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17 out of 18 people found the following review useful:
The first of the series is still the most effective, 17 September 2003
8/10
Author: Martin Wagner from Austin, TX

Although the first two movies of the Ju-on series were super low-budget direct-to-video affairs, I find this first one holds its own next to -- and is in many ways still creepier than -- the 2002 theatrical box office smash.

This movie establishes the curse that stems from the murder of a young woman, Kayako, and her son, Toshio, by Kayako's jealous husband. The movie jumps around in time, playing scenes out of sequence in a way that is more interesting dramatically than if it had all been drawn out chronologically.

Takashi Shimizu relies upon generating an eerie mood, a nonstop aura of unease that permeates each scene, to creep audiences out, rather than by throwing gore and special effects at you in the way American horror films usually do. (In fact, the one CGI effects shot in this movie is its cheesiest; they just haven't got the budget to pull it off.) By the time we finally see Kayako crawling down the stairs, we've been put so ill at ease by one inexplicable, disturbing event after another that the first sight of her is bloodcurdling.

In all, Ju-on is a swell example of how to generate chills with next to no money but boundless imagination and talent.

8/10

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18 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
It Sounds Scary!!!, 27 October 2004
8/10
Author: KipWellsFan from Winnipeg, Canada

First off this is the movie that kicked it all off. It was followed by Ju-On 2 , Ju-On The Grudge, Ju-On The Grudge 2, and now the Sarah Michelle Gellar version The Grudge all directed by Shimizu. These movies have since become sort of a mystery due to the fact that very little people actually know there are so many of these movies and that there is an actual order in which they proceed. So I personally decided to buck that trend and watch them from the start. So....

Anyways this movie eerily begins off with a teacher played by Yûrei Yanagi who must visit the ominous home of one of his students Toshio whom has not recently been to school and who's parents have not been able to be reached. When he arrives at the house he discovers the boy is alone at home and his parents are out and about.

This is when the movie flashes back into an almost short story mode where it tells the tale of others who have lived and been in the house and what has become of them. One of the characters being played by Chiaki Kuriyama who has gone on to bigger and better things with Battle Royale and Kill Bill. This movie is confusing and made even more confusing by not being used to watching a movie with all Asian people and subtitles. But from what I've understood these people have all been cursed with The Grudge as is described in the beginning of the movie as

"A curse of one who dies with strong resentment

Accumulates in the place where the dead were while alive, and turns into "Karma"

He who comes in contact with the curse loses his life, and a new curse is born."

After these sequences are finished Shimizu once again returns to the main story of the teacher and his student Toshio. Where we quickly learn what has really become of Toshio's parents. EEK!

These short story like sequences are very frightening and creepy, and it wasn't the limited amount of gore that got me. It was the great direction and incredible use of sound to freak the s**t out of me. I've never really seen any American horror movies made like this one, and it's almost hard to explain even to myself how a movie with such an erratic and confusing timeline could still be so satisfying. Although maybe I'm just ignoring the fact that many of these confusements(is that a word, if it isn't it should be) will be explained in the sequels, which I now must absolutely see.

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18 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
Wonderful fear that will remain with you, 5 January 2005
9/10
Author: andrushcourt from Denver, CO, United States

I saw the US version in the theatre and wasn't very impressed. I guess it could have been the fact that I was in a ghetto theatre in the inner city with people yelling the obvious or the strange smell emanating from beneath the seats that reclined way to far past horizontal.

So, upon returning home, I watched the Japanese version. Since the US version took liberties to change the plot somewhat and over-explain every single detail of the movie, I was doubtful. True to form, the Japanese version was exquisite. The atmosphere created closely resembles the creepy feeling you get in a cursed house in Japan. The sounds and special effect sounds were some of the best. US horror films should emulate the lack of sound in spots to create tension as this film does.

Personally, this film caused me to glance over my shoulder every now and again expecting to see a little painted white Asian boy or a black cat lurking in the dark. This film is a must see for horror buffs and those that enjoy a good scare. The film starts with a horrific scene while the US version just has you confused from the very beginning. Great Movie.

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10 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Extremely creepy., 14 February 2004
10/10
Author: HumanoidOfFlesh from Chyby, Poland

"Ju-On" has to be one of the creepiest horror films I have ever seen.Essentially the ghost story,it tells four interconnected stories that are all tied to the same house and the events that happened there.The film is extremely moody as it has almost dream-like atmosphere.The manifestations of spirits in "Ju-On" are so sudden and bone-chilling that it will surely make your skin crawl.Personally I think that the idea of the blood curse of the house(the grudge)is well-developed and the acting is decent.It's nice to see also Chiaki Kuriyama as a schoolgirl Mizuho Tamura.So if you are a fan of creepy Japanese horror you can't miss it.Highly recommended.

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8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Super Dread, 22 July 2004
9/10
Author: dbborroughs from Glen Cove, New York

With the release of the first theatrical film in the US hours away I decided to go back and start at the beginning of what spawned four films in Japan and a soon to be released American version.

This is less a haunted house story than a ghost story with something extra. The less you know the better, but perhaps saying that this is about an evil that flows outward from a terrible crime. Its told out of order, which in its way is tricky thing to do since here it requires that you give yourself over to it and stay with it on the journey its making. As I watched the early parts of the film I was uncertain about what I was seeing. It was good but I was almost ready to give up, except there was something gnawing at me to stay the course. I'm glad I did.

This is a film of slowly building dread and unease more than jump out of your seat scares. You leave the film not feeling right with the tension all up and down your back. I didn't want people to go upstairs, into rooms, or follow the trail of blood because I knew what was there, and it was horrible... ...well horrible in idea. The trouble is that because this was shot on the cheap some of the effects aren't that good. I'd like to describe them but I'll let you find out. Thankfully they don't ruin what is a truly creepy movie.

Frankly I'm terrified to see what the other movies bring.

9 out of 10.

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9 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Creepy, atmospheric story despite budget limitations, 3 June 2003
9/10
Author: mandiapple from Wiltshire, UK

I don't often recommend TV movies, but I thought that Ju-on was a real corker. Despite an almost-zero budget and an extremely slow pace, Takashi Shimizu still managed to produce a very edgy and eerie ambience, not unlike Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 'Kourei', which really sucks you in and builds gradual tension beautifully.

The acting quality is pretty darn good too, with some reasonably big names (Yuurei Yanagi, Chiaki Kuriyama, Yoriko Douguchi), all of whom do a very fine turn, and the soundtrack was very reminiscent again of 'Kourei', which doesn't exactly surprise me, knowing that Kiyoshi Kurosawa participated in the production of the much-anticipated 2003 remake of Ju-on...

Basically, if you're a fan of that kind of slow-moving, atmospheric horror that Kurosawa and Nakata Hideo do so well, you'll love this too... now I just want to compare this one with the remake! ;-)

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6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Ju on: The curse of all people who are angry., 9 January 2006
9/10
Author: Jessica Kolk from Brazil

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

''Ju On'' is a great movie, and after watching ''The Grudge'' I really have more respect for the Japanese version. I think this is one of the scariest movies I watched in all my life, and without showing any blood or disgusting organs like many trash films.All the story turns around the Saeki family:Takeo Saeki was jealous of his wife, Kayako,and brutally kills her and the young son, Toshio. Kayako was supposed to have an affair with another guy, and Takeo when discovered, imagined that even Toshio wasn't his son, making him to commit the horrible crime.Divided by parts each one with a different character, the story is very cool!

Ps: Who was scared by that horrible sound of Kayako?

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6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Ju-On is Genius Horror, 26 May 2005
9/10
Author: Waverider1423 from United States

Sam Rami said that he thought Ju-On was one of the twenty greatest horror movies ever made and I agree. In this Japanese horror flick, subtleness is the key. I have read reviews where some were taken aback by this approach and I can understand their sentiments, but I think it is all a matter of taste. No one can really deny the skill that goes into this picture and how scary it is. i think what makes this movie so terrifying is that it takes mundane settings not usually associated with horror and turns them into places of terror. The house in Ju-On is just a normal house where abnormal events occurred and as such lead to a supernatural curse. Plus the characters that seem to be involved in this are good people who don't deserve what comes to them. In most American films all the people who are killed are usually drug and sex ridden teenagers who the audience roots against. I feel that doesn't make for a scary picture, like having regular people whose only real crime is being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I would defiantly rate this as one of the elite horror movies ever made. I see so many elements that are present in past films. I like how the skips around in a Quentin Tarintino type way. Also it has that low budget Evil Dead feel. It is easy to see why Sam Rami digs it so much. It also reminds me of old European horror flicks and old American horror flicks that were famous for subtle fear inducing scenes. Now it does have it's faults though. And while I guess this is a matter of taste, I think that some of the actions of the ghosts should of been played out more. I know in Japanese movies, they like to leave more to the imagination, but some variety could of helped the picture I think. Anyway, I defiantly feel this is a good movie to add to anyone's collection.

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6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Maybe the most frightening movie I've ever seen., 5 September 2004
9/10
Author: Angra from Denmark

First i was disappointed to see that it was a TV movie i had bought, but after 10 minutes of watching it i didn't give it much of a thought. This movie is simply just entertaining from beginning to end. There is no limit to the imagination of creepiness in this movie, all thanks to my new favorite horror director Takashi Shimizu. The fact, that its like Shimizu has thought " I would like to make a movie that scares the s*** out of everyone and then to hell with everything else" really makes me raise my thumbs up and bow in the dust for the man. This Flick is on my top 3 list of the scariest movies ever, together with "The shining" and "Salems lot". If i had seen this one when i was 13 i would have been horrified for stairs years to come (just like i was horrified for windows without curtains for about 5 years, after seeing "Salems lot"), thats for sure.

Note: You don't have to use blood for a movie to be scary. The Japanese have realized that, why cant the Americans???

The reason that i didn't give this movie 10 out of 10 is because i find it hard to keep track of all the names (maybe because I'm not Japanese?)and i miss some answers in this riddle of a ghost story. And yes, i HAVE seen the other 3 in the series. And no, you Don't get much more insight, just more confused. They are still some excellent horror movies though, especially Ju-on: The grudge 2. But the first one is still the most scary.

I gave it 9 out of 10. Enjoy! ;o)

Ps. If anyone knows movies as scary as the above mentioned, please write me the titles so i can continue my search for the scariest horror movie ever.

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5 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Ju-on the original film, 4 March 2005
10/10
Author: gc_13 from United States

This film's originality is lost with the current Americanized version (The Grudge) The sound effect when the mother appears to the unaware will haunt you and stay with you long after viewing, and you may want to watch it again to see what you missed the first time. There are many details in this film. Ju-on is a horror film that is worth buying unseen.. It is that good!! You will think twice after watching before entering a home, Look at cats in a different way, and hope that you never encounter a place with a Ju-on attached to it. These spirits are not the type you want to communicate with and are best (if possible)avoided. I highly recommend watching and buying Ju-on.

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