Suck, and Aquamarine, as well as TV series including The Vampire Diaries, Gilmore Girls, and Life Unexpected, on...
, Jenna Dewan
Jenna Dewan
Jenna Lee Dewan-Tatum , better known by her birth name Jenna Dewan, is an American actress, dancer, and former model.-Early life:...
, and Edison Chen
Edison Chen
Edison Koon-Hei Chen is a Hong Kong film actor, Cantopop singer, Hong Kong hip hop rapper, model, record producer, fashion designer, and a pop icon. Chen is also the founder of CLOT Inc., and the CEO of Clot Media Division Limited...
. As stated by Takashi Shimizu the film is not a remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of Ju-on: The Grudge 2
Ju-on: The Grudge 2
Ju-on: The Grudge 2 is a 2003 Japanese horror film and the fourth in the Ju-on series written and directed by Takashi Shimizu. The film was released in Japan on August 23, 2003....
and follows a different storyline.
The film was released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on October 13 after being pushed forward a week from the original October 20 release date
Film release
A film release is the stage at which a completed film is legally authorized by its owner for public distribution.The process includes locating a distributor to handle the film...
. The film was released in United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on October 20 and in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on October 26, 2006.
Plot
As with the first film, the second focuses on the cursed house of the Saeki family. The curse was caused when Takeo SaekiTakeo Saeki
Takeo Saeki is a fictional character created by Takashi Shimizu for the Ju-on/The Grudge saga. He is depicted by long-time veteran actor Takashi Matsuyama.-Character history:...
murdered his wife Kayako Saeki
Kayako Saeki
Kayako Saeki is a fictional character from the Ju-on series of Japanese-horror movies and The Grudge trilogy of American remakes. In all of the films, except for the third, she is played by actress Takako Fuji. In The Grudge 3, Kayako is played by Aiko Horiuchi, Fuji having turned down the role...
, son Toshio Saeki
Toshio Saeki
Toshio Saeki is a fictional character from the Ju-on series of Japanese-horror movies. He was played by several child actors, being Ryôta Koyama in the original two V-Cinema movies, Yuya Ozeki in the theatrical movies and the first American remake, Ohga Tanaka in The Grudge 2, Shimba Tsuchiya in...
and the family cat Mar before being hung by Kayako's vengeful Onryō. Karen Davis, an American careworker became involved in the curse and attempted to burn the house down to end it, only to be hospitalised. Her ill mother sends Karen's sister Aubrey to bring her home. Aubrey struggles to speak with the Japanese hospital staff so a journalist, Eason, translates for her, having dragged Karen from the house fire. Aubrey briefly speaks with Karen who gets into a panic due to telling Aubrey not to go into the Saeki house and has to be strapped to her bed. Karen escapes to the roof, pursued by Kayako's ghost who throws her off the building to her death in front of Aubrey and Eason.
Eason explains the curse to Aubrey, venturing to the house to retrieve Kayako's old diary. However, Aubrey is lured into the house and becomes cursed like Eason. Taking the diary to an associate, Eason and Aubrey learn Kayako's mother Mrs. Kawamata was a priestess who exorcised
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
evil spirits from cursed people and fed them to a young Kayako. Planning to visit Mrs. Kawamata later, Aubrey falls asleep in Eason's apartment whilst he develops some photographs of the Saeki house. However, Kayako emerges from a photo and kills Eason. The next day, Aubrey finds Eason's body and flees to find Mrs. Kawamata. She finds the elderly woman in a rural village, but Mrs. Kawamata explains the curse is irreversible. She realises Aubrey brought Kayako with her, and is murdered by her daughter Kayako in retalation for her mother mistreating Kayako. After calling her mother for a final conversation, Aubrey ventures into the Saeki house. She demands to know the motive of the curse and sees her sister walking into Kayako's bedroom, looking for her boyfriend. Aubrey follows her and shouts at her not to enter, but then meets the evil Takeo Saeki in Kayako's bedroom, reading Kayako's diary. Takeo attacks Aubrey, breaking her ankle and forcing her to crawl downstairs just like Kayako, before he catches up with her, seizes her hair, and breaks her neck. Toshio watches as Takeo drags Aubrey into the attic, where Kayako comes out of the dark and stares at Aubrey as she dies, showing her that the curse seeks to claim more people.
In the second plot, three schoolgirls, exchange student Allison, vain Vanessa and her friend Miyuki, visit the Saeki house to challenge the rumours that it is haunted. However, Vanessa and Miyuki trap Allison in the house's closet where Toshio and then seemingly Kayako appear. The girls flee the house and are haunted by the Saeki family. Miyuki is killed by Kayako whilst staying at a love hotel
Love hotel
A love hotel is a type of short-stay hotel found around the world operated primarily for the purpose of allowing couples privacy for sexual activities...
with her boyfriend. When she leans back, feeling something in her sheets, she rests her back on the mirror, then suddenly Kayako reaches out from the mirror behind her and drags her into the glass to her death. Miyuki's boyfriend came out of the shower but didn't find her. Allison and Vanessa are spoken to by the school counselor Ms. Dale, but the distraught Allison runs off, followed by Ms. Dale. Vanessa is terrified when Toshio calls her using Miyuki's phone, and she is quickly consumed by Kayako's hair upon fleeing to a public phone booth. Allison later speaks with Ms. Dale about the house, but discovers she went to the house herself and is really a ghost. Allison is menaced by the ghosts of Myuki and Vanessa before she flees from the campus and leaves for America in a panic.
In the third plot, focusing on an apartment block in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Jake Kimble is disturbed by the strange presence in the building. His father and stepmother Bill and Trish are influenced by the curse, Bill becoming convinced that Trish is have an affair but his confrontation is short-lived when Trish wallops him with a frying pan, killing him. Sally, best friend to Jake's sister Lacey is also affected and dies. Jake is mostly fearful of the hooded stranger seen in the apartment of the Flemings, Jake's neighbours. The stranger covers the windows in newspaper, revealing haunting eyes to be staring through them. Jake and Lacey return from school to find their apartment in a mess, Jake finding his father's body, then witnessing Lacey and Trish to be consumed by the curse. Fleeing his apartment, he finds the Flemings dead too and confronts the hooded stranger, revealed to be Allison, the Flemings' daughter (who has unintentionally spread the curse to the building, the ghost she saw in the Saeki house' actually being Aubrey's). Kayako comes out of Allison's hood and drags Allison to the Underworld. Jake, left alone in the corridor, picks up Allison's discarded hoodie, and then Kayako emerges from the hoodie, uttering her death rattle, and looms towards Jake.
Cast
- Amber TamblynAmber TamblynAmber Rose Tamblyn is an American actress and poet. She first came to national attention in her role on the soap opera General Hospital as Emily Quartermaine, followed by a starring role on the prime-time series Joan of Arcadia portraying the title character...
as Aubrey Davis, Karen's little sister - Arielle KebbelArielle KebbelArielle Caroline Kebbel is an American model and actress. Arielle is perhaps best known for her roles in films such as American Pie Presents: Band Camp, John Tucker Must Die, Vampires Suck, and Aquamarine, as well as TV series including The Vampire Diaries, Gilmore Girls, and Life Unexpected, on...
as Allison Fleming, a shy and emotional exchange student. - Matthew KnightMatthew Knight- External links :...
as Jake Kimble, a young boy who suspects something happening in their apartment. - Edison ChenEdison ChenEdison Koon-Hei Chen is a Hong Kong film actor, Cantopop singer, Hong Kong hip hop rapper, model, record producer, fashion designer, and a pop icon. Chen is also the founder of CLOT Inc., and the CEO of Clot Media Division Limited...
as Eason, a journalist who is investigating the Saeki murders. - Sarah RoemerSarah RoemerSarah Christine Roemer is an American model and actress. She is best known for her roles in the films Disturbia, Asylum, and Fired Up!.-Life and career:...
as Lacey Kimble, a cheerleader and Jake's kind and supporting older sister. - Jennifer BealsJennifer BealsJennifer Beals is an American actress and a former teen model. She is known for her roles as Alexandra "Alex" Owens in the 1983 film Flashdance, and as Bette Porter on the Showtime drama series The L Word. She earned an NAACP Image Award and a Golden Globe Award nomination for the former...
as Trish Kimble, Bill's new wife. - Christopher Cousins as Bill Kimble, Jake and Lacey's father.
- Teresa PalmerTeresa PalmerTeresa Palmer is an Australian actress. She made her film debut in the suicide drama 2:37. Palmer was seen in The Grudge 2 in 2006, in December Boys, alongside Daniel Radcliffe, and in the 2008 children's fantasy Bedtime Stories, with Adam Sandler...
as Vanessa, the popular bully of Japan International High School. - Misako Uno as Miyuki Nazawa, Vanessa's best friend.
- Sarah Michelle GellarSarah Michelle GellarSarah Michelle Prinze , known professionally by her birth name of Sarah Michelle Gellar , is an American actress, singer and executive producer...
as Karen Davis, the sole traumatized survivor of the curse and Aubrey's older sister. - Jenna DewanJenna DewanJenna Lee Dewan-Tatum , better known by her birth name Jenna Dewan, is an American actress, dancer, and former model.-Early life:...
as Sally, Lacey's neighbor and best friend - Joanna CassidyJoanna CassidyJoanna Cassidy is an American film and television actress. She is known for her role as the replicant Zhora in the Ridley Scott's film Blade Runner...
as Mrs. Davis, Karen and Aubrey's sick mother - Takako FujiTakako Fujiis a Japanese actress and seiyū with strong ties to theatre.-Biography:A native of Tokyo, Honshū Island, Japan who was born there in 1972, Fuji studied acting at the Aoyama Gakuin University, and subsequently joined the Ein Theatrical Company. Her work was usually on-stage or in voice-over studios,...
as Kayako SaekiKayako SaekiKayako Saeki is a fictional character from the Ju-on series of Japanese-horror movies and The Grudge trilogy of American remakes. In all of the films, except for the third, she is played by actress Takako Fuji. In The Grudge 3, Kayako is played by Aiko Horiuchi, Fuji having turned down the role... - Shaun SiposShaun SiposShaun Sipos is a Canadian actor. Sipos is perhaps best known for playing David Breck on The CW series Melrose Place.-Career:...
as Michael who is Miyuki's boyfriend - Ohga TanakaOhga Tanakais a Japanese child actor. He was born in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. He is best known for his role as Toshio in The Grudge 2 .-External links:...
and Yuya OzekiYuya Ozekiis a Japanese child actor. He is most known for his role as Toshio in the Ju-on series of films. He has worked with Takashi Matsuyama and Takako Fuji on all theatrical releases of Ju-on and The Grudge...
as Toshio SaekiToshio SaekiToshio Saeki is a fictional character from the Ju-on series of Japanese-horror movies. He was played by several child actors, being Ryôta Koyama in the original two V-Cinema movies, Yuya Ozeki in the theatrical movies and the first American remake, Ohga Tanaka in The Grudge 2, Shimba Tsuchiya in... - Takashi MatsuyamaTakashi MatsuyamaTakashi Matsuyama may refer to:* Takashi Matsuyama , Japanese actor and seiyū* Takashi Matsuyama , production designer and art director...
as Takeo SaekiTakeo SaekiTakeo Saeki is a fictional character created by Takashi Shimizu for the Ju-on/The Grudge saga. He is depicted by long-time veteran actor Takashi Matsuyama.-Character history:... - Kim MiyoriKim MiyoriKim Miyori is an American actress, best known for the role of Dr. Wendy Armstrong on the first two seasons of the 1980s medical drama St...
as Mrs. Kawamata who is Kayako's mother - Eve Gordon as Ms. Dale, Japan International High School's counselor.
- Paul Jarrett as Mr. Fleming, Allison's father
- Gwen Lorenzetti as Mrs. Fleming, Allison's mother
Production
The Grudge 2 was announced 3 days after the release of The GrudgeThe Grudge
The Grudge is the 2004 American remake of the Japanese film Ju-on: The Grudge, and the first horror film in the Ju-on series, Ju-on 1. The film is the first installment in the American horror film series The Grudge...
in 2004
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
and was officially fasttracked after a positive box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
response with the film grossing
Revenue
In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
110,175,871. In early January 2005 Takashi Shimizu
Takashi Shimizu
Takashi Shimizu is a Japanese film director, best known for the Ju-on series of horror films.-Filmography:...
suggested ideas regarding the film's plot. Ideas included the origin of the curse and new character subplot
Subplot
A subplot is a secondary plot strand that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or in thematic significance...
s.
The film was later placed into production hell
Development hell
In the jargon of the media-industry, "development hell" is a period during which a film or other project is trapped in development...
for almost a year until December 2005, when the first few cast (Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Prinze , known professionally by her birth name of Sarah Michelle Gellar , is an American actress, singer and executive producer...
and Teresa Palmer
Teresa Palmer
Teresa Palmer is an Australian actress. She made her film debut in the suicide drama 2:37. Palmer was seen in The Grudge 2 in 2006, in December Boys, alongside Daniel Radcliffe, and in the 2008 children's fantasy Bedtime Stories, with Adam Sandler...
) members were cast. Other production details were also revealed, including the original scheduled date for principal photography, which was due to begin January 30, 2006, but was postponed until February. Principal photography
Principal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
for The Grudge 2 was held at Toho Studios
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and production wrapped up on April 25, 2006. During an interview on Dread Central with Amber Tamblyn
Amber Tamblyn
Amber Rose Tamblyn is an American actress and poet. She first came to national attention in her role on the soap opera General Hospital as Emily Quartermaine, followed by a starring role on the prime-time series Joan of Arcadia portraying the title character...
, it was reported that sets
Set construction
Set construction is the process by which a set designer works in collaboration with the director of a production to create the set for a theatrical, film or television production...
were created in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
for Tamblyn to re-shoot several scenes.
Differences from Ju-on: The Grudge 2
DirectorFilm director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Takashi Shimizu
Takashi Shimizu
Takashi Shimizu is a Japanese film director, best known for the Ju-on series of horror films.-Filmography:...
stated in an interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
with Sci Fi Wire: For The Grudge 2, I was going for this mystery that was never there in The Grudge
The Grudge
The Grudge is the 2004 American remake of the Japanese film Ju-on: The Grudge, and the first horror film in the Ju-on series, Ju-on 1. The film is the first installment in the American horror film series 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."
He also stated that:
"The Grudge was a complete remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of Ju-on
Ju-on
is the title of a series of horror films by Japanese director Takashi Shimizu. Shimizu attended the Film School of Tokyo, where he studied under Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Kurosawa helped Shimizu shepherd the Ju-on projects to fruition.-History:...
, meaning the storyline was very similar. Basically, it's the same. But Grudge 2 is actually different from Ju-on 2
Ju-on 2
Ju-on 2 is the second film in the Japanese Ju-on series. The film was released in Japan on March 25, 2000 and was later released onto video on April 14, 2000....
, 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."
Chronology
In The Grudge 2, the story of Aubrey is the first, chronologically, being in 2004, and then the story of Allison, Miyuki and Vanessa follow in 2006, following on with the Kimble family a couple of months later.Deleted scenes
The names of the deleted scenes are taken from the DVD's 'Special Feature' section.- When Closet Door Opens: After Allison was freed from the closet, she found herself with Eason, who seemed somewhat surprised upon seeing her in the closet. Two years earlier, when Eason first entered the house, he found the closet after hearing noises from it. The closet was sealed with tape, and when he removed it, he found Allison in the closet. He was quite surprised to see her, revealing they are both in a time-loop inside the house, within a two year period. This would make the chronology of the storyline more complicated and would remove the fact of having three different time periods.
- Itako's Film: When Aubrey and Eason were at Itako's apartment, they were watching a documentary film of Japanese exorcisms.
- The Passport: After being terrorized by the ghostly Principal Dale, Miyuki, and Vanessa, Allison ran back to her apartment to pack her belongings and grabbed her passport, trying to get back to Chicago.
- Aubrey's Dream: On the bus, Aubrey was dreaming of having a loving relationship with her mother. However, the dream slowly deteriorated into a nightmare, and her mother coughs up a gland and forces Aubrey to ingest it, much like when Kayako's mother would force her to swallow evil spirits when she was a girl. Aubrey then woke up, finding an old man playing peek-a-boo with no one.
- Alternate Ending & Epilogue: After Jake finds his family dead, he runs to Kagome's apartment. On arrival, he finds his sister dead. Jake finds Allison and instead of Kayako's hand appearing and pulling Allison into her clothing, Kayako crawls from the apartment's stairs and attacks Allison and Jake. Parts of this scene were used in the official trailer for the film.
- In the epilogue, Karen and Aubrey's mother received a delivery from Japan, a box full of Karen's belongings and Kayako's journal. When Mrs. Davis takes a look at it, she finds some black hairs are attached to a page. She drops the journal, and when she picks it up again, finds an eye moving on it. She soon coughs up Kayako's head, which is wrapped in black hair. This tears Mrs.Davis's jaw from her head, killing her. Her face is similar to Yoko's jaw-less face in the first film.
In the Unrated Directors cut DVD are various shots included that were missing from the theatrical release, including extended shots of Karen's death in which blood spatters all over Eason and Aubrey, and a longer shot of blood gushing out from Karen's head.
Many extra scenes were included in the Unrated Directors cut DVD:
- An extended reaction shot of Bill after Trish pours hot cooking oil on his head.
- A whole new frame in which Bill twitches on the floor after Trish hits him with a frying pan.
- The transition to the opening title sequence is different: The theatrical version shows Trish drinking coffee, then the frame fades to white. The Unrated DVD shows Bill under the table again, lying on the floor with blood flowing from his head.
- Alternate shots of the schoolgirls: Vanessa, Miyuki and Allison sneaking around the Saeki house.
- In the bathroom of the Saeki House Miyuki notices black water, which starts to bubble. Scared by it, she steps back and is surprised by Vanessa. Vanessa then questions Miyuki, thinking that she feels sorry for Allison which Miyuki denies.
- Before entering Karen's sickroom, a police officer asks Aubrey for her ID.
- After Karen unties herself from the bed, she walks towards the door. Kayako is visibly following her in the background.
- Extra and prolonged shots of Karen's body after Kayako pulls her off the roof of the hospital.
- At the motel scene Miyuki holds the condom longer in her hands.
- Before Aubrey enters Karen's house there's a shot of the moon.
- Prolonged scene of Lacey's friend Sally, who is evidently sick, drinking the regurgitated milk after she previously drinks it and throws it back up.
- As Eason looks for Aubrey in Karen's apartment, Aubrey is sleeping in the theatrical version. In the Directors cut, she is walking towards the door in an extended shot.
- Shows the ghosts of Vanessa and Miyuki in Principal Dale's office for an additional 8 seconds when they appear to Allison.
- Extended scene where Jake follows Allison as she walks into the courtyard.
- When Allison begins to leave the courtyard, Jake looks down and sees the feet of Miyuki and Vanessa's ghosts following her.
- While Allison looks around Karen's place, Eason talks to the expert over the phone and makes an appointment.
- When Aubrey exits Karen's room to leave with Eason, you see Kayako in the background behind Karen's coat rack, which Aubrey observes to find it is a black scarf and a white coat.
- After Eason sees a black smudge on the picture, Kayako slowly comes out of the water staring at him. Kayako tries to grab Eason, but he gets away by sitting down on the floor, moving backwards while Kayako continues to crawl out. Eason gets cornered, then Kayako crawls over and kills him.
- As Aubrey talks with her mother over the phone, the beginning of the scene has been edited differently. The theatrical version begins with Aubrey taking out her phone. The director's cut begins with her mother being awakened by the ringing phone.
- The Scar In this scene after Kayako lurches for Kagome she scratches her on the right side of her cheek, leaving a long and bloody gash.
Teaser Site
On April 1, 2006 a teaser siteWebsite
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
was launched with details revealing the October 13 release date. Many Database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
sites such as IMDB
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
were swamped with claims that Sony
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
was playing an April Fool's joke. A few days later, the site's authenticity was proven, and claims that it was a hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
were dismissed.
Missing Person File: Jason C
To promote the film, SonySony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
released a missing person
Missing person
A missing person is a person who has disappeared for usually unknown reasons.Missing persons' photographs may be posted on bulletin boards, milk cartons, postcards, and websites, along with a phone number to be contacted if a sighting has been made....
s file on its official blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
stating a student filmmaker known as "Jason C" disappeared a few weeks after visiting the set of the film. The blog originally broadcast interviews with the film's stars including Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Prinze , known professionally by her birth name of Sarah Michelle Gellar , is an American actress, singer and executive producer...
and Amber Tamblyn
Amber Tamblyn
Amber Rose Tamblyn is an American actress and poet. She first came to national attention in her role on the soap opera General Hospital as Emily Quartermaine, followed by a starring role on the prime-time series Joan of Arcadia portraying the title character...
but has been taken over by his roommate
Roommate
A roommate is a person who shares a living facility such as an apartment or dormitory. Similar terms include suitemate, housemate, flatmate , or sharemate...
who filed the report.
Short films
On September 19, 2006 Yahoo!Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
Movies was the first site to release three short films
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
titled "Tales from the Grudge" with an introduction from one of the producers of The Grudge, Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
. The series of short expands on the story of The Grudge curse. The shorts also appear on the film's official site Sony Pictures Entertainment, here fans who volunteer their mobile phone number, will get surprise calls from Kayako or Toshio. The films are also available on other film and horror related web sites as part of a wide reaching and unique digital marketing strategy
Internet marketing
Internet marketing, also known as digital marketing, web marketing, online marketing, search marketing or e-marketing, is referred to as the marketing of products or services over the Internet...
.
The shorts were directed by Toby Wilkins Official Site, IMDb page, and written by Ben Ketai.
Tales from The Grudge
These short films are also available in the DVD's "Special Feature' section. There is an introduction by Sam Raimi.- Part 1, "Hotel": - is the first in the series of shorts. It introduces Ross (played by Daniel Sykes) as he wakes up in a Tokyo hotel room and coughs up quantities of Kayako's black hair. He wakes from this nightmareNightmareA nightmare is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong negative emotional response from the mind, typically fear or horror, but also despair, anxiety and great sadness. The dream may contain situations of danger, discomfort, psychological or physical terror...
to the sound of the mobile phoneMobile phoneA mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
and answers it. The caller is his girlfriend Abby (played by Stefanie Butler), who is safe at home in the US. Ross explains that his attempts to investigate the house and the woman with long black hair have led to a dead end. When the phone call ends, we stay with Ross as he takes a photo of himself with his mobile phone. He does not notice as Kayako passes by behind him at the precise moment he takes the shot. He then sends the picture to Abby. Ross then goes to brush his teeth and finds black hair in his toothbrush before being grabbed through the mirror by Kayako.
- Part 2, "School": - is the second short film in which we follow the story of Abby as she ends the phone call from the first short. Abby then proceeds to call her friend, Brooke (played by Ginny Weirick), to ask about plans that evening. When the call ends, Abby receives a photo messageMultimedia Messaging ServiceMultimedia Messaging Service, or MMS, is a standard way to send messages that include multimedia content to and from mobile phones. It extends the core SMS capability that allowed exchange of text messages only up to 160 characters in length.The most popular use is to send photographs from...
from her boyfriend Ross (from the first short). When Abby looks closer at the image, she sees that Kayako is in the hotel room with Ross. Abby attempts to call her boyfriend and warn him, but she only hears Kayako and then it hangs up. Abby looks over at the girl that was sitting beside her to see Kayako.
- Part 3, "House": - is the third short film that overlaps during the events in School. The film opens with Brooke (as introduced in the second short) receiving a phone call from Abby. As the call ends, Brooke agrees to play hide and seekHide and seekHide-and-seek or hide-and-go-seek is a variant of the game tag, in which a number of players conceal themselves in the environment, to be found by one or more seekers.-Variants:Numerous variants of the game can be found around the world...
with the child, Josh, whom she is babysittingBabysittingBabysitting is the practice of temporarily caring for a child on behalf of the child's parents. Babysitting is commonly performed as an odd job by teenagers for extra money.-General:...
and chooses a walk-in closet as her hiding place. Brooke soon finds herself trapped and is dragged violently into the underworldUnderworldThe Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
by Kayako. Josh then gets up and says "Come out, come out, wherever you are," before Brooke's cell phone begins ringing.
Premiere
The Grudge 2 premierePremiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
d at Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park in Buena Park, California, now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, now part of The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California....
in Buena Park
Buena Park, California
Buena Park is a city in northwestern Orange County, California. As of Census 2010 the population was 80,530. The city is adjacent to the city of Anaheim and is 12 miles northwest of downtown Santa Ana. The Current OMB metropolitan designation for Buena Park and the Orange County Area is "Santa...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
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.
Reception
The film was one of three films not shown to film criticsFilm criticism
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films, individually and collectively. In general, this can be divided into journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, and other popular, mass-media outlets and academic criticism by film scholars that is informed by film theory and...
on the release date (others included The Marine
The Marine
The Marine is a 2006 American action film starring wrestler John Cena. The film was directed by John Bonito, written by Michelle Gallagher and Alan B...
and One Night With The King
One Night with the King
One Night with the King is a historical epic film that was released in 2006 in the United States. Based on the novel Hadassah: One Night with the King by Tommy Tenney and Mark Andrew Olsen, One Night with the King is a dramatization of the Old Testament Bible story of Esther, who risked her life by...
). It received very negative reviews from critics, with a freshness rating of 10% on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
(7 out of 69 reviews
Film criticism
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films, individually and collectively. In general, this can be divided into journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, and other popular, mass-media outlets and academic criticism by film scholars that is informed by film theory and...
counted fresh), despite heavy advertisement.
The film has received criticism
Criticism
Criticism is the judgement of the merits and faults of the work or actions of an individual or group by another . To criticize does not necessarily imply to find fault, but the word is often taken to mean the simple expression of an objection against prejudice, or a disapproval.Another meaning of...
s from several critics regarding a poor plot. Keith Phipps from The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
stated, "While The Grudge 2 deserves some credit for creating and sustaining a creepy atmosphere
Setting tone
Authors set a Tone in literature by conveying emotions/feelings through words. The way a person feels about an idea/concept, event, or another person can be quickly determined through facial expressions, gestures and in the tone of voice used. In literature an author sets the tone through words...
, it doesn't matter much when the plot doesn't go anywhere." Pete Vonder Haar from Film Threat
Film Threat
Film Threat is a former print magazine and, now, webzine which focuses primarily on independent film, although it also reviews DVDs of mainstream films and Hollywood movies in theaters. It first appeared as a photocopied zine in 1985, created by Wayne State University students Chris Gore and André...
stated, "The same problems that plagued the original are on display here. Most notably, the lack of any coherent plot." Paul Debrudge from Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
stated, "The Story is incidental, as auds merely anticipate the scares." Tim Goernert from Joblo
JoBlo.com
JoBlo.com is a website primarily focused on the film industry.JoBlo.com was started in 1998 by Berge Garabedian , a movie reviewer who is known for critiquing movies from the perspective of an average movie-goer. The website's name is, in fact, a play on the term Joe Shmoe, and registered users of...
stated, "For the most part, I found it really hard to follow the story as well, as there were three of them happening at the same time."
The film has also been criticised as being eye candy
Eye candy
Eye candy may refer to:*Attractiveness*Eye Candy , an album by Mis-Teeq*software "Eye Candy", a plugin for Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Fireworks that adds new filter effects*"Eye Candy", an episode of the animated series Happy Tree Friends...
. Terry Lawson from Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
stated, "The Grudge 2 is just a mélange
Mélange
In geology, a mélange is a large-scale breccia, a mappable body of rock characterized by a lack of continuous bedding and the inclusion of fragments of rock of all sizes, contained in a fine-grained deformed matrix. The mélange typically consists of a jumble of large blocks of varied lithologies...
of images, some mildly disturbing, but mostly just variations on a theme." The film has generated generally negative reviews with an average score of 34/100 on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
.
Box office
The film opened in 3,211 theatreTheatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
s and was expected to generate $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
27 Million on the October 13 - 15th weekend but generated $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
10,018,039 on its opening day and $20.8 million on its opening weekend. The film showed exceptionally poor staying power and earned $39.1 million in North America, making it the first ever film to open over $20 million yet gross less than 50% of its earnings after opening weekend. It goes without saying that it also easily set the record for lowest gross of a $20 million opener. It earned an additional $30 million internationally. The movie made $70 million world wide.
Sequel
During post-productionPost-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
on the film, Takashi Shimizu
Takashi Shimizu
Takashi Shimizu is a Japanese film director, best known for the Ju-on series of horror films.-Filmography:...
discussed ideas of creating another sequel, "During the script meeting, Our ideas didn't go anywhere good, and we couldn't come up with anything interesting to stop the curse, so if that's the case, I would rather just go for something that could never be stopped. But who knows, maybe something can be stopped in The Grudge 3. During Comic Con 06
Comic-Con International
San Diego Comic-Con International, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego , and commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con, was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by Shel Dorf and a group of San Diegans...
, Sony
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
officially announced plans of creating the sequel
The Grudge 3
The Grudge 3 is the direct-to-DVD sequel to the American horror film The Grudge and its sequel, The Grudge 2. The film was directed by Toby Wilkins taking Takashi Shimizu's place. The film was released on May 12, 2009. It stars Johanna Braddy and Shawnee Smith-Plot:Jake is brutally murdered by...
. Takashi Shimizu
Takashi Shimizu
Takashi Shimizu is a Japanese film director, best known for the Ju-on series of horror films.-Filmography:...
stated he has offered to direct
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
the sequel but would rather produce
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
the film instead. Moviehole recently reported that the film was putting out a casting ball for new actors to play Kayako and Toshio, since Takako Fuji
Takako Fuji
is a Japanese actress and seiyū with strong ties to theatre.-Biography:A native of Tokyo, Honshū Island, Japan who was born there in 1972, Fuji studied acting at the Aoyama Gakuin University, and subsequently joined the Ein Theatrical Company. Her work was usually on-stage or in voice-over studios,...
(Kayako) and Yuya Ozeki
Yuya Ozeki
is a Japanese child actor. He is most known for his role as Toshio in the Ju-on series of films. He has worked with Takashi Matsuyama and Takako Fuji on all theatrical releases of Ju-on and The Grudge...
(Toshio) have passed on the opportunity. Bloody-Disgusting reports that Shawnee Smith
Shawnee Smith
Shawnee Smith is an American film and television actress and singer. Smith is best known for her roles as Amanda Young in the Saw films and Linda in the CBS sitcom Becker....
, who appeared as Amanda in Saw, Saw II, and Saw III, has finished filming her scenes for the movie.
Release information
The following is a list of the films release dates worldwide.|Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
|Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
|USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
|Malaysia
|United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
|Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
|Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
|Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
|Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
|Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
|Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
|India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
|Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
|Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
|France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Home Release
The Grudge 2 was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and UMD video
Universal Media Disc
The Universal Media Disc is an optical disc medium developed by Sony for use on their PlayStation Portable handheld gaming and multimedia platform...
for the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
on February 6, 2007. Both are available in a rated and unrated director's cut format. The unrated format is 6 minutes longer than the rated version.
Both DVD formats include the following extras:
- Tales from The Grudge
- Cast & Crew reel change montage
- Four Featurettes:
- Holding a Grudge: Kayako & Toshio
- East meets west
- Grudge 2 Storyline Development
- Ready when you are: Mr. Shimizu
- Deleted Scenes
The movie was also made available on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
in October 2008.
A Blu-ray version of the movie is yet to be released.
External links
- Official Website
- Official Blog
- The Grudge 2 Reviews at Metacritic.com
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