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(About Our Ads) "THE GRUDGE" (2004) (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Minor Heavy Heavy Extreme None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Extreme Extreme None Minor Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate Minor Moderate Moderate Heavy QUICK TAKE: Horror: Various people must contend with supernatural occurrences in and related to a house that's haunted by angry and vengeful ghosts. PLOT: Karen Davis (SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR) is an American exchange student living in Japan with her live-in boyfriend and fellow student Doug (JASON BEHR). When not going to school, Karen volunteers for Alex (TED RAIMI) in providing hospice care for those confined to their homes. When she's informed that another such volunteer, Yoko (YOKO MAKI), didn't show up, Karen is sent to look after Emma Williams (GRACE ZABRISKIE), the elderly, senile mother to transplanted Americans Matthew (WILLIAM MAPOTHER) and Susan (KaDEE STRICKLAND). Matthew's wife Jennifer (CLEA DuVALL) isn't particularly pleased to be in Japan since she doesn't read or speak the language, but neither she nor anyone else is around when Karen shows up to find the place in disarray and Emma speaking to people who aren't there. A series of spooky encounters in the house, however, shake Karen to the core, as it appears that anyone who enters will be haunted by the former occupants there or anywhere else they go. As she tries to get to the bottom of what's occurring in the apparently haunted house, as does local cop Nakagawa (RYO ISHIBASHI), she discovers that it might have something to do with American professor Peter Kirk (BILL PULLMAN) who purposefully ended his life long before she arrived there. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into horror films or are fans of someone in the cast, it's a good bet they will. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For mature thematic material, disturbing images/terror/violence, and some sensuality. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR plays an American exchange student and hospice volunteer who lives in Japan with her boyfriend but finds her life turned upside down by the supernatural occurrences in the haunted house. JASON BEHR plays her live-in boyfriend who's also a student, briefly smokes and must also deal with the house. WILLIAM MAPOTHER plays an American businessman who buys the house and arranges hospice care for his elderly and mostly senile mother played by GRACE ZABRISKIE. CLEA DuVALL plays his wife who isn't particularly pleased to be living in Japan as she doesn't speak or read the language. RYO ISHIBASHI plays the local cop who tries to figure out what's going on with the house and tries to put an end to it. BILL PULLMAN plays an American professor who makes an unsettling discovery in the house that's related to him. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this horror film that's been rated PG-13. An extreme amount of spooky, creepy and downright scary scenes and imagery are present throughout the film (including many "jump scenes" where things jump out at others). All of that will likely be too much for those with low tolerance levels for such material and could generate a lot of intense nightmares and related fears if young children are allowed to see it. Characters (spirit and human) are briefly seen in the process of drowning or otherwise killing others and a person takes a suicidal leap from several stories above the street. Other violence is implied and some of the bloody and/or gory aftermath is seen. Some of the violence involves flashbacks to a distraught and jealous husband killing his wife and child. Profanity consists of a handful of minor expletives while a few colorful phrases are also present. An unmarried couple (in their bed clothes) fools around on a bed and a ghostly young boy is briefly seen nude and from a distance in passing shots. One character smokes once and a photo shows people with drinks in their hands. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE We see several photos of former cops who appear to be holding alcoholic drinks. BLOOD/GORE Various ghostly characters are seen from time to time and occasionally have a somewhat decomposed look to them. We see blood on the street around a person's head after they've fallen to their death in a suicidal leap. Nakagawa and his partner see two dead bodies in an attic corner as well as a bloody lower jaw that's been ripped from someone's face. Peter hears flies behind a closet door, opens it and then the attic access, with a dead and slightly bloody body suddenly falling down from it. Alex sees the ghostly boy in the stairwell and then a young woman who's walking with her head down in a stilted fashion with some squishy sounds. He then sees that there's blood on the floor and when the bloody figure finally turns around with some accompanying body cracking sounds, we see that she's missing her lower jaw (with her tongue waving around). Peter finds a boy who has various slightly bloody cuts on his face and legs (along with bandages on both). Karen has various cuts and bruises on her face. As Karen goes to identify a body, it suddenly moves under the sheet and then long black hair and a bloody/burned arm suddenly drop down from under the sheet. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE We see brief flashback moments of a father going on a rampage (for his wife being in love with another man), grabbing the family cat and a holding his wife's head underwater in the bathtub. The various ghosts/spirits kill various people. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. In addition, many of the scenes listed below are accompanied by scary/suspenseful/ominous music and are shot in a way to be as spooky, scary and/or creepy as possible. The onscreen title for the film's production company is a creepy looking human skull looking through a keyhole. Looking distraught while standing on an outside balcony, Peter suddenly leans over the edge and disappears from sight. We see a brief POV of falling toward the road, but don't see any impact. We then see two views of his twisted body on the street, one from a distance and the other from close-by with some blood on the street around his head. Yoko hears a sound upstairs in the house and slowly goes to investigate. Once in a certain room, she hears sounds from up above and then in a closet. She slowly opens it, notices an attic access panel and then pushes up through that, using a lighter to slowly take a spin-around look inside. We then see something behind her and when she turns, she suddenly sees a dead woman's ghastly face that lunges at her. We then see a shot from the room showing Yoko's legs flailing away while dangling in the closet before being pulled up into it. As Karen first enters the house, she sees and hears fingers scraping at some smoked glass (it's Emma on the other side). Karen hears sounds in the same manner as Yoko above and slowly goes to investigate, ending up in the same room where she finds the closet door taped shut in a crude fashion. She hears cat sounds from behind it and rips off the tape to open it. She then reaches out for a journal lying there, but a cat suddenly moves (with a sudden related sound) and she then sees the ghostly boy seated in the corner holding the cat. Emma stares off into a corner of a room, saying, "I just want her to leave me alone." Karen wants to know who she's talking to and we then see a hairy figure appear in the corner, grow and then come down toward the two, suddenly exposing its ghostly/ghastly face toward them. A real estate agent finds the house's bathtub full when showing it to Matthew and Jennifer. He then rolls up his sleeve and reaches down into it to open the drain, but a hand suddenly grabs his arm and he sees a ghostly woman in the tub that then sinks down and disappears into the murky water. A running sound awakens Jennifer who then sees that her soup has been spilled and wet footprints lead away from it. She follows them toward the stairs where she sees a black cat and then hands suddenly reach down and grab the cat. She then goes up the stairs and into a room where we then see the door close. Matthew returns home to find the house in disarray and Jennifer in bed, gasping for air and looking as if she's in shock. The ghostly boy then suddenly shows up on the other side of the bed and lets out a creepy meow sound. Matthew backs up against the wall in terror and then looks up to see the ghostly boy peering down at him (with another creepy cat sound). Nakagawa and his partner go looking for a phone handset that's sending out a beeping locator signal. They slowly go into the same closet and then attic access as above, with both then in the attic looking around with a flashlight. They then see two dead bodies in a corner as well as a bloody lower jaw that's been ripped from someone's face. While leaving work late at night by herself, Susan hears strange sounds in the hallway and thus runs into the stairwell. Her cell phone rings but the only sound coming from it is a strange, croaking noise. She then hears noises both above and below her in the stairwell, with the lights going out floor by floor above her and a creepy figure crawling up the steps several floors below her. While watching a surveillance monitor at work, Susan sees some weird light aberration and then a mass forming in the shadows that then turns into the ghostly woman who walks toward the camera. Nakagawa later watches this tape and sees the same thing, but with the addition of the figure blocking the camera's point of view and then opening its eyes and peering straight into the camera. As Susan rides an elevator in her building, we see glimpses of the same ghostly boy passing by on each floor and he appears to be nude, although the distance and brief glimpses prevent any real details from being noted. Susan buzzes Matthew to come into her building, but her doorbell then instantly rings. She looks through the peephole and sees it's him, but when she opens the door, he's not there. The above croaking sounds then emanate from her phone and she races back into her place and into bed. She then sees something under the covers and lifts them to reveal the ghostly girl on top of her. We then see Susan yanked under the covers and then both figures disappear as if there's a hole in the bed under the covers. Karen showers and while washing her hair, feels something on the back of her head. As she parts her hair, she feels and we see some fingers coming out of the back of her head, but they then disappear. Alex sees the ghostly boy in the stairwell and then a young woman who's walking with her head down in a stilted fashion with some squishy sounds. He then sees that there's blood on the floor and when the bloody figure finally turns around with some accompanying body cracking sounds, we see that she's missing her lower jaw (with her tongue waving around). In the background of a shot as Peter looks out a window, we see the ghostly boy in the background opening his solid black mouth and letting out a creepy cat wailing sound. Nakagawa arrives at the house at night with the intent of burning it down with gasoline, but sounds of a boy in a tub with some screaming makes him go to see what's happening. He then enters the bathroom and sees the boy face down in the tub, but the boy's eyes suddenly open when the cop pulls him out. A figure is then behind him and pushes the cop's head under the water, apparently drowning him. Karen gets a message that Doug has gone to the house to look for her, so she races there to stop him. In the background of a shot, we see a door opening in the house behind Doug. While apparently appearing in a flashback, the ghostly boy in it sees Karen, prompting Peter to come out of the room and seemingly see Karen twice, but he's really looking at something else that's in the same line of sight. Peter hears flies behind a closet door, opens it and then the attic access, with a dead and slightly bloody body suddenly falling down from it. Karen hears loud thumping in a room and goes to investigate only to find a hanging body (partially seen and apparently a suicide) repeatedly banging into a wall. We see brief flashback moments of a father going on a rampage (for his wife being in love with another man), grabbing the family cat and a holding his wife's head underwater in the bathtub. As Karen passes by a mirror, we see the reflection of the ghostly woman pass by as well. The ghostly young woman slowly crawls down the steps in a halting, jerky fashion and then crawls toward Doug and Karen who tries to get both of them to safety, but can't as it crawls up onto Doug. Karen tries to exit a house, but sees the ghostly woman's face there when she opens the door. Karen tries to burn down a house by knocking over a container of gasoline, but the ghostly woman is right there and grabs Karen's arm as she tries to throw a lit cigarette lighter. As Karen goes to identify a body, it suddenly moves under the sheet and then long black hair and a bloody/burned arm suddenly drop down from under the sheet. A figure is suddenly behind Karen who slowly turns to come face to face with the ghostly woman. GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "What the hell?" and "I don't know who the hell she is." Looking distraught while standing on an outside balcony, Peter suddenly leans over the edge and disappears from sight. We see a brief POV of falling toward the road, but don't see any impact. JUMP SCENES A dead woman's ghastly face lunges at Yoko in an attic. A hand suddenly comes out through a door at Karen's feet. A cat scares Karen as it passes by and lets out a yowl. The phone suddenly rings in an otherwise quiet scene. We see a figure pass by behind some opaque glass in the background of a shot. A hand suddenly grabs a man's arm from out of a bathtub. Hands suddenly reach down and grab a cat on some stairs. A ghostly boy suddenly shows up on the other side of a bed and then peers down at Matthew. Ghostly eyes suddenly open in front of a surveillance camera monitor. While in bed, Susan sees something under the covers and lifts them to reveal the ghostly girl on top of her. Karen turns and sees a ghostly woman's reflection in a bus window as we hear the above croaking sound. Alex suddenly slips in some blood on the floor. A boy's eyes suddenly open and a ghostly figure then suddenly grabs a person. Peter hears flies behind a closet door, opens it and then the attic access, with a dead and slightly bloody body suddenly falling down from it. A hand suddenly grabs Doug's foot. Karen tries to exit a house, but sees the ghostly woman's face there when she opens the door. As Karen goes to identify a body, it suddenly moves under the sheet and then long black hair and a bloody/burned arm suddenly drop down from under the sheet. A figure is suddenly behind Karen who slowly turns to come face to face with the ghostly woman. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of ominous, suspenseful and scary music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 2 hells, 1 damn and 1 use each of "My God" and "Oh my God." SEX/NUDITY Karen and Doug chat in bed (she in pajama bottoms and tank-top, he in t-shirt and boxers) and then do some kissing. She then climbs on top of him, and he then rolls her over as the scene ends. As Susan rides an elevator in her building, we see glimpses of the same ghostly boy passing by on each floor and he appears to be nude, although the distance and brief glimpses prevent any real details from being noted. SMOKING Doug smokes once. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We see brief flashback moments of a father going on a rampage (for his wife being in love with another man), holding his wife's head underwater in the bathtub and apparently killing her and their son. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Haunted houses, ghosts, etc. and whether they exist or not. Suicide. Jealous rage. Living in a foreign country. Senility and hospice care for those suffering from it. VIOLENCE Looking distraught while standing on an outside balcony, Peter suddenly leans over the edge and disappears from sight. We see a brief POV of falling toward the road, but don't see any impact. We then see two views of his twisted body on the street, one from a distance and the other from close-by with some blood on the street around his head. A dead woman's ghastly face lunges at Yoko in an attic. We then see a shot from the room showing Yoko's legs flailing away while dangling in the closet before being pulled up into it. We see the results of unseen, deadly violence (two dead bodies in an attic and part of a third person's lower jaw, etc.) but not the actual acts. Susan is yanked under the covers and then disappears as if there's a hole in the bed under the covers. Nakagawa arrives at the house at night with the intent of burning it down with gasoline, but sounds of a boy in a tub with some screaming makes him go to see what's happening. He then enters the bathroom and sees the boy face down in the tub, but the boy's eyes suddenly open when the cop pulls him out. A figure is then behind him and pushes the cop's head under the water, apparently drowning him. We see brief flashback moments of a father going on a rampage (for his wife being in love with another man), grabbing the family cat and a holding his wife's head underwater in the bathtub. A ghostly figure crawls up onto a person and apparently kills him. Reviewed October 18, 2004 / Posted October 22, 2004