Ju-On: The Grudge 2 Review

Writer / director Takashi Shimuzu dusts off his spooky little kid again in this, the follow-up to his original Japanese spook fest. But while it's pretty damn scary in places, Shimuzu's decision to jump around the timeline to show the plot from different perspectives does make things a touch confusing.

The basic premise this time is that famous horror actress Kyoko (Noriko Sakai) joins a "Most Haunted" style film crew for a day as they investigate the house from Shimuzu's first film. While nothing too significant is experienced at the time, it's not long before the cast and crew start to die unexpectedly or simply disappear, as murdered housewife Saeki Kayako and her young son set out to claim more victims.

If there's one thing Takashi Shimuzu does well, it is seriously creep you out - and "The Grudge 2" is certainly no exception. The sight of Kayako crawling out of a bloodstained floor to claim her latest victim and her pale son cropping up in the unlikeliest of places is desperately unnerving - and they are certainly kept busy, as characters bite the dust in all manner of unlikely ways. However with the narrative moving backwards & forwards in time it does get hard to follow exactly what's going, particularly with who's meant to be dead or alive at various points. Also, if you're unfamiliar with the original movie, you may find it hard to get a sense of who Kayako is and why she's out for blood.

However if you're a fan of the wave of Far Eastern horrors that have developed a huge following in the west, then Ju-On: The Grudge 2" will likely make perfect sense to you.