Format:		Movie
By:		Nicolas Pesce (Director/Screenwriter)
Genre:		Horror
Released:		January 3, 2020
Review Date:		January 12, 2020
Audience Rating:		Rated R
RevSF Rating:		8/10 (What Is This?)

I believe that this is the first time where I’m getting to review a remake of a movie, where I reviewed the original when it came out. I’m not sure how I feel about this, except possibly old.

The original The Grudge was released way back in 2004, and I really enjoyed it. So even with Sam Rami / Ghost House behind this remake (after having made the original American adaptation of the J-Horror original), the usual remake unease, combined with by-the-numbers trailers, had me a little apprehensive about this remake.

I am very glad to report that my fears were unfounded. This remake is fantastic.

Like the original, the new The Grudge is about vengeful spirits who died in a rage, so now they unleash that fury on anyone who dares enter their house. This must be the reason for the push for drone-based delivery services, so you stop running out of employees.

Anyway, the tale starts in Japan, where live-in nurse Fiona (Tara Westwood) Landers is our ghost “patient zero”. She makes the mistake of dropping in on where long-haired ghost Kayako (Junko Bailey) and her child Toshio were murdered. After a scare by the undead duo, Fiona flees home to America, where she and her family, husband Sam (Dave Brown) and daughter Melinda (Zoe Fish) discover that you can run but you can’t hide from pissed-off ghosts, and now they become murderous spirits as well.

After this, the movie follows four interlinked stories about the poor unfortunates who made the mistake of stepping into the wrong residence. As in the original, these stories are told in an interweaving pattern, slipping back and forth between setups and reveals, building the tension until you’re ready to snap.

Our four tales (five, if you count Fiona’s gruesome opener) are about:

1. Single mom Detective Muldoon (Andrea Riseborough) who has moved with her son Burke (John Hanson) to town after her husband’s passing from cancer. Along with her new partner Detective Goodman (Demián Bichir), she investigates the discovery of the body of . . .
2. Lorna Moody (Jacki Weaver), a suicide assistance advocate, who has come at the request of William Matheson (Frankie Faison) about his ailing wife Faith (Lin Shaye). Meanwhile, they have visits from . . .
3. Detective Wilson (William Sadler), partner of Detective Goodman, who had entered the house while investigating the deaths of the Landers. His visits upset the Mathesons, whom had bought the house from . . .
4. Peter Spencer (Frank Cho), who is not only dealing with the stress of trying to sell the house for Fiona (whom he doesn’t know has perished at the ghostly hands of Kayako), but he and his wife Nina (Betty Gilpin) have just received some very unsettling medical news about their unborn child.

As you can see, this movie has a rock-solid cast. Riseborough, Lin and Cho are the standouts, and it’s always a pleasure to see Sadler. Riseborough is very sympathetic, smart and believable, Lin is great, and between this movie, The Exorcist TV show and Sleepy Hollow, Cho is putting together a solid horror resume.

The screenplay, by director Nicolas Pesce, manages to juggle the back and forth of the stories without becoming confusing or bogged down with “wait, what?” questions. All the characters are smart (or at least, don’t make stupid decisions just for the sake of moving the plot forward), and are sympathetic. I cared about each of these people, even as I yelled at them to not go into that house.

Also, setting the stories in 2004 & 2006 (when the original and sequel came out), was a cute touch.

Pesce’s direction has a very grounded feel. It reminded me of those matter-of-fact horror films of the 70’s, very easy to follow, well shot, and I love the way he handled the ending.

I also want to give a shout out to the music by the Newton Brothers, it’s great stuff. The end credits song “We Get What We Deserve” by them and Dead Sara has been on repeat in my playlist since I left the theater.

I know that a lot of people are kind of bagging on this movie, but I think it’s because it’s a remake, and as I said before, the trailers are not doing it any favors.

Personally, the movie works for me. But I really enjoy slow-burn horror (which this is). I liked the cast, it has a little gore, good scares, isn’t afraid to be mean, and I liked how it would slip the ghosts into various locations.

The only real complaint I have about the movie is that the ghosts have shifted from Kayako and Toshio to Fiona and Melinda. But as this is the story of their haunting, and Zoe’s performance is incredibly creepy, I can live with it.

Also, supposedly, this is more of a side-story than a reboot, telling the tale of the Landers ghosts, while Kayako and company are terrorizing Sarah Michelle Gellar. As you do.

So, yeah, The Grudge. If you like ghost stories, go check it out.