grudge 2 dvd

The Grudge 2 DVD

Hollywood has long had a fascination with remaking or re-interpreting Asian films for the big screen. Just a quick look at some of the most recent blockbusters can attain to that fact – the Keanu Reeves hit 'Speed' was influenced by the Sonny Chiba movie 'Bullet Train', and without the classic 'Hidden Fortress' there possibly would never have been a 'Star Wars' saga. Mostly the Hollywood big-budget remakes never quite have the same classic storytelling as the originals, but now and again they do. The 'Grudge' series, form Japanese director Takashi Shimizu, is a case in point.

Starring 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' star Sarah Michelle Gellar and based on his original 'Ju-On' film series, which were not only hugely popular in Japan but also on import in the Western world, the 'Grudge' films are an expert example of horror storytelling at its best. Playing more on the mind-game type of atmosphere than out and out gore, they tell the story of a vengeful spirit of a girl murdered by her husband for having a fascination with an American professor. This ghost comes back to haunt the house she was murdered in, along with her son and cat, who were drowned by the husband as well.

Although the plot is a little far-fetched to say the least, the original Japanese films played heavily on what you couldn't see, to invoke a feeling of terror and suspense amongst audiences. It worked – there were news stories of weak-minded Japanese moviegoers fleeing the cinemas upon the original version of 'Ju-On 2', the Asian name for 'Grudge 2'. However, whereas the original 'Grudge' was a direct remake of the first 'Ju-On' film, the sequel has no parallel with the Japanese original, apart from name. Shimizu has stated in interviews that he wanted to make a different story in the series.

Although the film wasn't a huge success in cinemas when released in 2006, it still took a reasonable amount at the box office from fans of the original, as well as newcomers to the series who wanted to see what all the word-of-mouth about the movie was for themselves. Despite only taking just over $30 million at the U.S. box office, it went on to double that with the rest of the world, and now with its release on DVD, is expected to find a larger audience.

Released earlier this year, the DVD version of 'Grudge 2' has a host of features to keep both fans and movie collectors alike happy. As well as the original cinematic version of the movie, there is also an unrated cut, with a further six minutes of extra footage not seen before. These expands a little more on Sarah Michelle Gellar's character, as well as make a little bit more sense to an already convoluted plot, which was one of the main things the fans complained about the original.

There is also a collection of deleted scenes, some of which would have made a welcome addition to the film, and others showing it was a wise decision to remove them in the editing suite. Of these scenes, three stand out - a scene where two of the film's characters, Eason and Aubrey, are at the haunted apartment and are watching a programme about exorcisms in Japan; a dream sequence featuring Aubrey again, and a disturbing encounter with her mother; and an alternative ending to the film, which will be familiar to anyone who saw the original trailers for the movie.

Also included are the three short films that debuted on Yahoo Movies in the run-up to the film's release. With the title 'tales From The Grudge', and introduced by cult director Sam Raimi of 'The Evil Dead' and 'Spiderman' fame, the films look deeper into the curse of the 'Grudge', and were part of a hugely successful marketing campaign by the film studio to get 'grudge 2' ingrained into people's psyche.

You also get four featurettes, depicting the story behind the legend, as well as how Japanese horror compares to Western horror, and an interview with Shimizu himself, which proves interesting and informative. Completing the DVD is a blooper real, where the outtakes from the film's production are shown. With news that 'Grudge 3' is already planned, this is a good starting place for horror fans new to this unique series.

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