The Grudge 3

The Grudge 3 is a 2009 American supernatural horror film and the third film in The Grudge series. Toby Wilkins, who had previously directed the successful film Splinter and the short films Tales from The Grudge, took Takashi Shimizu's place as director, while Brad Keene replaced Stephen Susco as screenwriter. The film stars Johanna Braddy, Shawnee Smith and Marina Sirtis, with a special appearance by Matthew Knight and was released on DVD on May 12, 2009.

Unlike the previous American films that were both rated PG-13, The Grudge 3 was given an R rating because of its graphic bloody violence, gore and language. The film features a linear plotline unlike all of its predecessors, which used nonlinear sequences of events for their respective plots and subplots.

Plot

Jake, the only survivor from the second movie, is under the care of Dr. Sullivan in an asylum. He is locked in his room following several escape attempts and is attacked by Kayako. The attack is seen on security cameras, although Kayako cannot be seen, and Jake is dead by the time Dr. Sullivan arrives with a security officer. News of the incident reaches a young woman in Tokyo, Naoko, who is the sister of Kayako. Believing that her sister is responsible, she travels to Chicago.

The Grudge 2

The Grudge 2 is a 2006 American supernatural horror film and a sequel to 2004's The Grudge, directed by Takashi Shimizu (director of the Ju-on series) and written by Stephen Susco. The film was produced by Sam Raimi and stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Amber Tamblyn, Edison Chen, Arielle Kebbel, Teresa Palmer, Misako Uno, Matthew Knight, and Takako Fuji. As stated by Takashi Shimizu, the film is not a remake of any Japanese film and follows a different storyline. Like its predecessor, the film features a plot that is told through a non-linear sequence of events and includes several intersecting subplots.

It was released in North America on October 13, 2006 (Friday the 13th) after being pushed forward a week from the original October 20 release date. It was released in the UK on October 20 and in Australia on October 26, 2006. After moderate success, the film was followed by The Grudge 3 in 2009.

Plot

In Japanese society, it is said a curse is created when a person dies in the grip of a powerful rage or sorrow. Those who encounter the evil supernatural force are consumed by it, the curse is born repeatedly and spreads. The original victims of the curse, the Saeki family, haunt their Tokyo suburban house as ghosts and kill anyone who enters. Housewife Kayako Saeki was murdered by her husband Takeo after he discovered she loved another man, their son Toshio and pet cat Mar also being murdered, before Takeo was hung by Kayako’s ghost. In the first film, American social worker Karen Davis tried to burn the house down to stop the curse, but failed, finding herself hospitalised and haunted by Kayako. The film’s chronology is told in a non-linear fashion, taking place in 2004 and 2006 respectively.

Ju-On (franchise)

Ju-On (呪怨, Juon, lit. "Curse Grudge", also known as The Grudge) is a Japanese horror franchise created by Takashi Shimizu, consisting of 11 feature films. Shimizu attended the Film School of Tokyo, where he studied under Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Kurosawa helped Shimizu shepherd the Ju-On projects to fruition.

The Ju-On films generally revolve around a curse created in a house in Nerima, Tokyo when Takeo Saeki, convinced that his wife Kayako was having an affair with another man, murdered her, their son Toshio and Toshio's pet cat in a jealous fit. According to Ju-On, when a person dies with a deep and powerful rage, a curse is born. The curse gathers in the place where that person has died or where they were frequently at, and repeats itself there. The spirits of the deceased haunt the location, killing anyone who encounters the curse by any means, such as entering a cursed house or being in contact with somebody who was already cursed. The curse's manifestation is mainly death, where the victims' bodies may or may not disappear. The following deaths may create more curses and spread them to other locations.