Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (Ju-on 2) poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Megumi Okina, Risa Matsuda, Misa Uehara, Kanji Tsuda, Yui Ichikawa ... see more see more... , Misaki Ito , Makoto Ashikawa , Yuko Daike , Kaori Fujii , Noriko Sakai , Chiharu Niiyama , Kei Horie , Shingo Katsurayama , Takako Fuji , Fumika Hidejima , Yukizumi Ito , Satoru Jitsunashi , Mio Kagawa , Hidetoshi Kageyama , Sakura Kamata , Yuu Kamata , Erika Kuroishi , Hidekazu Mashima , Naoruki Mastuakawa , Kaoru Mizuki , Yasuhi Nakamura , Chika Nojima , Yuya Ozeki , Ayumu Saito , Toshiaki Tanabe , Hiroko Toda , Kenji Yamagami , Emi Yamamoto , Shinobu Yuuki , Uchiyama Zeeko

Directed by Takashi Shimizu, The Grudge follows volunteer homecare worker Rika Nishida (Megumi Okina), whose altruism leads her to Chiharu (Yui Ichikawa), a catatonic old woman slowly dying in a home ... read more read more...filled with years worth of accumulated filth. Rika's suspicion is aroused when, during the course of her volunteer duties, she can't help but sense an overwhelming feeling of dread. Eventually, Rika opens an old wardrobe only to discover a malevolent boy who introduces himself as Toshio (Yuya Ozeki). It seems as though the house was formerly occupied by a young couple -- Katsuya (Kanji Tsuda), Chiharu's son, and his wife, Kazumi (Risa Matsuda). Sadly, Kazumi was killed thanks to Toshio shortly after moving in, and it wasn't long before Katsuya met a similar fate. When one of Rika's colleagues alerts the local authorities, an investigation turns the house inside out and exposes an ancient and deadly history. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Flixster Users

69% liked it

37,154 ratings

Critics

57% liked it

69 critics

R, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Takashi Shimizu

Release Date: September 5, 2003

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: October 10, 2006

Stats: 2,003 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Kayoko Tomoka and Nori Kayoko Kyoko and Toshio Toshio Tomoka and Kayoko Kyoko Kayoko Kayoko Toshio Nori Toshio Chiharu Megumi Kayoko
Upload a Photo | View All Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (Ju-on 2) Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (2,003)

  • RCCLBC
    April 1, 2011
    RCCLBC
    Confusingly told and bringing two of (what were) very creepy horror entities out into the light repeatidly, really takes the creepiness out of them. I found their presence in this film almost a little comical.
  • TheMachinist
    August 6, 2010
    TheMachinist
    Now, here's the film that I'm mad at. Came to my profile ratings mysteriously and had to watch it.

    'Ju-On: The Grudge 2' is what I've learned the fourth film in the series. Watched the first one, wasn't amazed and skipped right to this one.

    This film continues the story of the ... read more"curse" that was initialized in the original. In this one, a reality TV show host wants to make a feature of the house because he has become interested of the whole thingy. It doesn't come as a surprise that death is waiting for them all...

    This installment to the series is just as scary as the first one. Like I said, I skipped the middle ones and went directy to see this. Felt uncomfortable but not that much as in the original because the "curse" was familiar to me. Nevertheless, scared the shit out of me at times but I still prefer different horror movies, like 'The Others' or 'White Chicks'...
  • YosemiteSamFan
    July 2, 2010
    YosemiteSamFan
    If you count the first two direct-to-video movies, this would be the 4th movie in the Takashi Shimizu's Japanese Ju-On series.

    The Ju-on Curse spreads and takes more lives in this followup sequel to the smash success Ju-On.

    Like Elm Street 5, this has the theme of motherhood, w... read moreith the Ju-On ghosts attempting to enter the real world through a woman's baby.

    The plot also concerns a film crew shooting a documentary about the Ju-On curse on location. Let me tell you, everybody on the crew of that thing don't have a chance as the curse finds them and gets them in some weird and scary ways!

    The ghost boy Toshio is back with his freaky black cat. Kayoko, the long-haired ghost mother makes several freaky appearances. I don't think the evil daddy appears in this one.

    The stories are once again told episodically in a shuffled order. There's one great story with a Japanese schoolgirl who is stuck in a freaky time/space loop where she's inside and outside the cursed house in rapid succession. I was freaked with the apartment scene when the residents wonder what is causing a banging sound each night at the same time from the neighbour's wall. The ending is shocking, but no great surprise after witnessing all the freaky things which have just occurred.

    I liked the first theatrical Ju-On movie a bit more, because it had tighter pacing and more centered on the haunted house.

    The thing I don't understand with these Ju-On movies is why do the ghosts of the mother and boy want to cause harm to innocent people? They were innocent victims once themselves, and should show some understanding. They were killed by surprise, so shouldn't show much rage. They should go after who killed them instead.
  • garyX
    June 17, 2010
    garyX
    I personally find it bizarre how every single half-baked horror film that gets released seems to warrant a sequel these days; I honestly don't know why a lot of these movies exist. Ju-on is actually one of the few that deserved a sequel; whether or not it was a good idea to make ... read moreit is open to debate though. I personally consider the original Ju-on the best straight horror film I've ever seen, but the sequel seems to have fallen into the usual horror sequel trap. Instead of expanding on the idea, the director seems to have thought "well we did all the build up in the original, so let's jump straight in with the scary stuff!" Unfortunately, without the build up, there is no tension, and so instead of being scary, the spooky happenings seem faintly ridiculous; the opening section makes the ghostly boy look like some kind of albino gremlin! Add some rather gimmicky nonsense including hairy nooses and a mobile wig and it's very difficult to take seriously. It does improve towards the end, and the final half hour does contain some genuinely creepy moments, but it seems to be content to rip off the (inferior) Ringu rather than carrying on the tradition of the original movie. Not bad, but not in the same league as Ju-on.
  • harrycaul
    June 16, 2010
    harrycaul
    If this film was any longer I don't think I'd have had the patience to sit through it. Frankly, it only makes occasional sense and the deliberately confusing narrative, replete with unacknowledged shifts in time, would still annoy if it even bothered to explain itself. I'm not th... read moree biggest fan of Japanese horror movies; they too often confuse 'Disturbing' with 'Scary' when they are not necessarily the same thing. This film is neither one thing nor the other.
  • cancercapricorn2002
    June 16, 2010
    cancercapricorn2002
    Have you ever considered that maybe - just maybe - the idea of revenge could be so terrible that it totally creeps you out and makes you unable to sleep for a month or two? Doesn't it scare you how much hate and horror does that kind of revenge keep? So, let's face it - Ju-on: Th... read moree Grudge is by far one of the scariest and creepiest horror movie ever made. Takashi Shimizu really knows how to fill the audience with fear. This movie is a good proof for that.

    Concerning the plot, there's actually not very much to tell. The idea is so simple that it makes it work so well. The whole movie is based on one simple yet terrifying thing: powerful rage in flesh. It's a curse no one can escape from. This is what makes Ju-on so creepy. No matter who you are or where, the curse WILL kill you. No cheap tricks or complicated mysteries - just pure fear... Besides this, there's also two very strong elements in Ju-on, a haunted house and a vengeful female spirit (with a long black hair of course). To add some creepiness, there's also this little dead kid running around and scaring people.

    The film is actually a bunch of different stories which are connected by the curse. They're "character-based", meaning that one story follows one or two characters till the end of their days. Those characters are always somehow related (or a better word could be "infected") to the curse. To make it more confusing, the stories are not in a chronological order. (This is very important thing to know if you're planning to watch this) Each story is a significant piece of the plot, meaning that everyone of them drives the main story forward until the whole thing is revealed in the end. And one more very important thing why is this so good; each story is more frightening than the previous one. I've seen a lot of horror movies which fall for a simple reason: the beginning is far better and scarier than the ending. This does not happen in Ju-on! The ending is just mind-blowing!

    In Ju-on it's all about horror. The director, Takashi Shimizu, really gets everything out of it. There's nothing this man can't do when we're talking about horror flicks. If he wants you to be scared, you will be scared. I've seen this movie like a thousand times and it still manages to creep me out every time I watch it. Nothing is more frightening than a good scare scene which first slowly builds up the tension and then blows it right to your face. Ju-on -horror is slow-paced (so you actually have enough time to be scared) and creepy. (I feel sorry for you if you have an attic in your house. Watch the movie and see what I mean..) but if you're sick and tired of all these vengeful-female-ghost-with-a-long-black-hair -movies, Ju-on has less (I'm not saying "nothing"!) to give to you. But do not call it "a cliché" 'cause it's not, "Finding a bunch of black hair blocking a sink" is a cliché. Having a dark-haired female ghost in a movie is not( even though it seems to be becoming one now), It's very important to know that these vengeful ghosts are the basic element in Asian horror. It's just the matter of how this element is used in a movie. (Trust me when I say that Takashi Shimizu really knows how to use this element)

    What about the script then? Well, it's not that good. The scares are awesome but the characters... They're simply just lacking personality. I can forgive this easily though 'cause there's still something that makes you care about them - they are the victims of something evil. It's not about the acting, it's just the idea of helplessness and desperacy. Just the idea of being a victim is awful... And about the actors - most of the acting is terrible. Especially that Katsuya guy who just keeps overacting whole the time. I'm not saying that would be laughable, it just lowers the fear-factor. Not all of the acting is terrible though! The main character, Rika, does an average job as a frightened social-worker. And let's not forget that girl who played Izumi! She's very convincing as a frightened high-school student.

    Overall, Ju-on: The Grudge is one of the best *horror movie* I've ever seen. It gives a whole new meaning to the word "fear". Why is it so good? Because it's all about the terror. No cheap tricks, no pointless confusion - just horror, nothing more. If you're waiting for a perfect script or flawless acting, forget it! Just let this movie fill you with fear.
  • newvogueravyn
    June 16, 2010
    newvogueravyn
    Kayako's creepy. I love her.
  • matertenebraum
    June 16, 2010
    matertenebraum
    Although the word "grudge" doesn't quite fit the bill as part of the title of a horror film -- one thinks THE CURSE would have been more appropriate but such is the "curse" of translation -- JU ON holds up extremely well as a horror film. Built upon a notion that when someone die... read mores victim of extreme rage, the emotions are left behind and this overpowering, negative emotion will kill anyone who comes into the house, JU ON first gives us a grainy montage at the start of the story of what seems to be a man killing away his entire family. This sets the events that come next, told in a non-linear way so as to disorient the viewer of what has happened/will happen like for example, why is the old lady seemingly living in squalor in this otherwise impersonal looking place, and what part does her most recent caretaker, Rika (Megumi Okina) have to play there?

    I've always believed that using subtly disturbing images instead of bringing the horror up front in a broad manner creates more of a punch for the viewer. Amping up the dread, even when the horror seems inevitable, creates a sensation of anguish because one knows that something is terribly out of kilter in this house. What director Shimizu does here with introducing the old lady in the unkempt house by having us see her hands weakly bang on the rice door, and then having her stare vacantly out to nowhere as Rika tries to clean up the place only to later meet the entities in the house, is unsettling as anything else that comes later. She whispers, mantra-like, something closely rendered to an "I told you so" and one only has to see the mounting horror in her old eyes to know something horrible is about to happen to her while Rika witnesses this and faints in horror. It doesn't matter that one sees the little boy running around and then mutely screaming in that cat-like shriek, or the shadow and croak of someone even worse... it's the inexorability in which this curse comes forth and attacks this old, defenseless lady, and then each person who has come/will come in contact with it, and when it becomes clear that the curse is not bound only to the haunted house but is in fact a growing web of death, the rug gets neatly pulled out from the viewer's feet, because safe becomes only a word and something wicked this way comes.

    This is a film that people will love or hate. I don't think there will be an in-between feeling. The way that these ghosts manifest themselves as if they were part of the living, leaving hand-prints and footprints behind, the way that horror draws itself on screen -- in barely there suggestions like when Rika is wheel-chairing an elderly man who is making faces; we see the one second reflection on a glass door of Toshio, the malevolent boy --, the way the actors react to fear which is anti-Hollywood, the non-use of swelling music but the use of eerie sounds, this is one very spooky film which can stand aside some of the greatest ever filmed. Quiet yet intense, relying on atmosphere and dread, JU ON is very chilling, and very effective. This is the horror that is rarely done today.
  • kiriyamakazou
    June 16, 2010
    kiriyamakazou
    Another entry into the Japanese horror genre. The film focuses on a house where something truly awful has happened in the past. As different people enter the house the tormented spirits of the previous occupants wreak havoc. The films plot is simple and classic, it differs by off... read moreering a string of episodic adventures for each different person who enters. This approach makes sure that the scares keep on coming, fast and furious, but means it lacks a real narrative depth. It also means we are unable to really feel for any of the characters. 'Ju-on' is basically a straight forward horror. We are thrust into a mystery, as to what the hell is going on, and we get a continuous string of scares until the final revelatory scene. The scares are very effective, using a stripped down budget, with simple make-up proving very scary in deed. Freaky children, crawling women with long hair and cracking bones. This is all stuff we have seen before, but it is presented in such an effective fashion it is like a remastered edition of your favourite horrors. Sound plays a very important part of the film, with cats screaming, fingers scraping and throats gurgling. The audiences imagination participates in creating a few extra scares where needed. Some may find that the film is like a never ending story, and becomes repetitive. It may be so, but it is easy to digest in its bite size segments.
  • MidnightMadwoman
    June 16, 2010
    MidnightMadwoman
    This movie makes NO sense. It doesn't even try. You know, I like a certain level of coherence to my movies, which is probably why I was never able to get into this movie. It's hard to explain, but the images in this movie are very different from the ones in the American, which is... read more strange considering they were both directed by the same guy. The acting and imagery were really good in this movie, but everything else was bad. It succeeded where the American version failed, but also failed where it succeeded. Neither movie was very good, but I preferred the one that made the most sense (American). This isn't without merit, but you'd do better watching The Ring.

View All Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (Ju-on 2) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Terry Lawson
November 5, 2004
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

If you are new to horror that places atmosphere and psychological intensity over gore, Ju-On is a good place to start. Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
October 15, 2004
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

It's creepy, all right. It's just that how it goes about creeping you out is sometimes just plain cheesy. Full Review

Stephen Hunter
October 15, 2004
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

It's much harder on you than mere fright: It's... creepy. Full Review

Liam Lacey
October 8, 2004
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Shimizu is obviously impatient with dull exposition and wants us to get straight to the good scary stuff. Full Review

Joe Baltake
October 1, 2004
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

Turns into a joke -- a parody of its effective first few scenes. Full Review

Bob Longino
September 23, 2004
Bob Longino, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Ju-on has the ability to shoot chills up, down and, well, sideways across a viewer's spine. Full Review

Wesley Morris
September 17, 2004
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

Even if you have no idea what the devil is going on in Ju-on, it holds up as a finely crafted little freakout movie. Full Review

Colin Covert
September 16, 2004
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

While the film wouldn't go on my list of horror classics -- the acting is often stagey, the effects are cheesy, and one particular groaning floorboard sound effect is drastically overused -- it is an ... Full Review

Jonathan Curiel
September 10, 2004
Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle

Ridiculous. Unbelievable. Unintentionally funny. It might as well be a parody of a horror film. Full Review

Bruce Westbrook
September 10, 2004
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle

The fragmented tale is a tangled mess, and the actors have no characterizations to play, apart from shrieking cowardice. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • The Grudge 2
    The Grudge 2 (60%)
  • Ju-On: Shiroi Rôjo (The Grudge: Old Lady in White)
    Ju-On: Shiroi Rôjo (The Grudge: Old Lady in W... (100%)
  • The Grudge
    The Grudge (50%)
  • Ju-on: The Curse (Curse Grudge)
    Ju-on: The Curse (Curse Grudge) (100%)

More Movies like Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (Ju-on 2)

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Ju-on: The Grudge... : Watch Free on TV

Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (Ju-on 2) Trivia

  • Who directed the film Ju-On: The Grudge 2 (2003, sequel this time)?   Answer »
More Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (Ju-on 2) Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (Ju-on 2). Want to create one?

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (Ju-on 2) Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (Ju-on 2) to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?