The normal façade of a modest house in Tokyo belies the hidden terror within. It is possessed by a violent plague that destroys the lives of everyone who enters. Known as "The Grudge," this curse is born when someone dies in the grips of a powerful rage. Those who are fatally afflicted by the curse die and a new curse is born, passed like a virus to all those who enter the house in an endless, growing chain of horror. Karen is an exchange student studying social work in Japan who innocently agrees to cover for a nurse who didn't show up for work. When she enters the assigned home, she discovers an elderly American woman, Emma, who is lost in a catatonic state while the rest of the house appears deserted and disheveled. As she is tending to the stricken old woman, Karen hears scratching sounds from upstairs. When she investigates, she is faced with a supernatural horror more frightening than she could ever imagine. Within this house, a chain of terror has been set in motion resulting from a terrifying evil that was born years before. As more people die, Karen is pulled into the cycle of horror and learns the secret of the vengeful curse that has taken root in this house. Now she must stop it before it's too late...

This is one of those movies that just sets you hair on ends and never lets go of you. The movie just fantastically paced, where while you might know what is about to happen you are still drawn in as the movie just leaves you with that odd it could happen to you feeling. The movie doesn’t show overly disgusting or gross scenes, rather it relies more on suspense and the tension it creates to be scary. The movie reminded me quite a bit of the Ring, as they both use a lot of the similar suspense and tension techniques to give you that goose bump, hair-raising experience. And they both are remakes of Japanese horror movies that are done very well. And the movie also understand how important timing is, as this movie is released perfectly right before the Halloween holiday.

While Sarah Michelle Gellar is not about to win any Oscars for her acting work, she is still quite a good actor that has been steeped in Horror roles, most notably Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She does a good job of drawing you in and feeling sympathy as well as fear for her character Karen. I did find myself a little confused at one point as they reintroduced Bill Pullman’s character and who I had forgotten about through the action of the movie. I think they could have tied the two story lines together a little better, so you did not find yourself a little lost at times, but overall the movie is great at delivering in what it promised. The movie goose bump, hair-raising experience that is perfect for the Halloween season upon us.
4 stars out of 5