Ju-on

Super cool to have this one in my DVD horror collection! I've always known about this film but never got around to adding it to the collection until now. It's awesome to now own the original Japanese masterpiece that launched the American "Grudge" franchise! Disc was perfectly clean and no marks, the case also came in good condition with an inner slip cover with the artwork and scene selection on the back (which I wasn't expecting in the packaging) but it's a cool addition! Fast shipping, came earlier than expected!!

I can remember four films in my life that really scared me:- As a child in the early 60's, I was pactically destroyed after seeing THE CURSE OF THE FACELESS MAN on "Chiller Theater."-When I was about 12 or 13, I was freaked out over THE NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.-At age 21, I was pretty much knocked for a loop by THE EXORCIST.As a "middle-aged" adult, I enjoy horror films as much as ever, but more for enjoyment than for scares. That's why JU-ON took me by surprise. The last thing I expected to find was a film thaat would actually give me the creeps! The film generates a really disturbing and eerie sense of horror, heightened by the fact that the most frightening scenes are set during the middle of the day, and contain no gore or special effects.The chills in JU-ON arrive almost in the form of snapshots, sudden scenes of terror intruding upon what appears to be the most normal and tranquil of settings. What elevates the horror is that there is no rhyme or reason behind the malevolence. The various characters are hounded simply because they have some sort of innocent connection to a house which plays a significant part in the story. They are terrorized inside the house, and outside, and there's just no way to fight it.The scares in JU-ON are of the primal variety: slow-moving horrors descending upon you ..... unnerving sounds and things always shimmering out of the corner of your eye .... madness encroaching at every turn. Characters find themselves trapped in a waking nightmare.Some reviewers have complained about the non-sequential aspect of the story. But this is a big plus. It's another element that keeps you wary and watchful, and also makes you hungry for a second viewing. In fact, subsequent viewings really fill in the blanks and make for a rewarding cinematic experience.Actress Takako Fuji, who plays the ghost/demon, is a revelation. She conjures up a truly palpable sense of obsessed, otherworldly malice using no words, just facial expressions and body language/movements. She is a haunting presence that will stay with you LONG after you view the film.I'm at a loss to understand certain criticisms of JU-ON. In an age of cookie-cutter horror flicks, with interchangeable scripts and the usual gore, JU-ON creates a frightening atmosphere employing imagery that, on the one hand, harks back to the great ghost/demon stories of the past, and on the other, is strikingly original.The direction and acting are just right, never overstated or flashy. The film moves at an even pace, not "slowly," but engrossing. It is just so "well done" on all levels -- not too much, not too little. It's a true achievement in the field. Far from being a derogatory description, I would say that it does remind me of an "art-house" film, in the sense that you don't sit there marvelling at the effects or the budget. The film is understated on one level, and visually arresting on the other.If you look at some of the "horror" films made in Japan, Korea and Thailand over the past decade, you have to admire how these directors have ushered "horror" cinema away from the usual "shock" formulas and back to a style that relies on mood, atmosphere and a sense of the eerie intruding upon the everyday.The Americanized remake of JU-ON (starring Sarah Michelle Gellar) is a well-done film in its own right, although the story is simplified for American consumption. It provides more back-story on the ghost-demon, dumps the non-linear storyline and omits some of the original's most disturbing moments. The original JU-ON, however, is a modern classic, a prime example of what horror cinema could and should be.

This is the Japanese version of /The Grudge/, which I have never seen as such but which is longer than this film per IMDb (if I read the data correctly, that is).Although I expected it to be an English dub, it was in fact in Japanese with well-done English subtitles which did /not/ need to be selected.The story follows a succession of characters who encounter an ancient curse in an old house. Unlike the sequel, these people interact with each other to some extent.This is basically a Japanese ghost story. So, if you like ghost stories which focus on how the various characters die at the hands (so to speak) of the ghosts, this is for you!And it is well done and certainly kept my attention and interest throughout.

The best horror movies unsettle your everyday life, lingering after the closing credits, hiding behind closed doors and darkness, and generally making you afraid to turn off the lights. "Ju-on" is particularly skilled in this, leaving the sensation that every single spot out of your immediate rang of vision is occupied by some eerie blue ghost with penetrating eyes.The story, that of a cursed and haunted house that kills everyone who enters it, is told in non-chronological fragments much in the style of "Pulp Fiction." Slowly, the story unfolds of a wife's murder by her jealous and suspecting husband, who then commits suicide. Her vengeful spirit curses the house, absorbing the spirits of those who dare to live there or even enter at all. The first to fall under her spell is her own son, Toshio, who becomes her companion in the grudge. As the film goes on, she is joined by many others.Aside from the fragmented story, what separates "Ju-On" is that the director Takashi Shimizu has utilized the space of the Japanese house to its fullest effect, drawing out the essential spookiness in its architecture in much the same way Kubrick's "The Shinning" found the horror in the grand hotel. Packed with tight corners, steep staircases, deep closets and attics, and doors on every room, the Japanese home is a maze of unseeable spaces. Everything is out of your field of vision, and Shimizu has accentuated this effect by tightening the camera view, removing all peripheral vision for a claustrophobic and tense effect. If you happen to live in a Japanese house, I can guarantee that you won't climb your stairway as confidently again, or peek up into your crawlspace.Working from a small budget, Shimizu has also created a ghost-effect that unnerves without relying on expensive special effects or gore. The simplicity of the imagery magnifies the sense that this is taking place in the real world, rather than the film world or Hollywood.The pacing of the story is patient, reflecting Japanese sensibilities of storytelling. Also, the complete story is never told, and the viewer is expected to see the story beneath the surface, connecting the dots without having all of the information handed to them. This can be a bit trying to American viewers used to more active storytelling, and I am sure that the American re-make will fill in the blanks in the same way it did with "Ringu." There is no "why" behind "Ju-On." There is merely an angry ghost, her victims, and a deep and lasting grudge.

Película en la que están basadas la parte 1 y 2 del remake original. La película tiene muy buenas escenas de miedo y la historia es mucho más ágil que en los remakes de Estados Unidos. La entrega de Amazon excelente

Such a great movie. Very scary. Disc came in good condition no scratches or spots.

Le suspense et le stress,vous attend

Un clasico

Ju-On is a definite must in any horror fan's collection.