Hi all!

Today I am ranking The Grudge franchise! Similar to The Ring ranking (click here), I will only be discussing the American movies. However, I highly recommend checking out Ju-On Origins on Netflix. In this series, a curse is born when somebody dies under sorrowful or angry circumstances. Those who encounter this supernatural force are killed, passing the curse from victim to victim, in an endless cycle of horror. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

Spoilers Ahead!

1.) The Grudge 

In first place, we have The Grudge. The one that started it all. The story follows Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar), an American exchange student, studying social work in Japan. One day, she agrees to cover for a nurse, who didn’t show up for her placement. When she enters the assigned home, she discovers an elderly American woman, lost in a catatonic state. The rest of the house however, appears deserted and disheveled. As she is tending to her, Karen hears scratching sounds from upstairs. Investigating, she encounters spirits of the deceased Saeki family members. Within the house, a chain of terror has been set in motion, as a result from the tragic murders that occurred there years before. As more people die, Karen is pulled into a cycle of horror. In my opinion, the first film is legitimately scary. We have the iconic shower scene, Kayako wriggling down the stairs, plenty of jump scares and the awful closet of death. It’s disturbing from start to finish.

2.) The Grudge 2

In second place, we have the sequel. It follows Aubrey Davis, Karen’s younger sister, who travels to Tokyo to visit her in a mental hospital. After witnessing her sister’s horrific death at the hands of Kayako, Aubrey sets out to find the source of the curse, along with a journalist named Eason. At the same time, American teenager (Allison Fleming), deals with a terrifying supernatural event, inflicted as a prank by her classmates. Meanwhile, in Chicago, Jake Kimble is also caught up in the curse, that seems to have spread to his apartment, after Allison moves back there with her family. I remember seeing The Grudge 2 at the cinema and hiding behind my hands for most of it. It has such an intense opening scene. We learn that the curse, once enacted, will follow the victim wherever they go. There is something so terrifying knowing a victim cannot escape it. We also discover it can be passed from person to person. I cannot forget the disgusting milk drinking scene, the darkroom moment and the hospital hallway of doom. It’s a solid follow-up to the first film. I recommend watching them back-to-back.

3.) The Grudge 3 

Unlike the first two films, The Grudge 3 went straight to VOD (Video On Demand). If that doesn’t tell you how it was generally received, nothing will. In Chicago, Jake Kimble, the sole survivor of The Grudge 2, is interned in a mental institution. His therapist, Dr. Sullivan (Shawnee Smith), does not believe he is haunted by the malevolent ghosts of Kayako and Toshio. When Jake is killed in his cell, Dr. Sullivan decides to investigate further, with an open mind. Meanwhile, Lisa, the sister of the building’s superintendent, steals the key to apartment 305, to have sex with her boyfriend. When she realises the apartment is a crime scene, she immediately returns to her own place, where she resides with ill sister, Rose. In the meantime, Naoko Kawamata, travels from Tokyo to Chicago, to stop the curse of her sister, Kayako. She meets Lisa, telling her she needs her and Rose’s help to stop the spirit. One by one, the residents are killed off as Kayako rebels. This instalment just didn’t feel like a Grudge movie. It became too convoluted and the scares themselves, were very cheap. I can see why it wasn’t worthy of a cinema release.

4.) The Grudge (2020)

In last place, we have the 2020 remake. It was so woeful, I actually featured it in my top 5 least favourite horror films post (click here). The biggest disservice in this reboot was the lack of Kayako. She’s more of a side character, than the main spirit, who is a completely different person named Melinda. When you watch The Grudge, you do so for Kayako. Furthermore, you expect the story to feature the infamous cursed house in Japan. Not this one! The entire plot takes place in Pennsylvania. The acting was bad, with a disjointed and confusing storyline. There were so many things that didn’t make sense. For example, if the house was supposed to curse everyone that entered, there would have been a slew of first responders, who would’ve had to have come inside to remove the bodies. This instalment was pointless. It added nothing and I wish it hadn’t been made.

Thank you so much for reading! How would you rank this franchise? 

Peace & Love