Bashy and crashy new Grudge movie bring the fear
While this latest instalment in The Grudge franchise is one that can get forcefully scary when it has a mind to do so, true horror fans may have an issue with it.
Leigh Paatsch
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A few decades ago, an irresistibly unsettling strain of Japanese horror bled through to the mainstream with the rise of two powerhouse franchises: Ring and The Grudge.
Both spawned many a sequel at home and in Hollywood. Now the Americans are at it again, popping the bonnet on The Grudge to see if the engine still runs.
Turns out the motor goes all right, but just don’t go hoping this Grudge reboot is going to take you anywhere you haven’t been before.
An interlinked collection of stories include a cursed piece of real estate, a cop who believes it might be the missing link in a series of unexplained killings, and some of the gruesome deaths sitting inside her bulky file of cold cases.
Andrea Riseborough (Oblivion) stars as Detective Muldoon, a recently widowed investigator with a hunch about a house that has caught her attention for reasons best not mentioned here.
This being a Grudge instalment, Muldoon does not realise the dwelling carries a curse that, once identified, will be directlytransferred to her.
While this is a movie that can get forcefully scary when it has a mind to do so, true horror fans may have an issue with the uneven distribution of the full-on spooky stuff.
The first hour does meander while an ominous mood is established. Then the final act suddenly gets all bashy and crashy, with too many jump scares positioned too close together.
THE GRUDGE (MA15+)
Director: Nicolas Pesce (The Eyes of My Mother)
Starring: Andrea Riseborough, Demián Bichir, John Cho, Jacki Weaver.
Rating: **1/2
Relisted (un)real estate
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