48
Metascore
22 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 60Film ThreatEric CamposFilm ThreatEric CamposBasically, what you have in Ju-On is a collection of effectively scary sights and sounds - sound effects play a huge part in rolling that chill down your spine – and that's about it.
- 60TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghShimizu generates a sense of palpable dread in each segment, expertly manipulating tried-and-true scare tactics supplemented by a truly inspired use of spooky sound effects.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterDirector Takashi Shimizu chooses cruel psychological suspense over gore and succeeds in spinning a minimal plot into a panorama of malice.
- 50VarietyDerek ElleyVarietyDerek ElleyA haunted-house one-trick pony.
- 50New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoThe story is told in fractured time. This might not be a problem if his visuals were more fear-inducing.
- 40Village VoiceDennis LimVillage VoiceDennis LimJu-on never snaps into focus like a "Go" or a "Pulp Fiction," and what at first registers as sloppy plotting starts to seem positively diabolical.
- The film's repetitious, episodic structure seems to unnecessarily alleviate the building tension, making it a far less frightening film than it might have been.
- 30L.A. WeeklyRon StringerL.A. WeeklyRon StringerOccasionally scary, never coherent.
- 25New York Daily NewsJami BernardNew York Daily NewsJami BernardIts shapelessness and the cultural differences in acting style will keep this version filed under "cult oddity."