The Grudge 2 (2006)

Originally Written
Saturday, February 10, 2007

Grunge - something of inferior quality; trash. I think this series of films should have been entitled "The Grunge" instead of "The Grudge". While the word grudge does have relevance to the fact that the ghosts actually have a grudge, grunge more accurately describes the films as a whole, and definitely applies to this horrible attempt at making a sequel to a film that was quite average to begin with. Unfortunately I never got around to writing a review for the first film, but trust me, it was average.

The Grudge 2 picks up where the first film left off. After Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) attempted to destroy the evil spirits that lurked in the abandoned house, she only made matters worse. Now in the hospital she attempts to hold onto any remaining sanity she may have. Her sister Aubrey travels to Japan, were Karen is hospitalized, in an attempt to bring her sister back to the United States. All hope of that is quickly lost as Karen is quickly ousted at the start of the film, unable to warn her sister of the evil that she has released.

As it seems the Grudge is now on the loose and not only after people who have entered the old abandoned house but now everyone, causing people to act strange and become enraged. When Aubrey takes it upon herself to try and figure out what happened to her sister she ends up coming face to face with evil itself. Aubrey attempts to pick up where her sister left off and find a way to destroy the Grudge, but it’s a futile mission with absolutely no chance of succeeding, so why even bother watching?

I didn't expect anything from this sequel, the original was descent but it was nothing to brag about, and The Grudge 2 is just awful. My biggest complaint is the film makes no sense, either this was done on purpose or the writers didn't take the time to try and make the story even mildly coherent. Jumping around between three different stories all occurring in different points in time quickly becomes quite annoying. To cap it all off the ending, where they attempt to tie all the stories together is even more confusing. Usually the ending is supposed to answer the lingering questions asked throughout the film not make you go... HUH!?!?! Don't be surprised when the ending solves nothing at all and creates a starting point for a 3rd edition, which I hope won't happen (jinx it does happen).

Aside from a confusing story, nothing in the film is particularly well crafted to begin with. Bad acting is expected from these films so that should be no surprise, but the film is supposed to be somewhat scary. Like most sequels in the horror genre the evil spirit or monster always seems to be over used, The Grudge 2 is no exception as the undead cat boy seems to appear everywhere to the point of hilarity. When cat boy starts appearing inside desks, someone’s sweat shirt hood, and stomping on top of tables it begins to get a little ridiculous and ends up turning into a game to see who can find the cat boy first. Frankly I was hoping he would pop out of the toilet bowl and then someone would flush him, alas that did not occur, but maybe in part 3!

I also continue to love the fact that the characters in these types of films continue to do things no one else in their right mind would do. Lets follow the scary looking girl, lets go inside our apartment when the door is wide open and the place is trashed, let me stand here with my mouth open while the zombie girl sucks the life out of me!!! You either run or you take a baseball bat and start swinging at the devil woman and her crack baby don't sit there and stare and them!

Overall, The Grudge 2 as I said is "grunge". It breaks all the rules of the conventional horror films and lets the evil practically wander around, even in the day time, killing people and leaving the viewer with nothing but confusion. In the end there is no story, there is no flow, the multiple side characters only lead to more confusion and the ending makes no sense. When it's all said and done the only "grudge" anybody is going to be left with is a "grudge" against the filmmakers for making this crap!

3/10