Ju -on : The Grudge is a Japanese written and directed by Takashi Shimizu horror film , released in 2002 the film spawned an American remake titled The Grudge in 2004 , also directed by Shimizu. . The original was critically acclaimed for its unique structure , slow pace, and atmosphere. The remake however, was criticized for its cultural conflict , the evidence and the absence of violence.
The only fear tactics and nonlinear structure of Ju -on : The Grudge won the most praise for the film. The use of psychological scares rather than conventional jump - scares is an element that is especially popular among critics . The film creates disturbing atmospheres and thus slow " deliberate rhythms have a numbing effect ," confirms New York Times critic Dave Kehr . For example , the haunted house in which the movie takes place is eerily quiet , with subtle crackle to be heard here and there ; This gives your audience an uneasy feeling in his presence in a quiet room while watching the movie . Another example would be that the slow pace leaves the audience in constant paranoia for a planned spectrum , similar to the long clips from running . David Kehr also notes that the structure of the film " gets viewers involved and riddles , as they have to reconstruct the time frame ." For example , the character of Rika has no direct relationship with the successive two bullets in the film, only to become a recurring theme , or character of the fourth bullet on Toyama . Another example is the recurring symbols and characters across all vignettes as Toshio are the only major ski given the audience to understand the story.
Although The Grudge did well at the box office , critics point out some problems rebukes to the new version . New York Times critic Manohla Dargis notes that The Scream " seems unsatisfactory hybrid of two very different cultures of the film." This suggests poor cultural transition in the new version , and one of the examples include American characters without context explained apparently forced to put in a Japanese environment, such as the elderly Emma in the beginning of the film. Another example is that the English scripting is less convincing than the original, and confirms this by saying Dargis remake " lost a little push in the translation ." The other main issue addressed by Dargis in The Grudge is their attempts to get a PG -13 rating causes some loss of fear factors . An example are the first cutoffs in many scenes as a means to silence the violence. Another example is the sequence in which Karen watches recreating history in the house , sacrificing ambiguity to explain the plot to a teenage demographic .
Despite having the same director and many similarities, Ju -on and its American remake evoked different responses from critics that are worth taking note of .