Ju-on: The Grudge 2

It’s been about a year since I covered the original Ju-On so it felt like a great time to revisit the sequel. It’s not on the schedule at the moment, but I’ll probably also be covering The Grudge at some point.

Ju-On 2 was written and directed by Takashi Shimizu (Hell Girl) and was released on August 23, 2003. Ju-On 2 was made on a budget of ¥1.1 billion (roughly $10,120,000 in US dollars) and went on to make $2,705,820 worldwide. Ju-On 2 has received largely mixed reviews.

Like it’s predecessor, Ju-On 2 follows the victims of the Ju-On curse in six vignettes which overlap with one another and are told in a non-linear fashion.

Ju-On 2 is an interesting film. It’s largely “more of the same” in its relationship with the first film both to the film’s benefit and detriment. In its conversations with the first film, it does feel like a seamless continuation and expansion. However, that does mean that the film can feel a bit repetitive.

Luckily, it’s a formula that works so even that repetition is still largely successful and engaging. Watching how the various story threads come together is fun and satisfying. The film isn’t breaking new ground, but it doesn’t really need to.

Rating: 3.5 horror TV shows out of 5

Other Observations:

• Does the Dog Die? No!

• Harrison’s Favorite Scare: The entire final sequence is so freaky. I love it!

Next Week: We’re continuing the countdown to Scream (2022) with Scream 3.