20 Horror Movies From The 21st Century That Didn't Actually Suck
19. Ju-On: The Grudge (2002)
Towards the end of the last century and the beginning of this one, Japanese horror was at its peak. Obviously, we had Ringu but in 2002 came this particularly terrifying entry. It's actually the third part of the series but the first to gain wide mainstream attention. The film is broken up into six sections as we initially follow Rika, a volunteer social worker who is looking after a catatonic old woman.
On investigation into the loft, she finds a terrified small boy who isn't all he appears to be. The film then takes us back to the previous family who lived in the house and then we move back and forth as we discover what actually happened in the house and the 'Grudge' that is following them all. This is a great horror, and certainly one of the best to come from Japan.
It might not have the money moment of Ringu's 'girl crawling out of the television' jump shock but it's still got many well constructed scares. Also, you genuinely feel for the characters, particularly Rika, as their lives are destroyed by the Grudge. The American remake is a passable version of the story with a good amount of cheap shocks but it never comes close to surpassing the original.
Similar to the remake of The Ring, always go for the inspiration and never the reimagining.