The Grudge
Sarah Michelle Gellar has gone the Japanese route for her latest cinematic adventure. As Karen, she has followed her boyfriend to Japan and is currently a student at the university and volunteering her time as a nurse's aide. Her first assignment brings her to the home of Emma, an old woman who's mentally out there. Her former helper never showed up so in comes Karen to sub for the day. However, she sees a weird kid and a spooky woman, so she freaks out and sits in the corner utterly spooked. Further investigation finds two dead bodies up in the attic. It opens up a new chapter in the case involving that house. A husband had murdered his wife and son in a violent rage, which has produced a curse that haunts all those who enter the house. The more Karen learns about this, the more victims the curse claims, and the greater the chance Karen ends up a victim herself.

The movie certainly has some frights. Those eyes are freaky and lots of dark places mean opportunities for something scary to happen. But repetition kills. Sure, looking at that closet that goes to the attic can be unsettling, but once you see it the twentieth time, the effect isn't so scary. Once you hear that dark music when someone walks down a dark corridor, the element of surprise has gone out the window like Bill Pullman does at the start of the film. You know exactly what's going to happen. And how that ghost is omnipresent and gets to follow people is beyond me. Some questions are left unanswered though. Is it worth a sequel to find out the answers? Probably not. 2 stars