| Message/Author |
|
|
 Chris posted on Sunday, 09 October, 2005 - 05:49 pm
|
|
|
Just thought I'd add to the sporadic film reviews that have been posted here from time to time.
I saw THE GRUDGE last night and I can honestly say that it is one of the most genuinely unnerving horror/ghost films I have seen in a long, long time. It is based on a Japanese film and was remade, for Hollywood, by the film's original director. It's not the first time that foreign-language films have been remade by the original director for a Western audience, but this has to be one of the best.
I won't spoil it by saying too much about it, but to say that I literally jumped at least six times during the film and it's been a long time since I broke out in a cold sweat like that! There are obvious elements of Japanese folklore in there and the script moves on a non-linear basis - in other words the narrative jumps around a bit in the same way as, say, Pulp Fiction did a few years ago. It doesn't rely on gore or SFX and the cast (especially Sarah Michelle Gellar) are uniformly good and seem genuinely into what they are doing.
I haven't seen the original, but this seems to be a worthy, stylish and above all damn scary remake. I would urge anyone who likes real horror films to get it on DVD. Better, in my opinion, than The Ring and streets ahead of overrated rubbish like Blair Witch.
It's an experience... |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
