The Grudge which is a reboot of the horror series started in Japan is essentially about a cursed house that haunts anyone who dares to enter. But this time, Andrea Riseborough and Jon Cho’s movie comes as a less scary and more predictable snooze fest. Yes, you read it right. The Grudge, directed by Nicolas Pesce is extremely predictable and it seems that it has nothing new to offer to its horror-loving fans. Although the movie hosts earnest performances still it lacks an intriguing storyline even after having several murder mysteries.
The Grudge- Plot and Story
Now if I talk about the plot of the movie then going along the lines of its predecessors Ju-On: The Grudge and the Sarah Michelle Gellar starred, this Nicolas Pesce directorial accounts the horrors that surround the Reyburn house. Along with the various other family murders, it leads back to the ’prime‘real estate landmark.
In the latter half of the story it can be seen that while the investigation of Fiona Landers who killed her entire family is shut as a cold case, the newly assigned detective Detective Muldoon takes it upon herself to solve the Reyburn house mystery. The mystery unfolds in a way when a mysterious body is found inside a car, which is obviously linked to the Reyburn house.
But the twist here is that the biggest mistake that she makes by entering in the haunted house of horrors. She does this by following the same path of those who are now deceased and swamped by the madness of the evil spirits following her every move.
The Grudge- Star Cast and Their Performances
Talking about the performances, Andrea tries to be a good cop by inculcating some required emotional aspects. Although she tries hard to solve a mystery persona but unfortunately is failed by the shoddy script. Nonetheless, the most interesting character of this horror flick is Detective Goodman, who is the only smart one as he decides not to enter the haunted house unlike his partner Detective Wilson who proofs his madness which triggered him to stay away.
Although screenwriter and director Nicolas Pesce have some exciting elements to play with it will not be wrong to say that his ambitious ideas can’t take off due to a stunted screenplay.
At every next plot of the movie, it made its fan believe that Goodman is someway related to the murders taking place. Whether you refer to his Catholic side or even the entire Wilson storyline of whether it was fact or fiction.
And by the end, it was disappointing for it all left the audience wondering what was the reason for Goodman’s existence if all he did was relegated being an outsider peeking into the story just like the audience on the other side. Even the scream queen Lin Shaye as Faith Matheson can’t give us the creeps this time. Blah!
However, you cannot forget to mention Jon Cho and Betty Gilpin as Peter and Nina Spencer who actually added a tinge of humanity to what could have been a clear cut supernatural spectrum. Well, but whatever this being it is very clear that the Grudge holds a weak script that ruins the fun as well the horror. And even with the character development, a muddled plot cannot hold the film.
The Grudge Movie Review and Ratings
Well, when one talks about horror, it comes out as a difficult and unpredictable genre. But unfortunately, The Grudge falls into the predictable category. The movie has all the horror trademarks like a haunted house, evil spirits, flicking lights, spacy closets, characters with families and much more. Irrespective of whether you fall prey to the numerous jump scares or not; you can’t help feeling there could be more than mere audio-visual shocks.
Even if you are the one who gets scared easily, I am sorry you are out of expectations for the Grudge has nothing new to offer not only in terms of the storyline but in scaring people. And the biggest disappointment comes on how the anti-climatic horror flick turns towards the end leaving you disheartened.
Verdict
Despite a haunting tonality ‘The Grudge’ is likely to leave most viewers unsatisfied. Anyway, The Grudge has been released on 3 January 2020 with a run-time of 1 hour 30 mins. And so if you wish to watch then rush to your nearby cinemas.
