The Grudge

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The Grudge

PG-13

2004

1h 30m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

41%

Tomatometer

163 Reviews

46%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Matthew Williams (William Mapother), his wife, Jennifer (Clea DuVall), and mother, Emma (Grace Zabriskie), are Americans making a new life in Tokyo. Together they move into a house that has been the site of supernatural occurrences in the past, and it isn't long before their new home begins terrorizing the Williams family as well. The house, as it turns out, is the site of a curse that lingers in a specific place and claims the lives of anyone that comes near.

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Critics Consensus

There's some creepy imagery to be found, but not much in the way of logic or truly jarring scares.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

12/28/2010

2/5

Grisly ghost story lacks plot; not for tweens.

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Jamie Russell

BBC.com

01/26/2005

3/5

It's mechanical moviemaking, but when it works you're likely to quiver, cower and leap with fright.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

11/06/2004

3/4

Shimizu understands it is the unknown and the unseen that's scariest, resorting to gurgled growls and passing glimpses of greasy-haired demons to illicit shrieks and shouts from a terrified theatre.

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Max Allen

Horror Movie Talk

Dec 4

8/10

The ghost looks extremely creepy in most scenes, with a face that genuinely terrified me as a kid, even before I had seen the movie. Its mark on pop culture is undeniable.

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Akos Peterbencze

The Screen

08/16/2024

The absence of a real narrative and legit characters actually allowed Shimizu to focus on his one and only primary goal: inducing and cultivating fear in the viewer.

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Brian Bisesi

Horror Movie Club Podcast

12/14/2023

3/5

The film toggles between characters in the past and present which prevents the viewer from becoming wholly engaged in the film and its stakes, but the frequent and effective scares make this a worthwhile watch.

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J H

@UpstateNYThriller Jul 22

9/10 Early 2000s movie about a house that remembers tragedies. Everyone who enters is cursed and is track down by an entity. Very similar to the girl from the ring Top-tier scary movie because of the time period creepiness , Japanese setting

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Fantazynerd 1

@RT48179632 Jul 4

I had nothing to do with what happened, so leave me be

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Corinne K.

@RT99097440 Jun 22

this movie lacked some backstory it needed, it was good in an interesting way. i liked it but most scenes that where meant to be “scary” had me laughing hard on the floor because of how cheesy they were!

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Nic B.

@Bungeebrain Apr 15

I liked it. I had to watch it twice to understand that Japanese horror stories aren't told in sequenctial order. It wasn't the best but it wasn't bad.

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Chris P

@Xiao_Proxies Apr 13

The Grudge is one of those early 2000s horror films that defined an entire era of supernatural fear. With its eerie sound design, disturbing visuals, and cold, unsettling atmosphere, it delivers several genuinely creepy moments. The curse at the center of the story feels mysterious and oppressive, and the film's visual style helps maintain a chilling tone. However, the storytelling is messy. The narrative jumps around between timelines and characters without ever offering enough clarity, making it hard to stay emotionally engaged. Once the initial tension fades, the movie relies too heavily on repetition, same hallway, same shadow, same scream. Despite its flaws, The Grudge remains iconic for its style and atmosphere. It's more of a historical landmark for horror fans than a film that still truly scares today.

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Keriel T.

@kerielflacoboy Apr 11

I love the horror in this movie with an interesting backstory

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Takashi Shimizu

Director

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Karen Davis

Jason Behr

Doug

William Mapother

Mathew Williams

Clea Duvall

Jennifer Williams

Kadee Strickland

Susan Williams

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Synopsis

Matthew Williams (William Mapother), his wife, Jennifer (Clea DuVall), and mother, Emma (Grace Zabriskie), are Americans making a new life in Tokyo. Together they move into a house that has been the site of supernatural occurrences in the past, and it isn't long before their new home begins terrorizing the Williams family as well. The house, as it turns out, is the site of a curse that lingers in a specific place and claims the lives of anyone that comes near.

Director: Takashi Shimizu
Producer: Doug Davison, Rob Tapert, Takashige Ichise
Screenwriter: Takashi Shimizu, Stephen Susco
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co: Ghost House Pictures, Lionsgate Television, Senator International
Rating: PG-13 (Mature Thematic Material|Disturbing Images|Some Sensuality|Terror|Violence)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 22, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 18, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $110.2M
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Surround, DTS, Dolby SRD, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)