Somewhere in the midst of this we also had the "Hey, the Japanese are a cool bunch" school of horror. Yep, The Ring and The Grudge had their way with the box office. Although, it seems the sequels have arrived just a little past their used by date. The Grudge 2, the follow up to the fairly average 2004 flick (which was based on the Hong Kong hit Ju-On),
is nothing short of a snore fest. Look, I love a good horror flick as
much as the next man. I even forked out my cash to see the first flick
- but this sequel just didn't do it for me, despite the fact that the
'scary-tension' has been turned up by about 50%. It could be due to the fact that films like the aforementioned Hostel
have de-sensitised us. Why would I bother being frightened of an
imaginary ghost boy when I could fear a real life German who is willing
to cut me up alive? Ultimately this seems to be the downfall for this
particular sequel (along with the lack of a linear storyline...and
plot). Sarah Michelle Gellar returns (if only briefly) in her
role as the heroine from the first film, just long enough to be thrown
over the side of a building...or did she jump? There's a slew of
naughty teenage girls in mini-skirts who's decision to bully "The Dorky
Girl" leads to the curse being passed onto them - with a variety of
remarkably un-creepy things occurring. I tuned out about
half way through. There were about 25 stories going on at once, and to
be honest, you never really get the explanation you're after as to why
things happen the way they do. Credit must be given to Japanese
director Takashi Shimizu who does a pretty good job of keeping the
intensity of the film run consistently throughout proceedings (as
opposed to most horror flicks which usually have gaps in between the
"Horror Peaks" - within the world of The Grudge, there are no safe places for the characters - which works as the films one saving grace). It's all well and good, but perhaps a bit passed it used by date - much like Sarah Michelle Gellars career it seems. DVD
Extras The
extras here are not to bad. There are several featurettes of crew
members boasting about how fantastic the new film is (obviously that
hadn't seen the final cut of the film at that point!), along with a few
other Knick-Knacks which may interest Takashi Shimizu fans. Conclusion:
Movie 60% Extras: 55% 
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