Review of The Grudge 3 (2009) by Steven V — 19 Oct 2009

The good thing of this movie is only a few, but they deserve mentioning and as much of a reprieve as anyone can give them. Aiko Horiuchi replaces Takako Fuji as Kayako and picks up the role fairly well.

Any fault in her appearance lies with the director, Toby Wilkins. The only other two notable performances come from the female leads, Johanna E. Braddy and Takatzuna Mukai and might not so much be notable as much as they just sharply contrast their terrible surroundings.

Now, on to the awful stuff. I think the large majority of the critics of the first two movies find that the they were cryptic and difficult to follow. They have gotten their wish for an easy to interpret, spoon-fed, linear-flowing, cheesy horror movie in The Grudge 3.

Gone are the intelligent and subtle left-to-the-imagination disappearance kills. Artistic and suspenseful cinematography have been replaced by bland, formulaic and frightfully comical scenes. Brad Keene and Toby Wilkins have crafted an hour-and-a-half long slap in the face of director Takashi Shimizu who re-invented the haunted house horror movie by making his own rules and breaking all the ones in the book.

The writer and director were toying with another man's vision and the hard work and creative energy he expended trying to bring something original into the world. Ultimately, The Grudge 3 adds nothing to the mythology of the movies and takes away a substantial amount.