The Rage and Fury Omnibus, Part IV: "Ju-On: The Grudge 2" (2003)

"Ju-On: The Grudge 2" (once again, just like the V-cinema films, known simply as "Ju-On 2" in many circles - but this indeed the FOURTH film in the series if you're keeping score, ladies and gents) is a pretty damn beloved movie. Many fans of the series consider it the absolute best film in the entire franchise, and for good reason. It's also the perfect capper to follow up the original "Ju-On: The Grudge" with. That film will leave you so hungry for more bob-and-weave Kayako action that another 92 minutes with the same main star and the same apocalyptic feel of the previous movie is the perfect way to sate your thirst.

I can definitely say it worked on me; hell, I watched this movie exactly 24 hours after my first viewing of "Ju-On: The Grudge." It didn't disappoint in the slightest; while not QUITE as strong as that incendiary classic, this movie has tons going for it. In the absolute simplest way I know how to put it, this HAS to be the best horror franchise of the 21st century, because I can think of no other series that featured a FOURTH film as good as this one. And we're talking GOOD good, not cheesy good ("Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter," I love you, but lord knows you ain't a Shakespearian epic). Yes, folks, this is a great movie. Perhaps not in the way that it should have walked away with a bagful of Oscars, but as both a continuation and a stand-alone story that's meant to creep the holy f**k out of you, there's few better than "Ju-On: The Grudge 2."

The story and slight effort to unconfuse you: The first two direct-to-video films focused on the first two families to call the cursed Saeki home, well, home. The third had another poor bunch of blood- and not-blood kin getting systematically butchered, along with a few ill-fated social workers meeting their ends at the hand of Superonryo and her son. By the time the events of this movie have rolled around, the house has been abandoned for many years, which is right where this story picks up.

The bookend story this time revolves around a pregnant actress named Kyoko Harase (Noriko Sakai, in an excellent performance). Kyoko makes an appearance on a Japanese variety show that specialized in haunted houses and other horror-tastic tales, and what better way to spike the ratings than visit a house where everyone who has ever entered dies a horrific death? Seems like a good idea to me. Hey, nobody ever said characters in horror films were Mensa members, and if they'd turned back at the front door to start the movie...there wouldn't be a movie, schmucks.

Anyway, if you've been following these things, the rest you know. Cast and crew of said show goes into house, only to be systematically slaughtered by Kayako and Toshio. The "Ju-On" experience has always been much more style than substance, however; its joys lie not in its minty freshness, but its creativity in springing its money scenes. In this regard, this is indeed the best movie in the series. The kill scenes in "Ju-On" films contain virtually no blood (well, with the exception of that "ripped-off jaw" scene in the original "Ju-On: The Curse," later cribbed for "The Grudge 1" in the States), but a lot of them have the genuine power to scare the crap out of anyone watching them for the first time sometime in the wee morning hours. The first time I watched this particular flick, I was amazed at Takashi Shimizu's ability to top himself with every one of the murder scenes. They're elaborately planned, well-paced and built-to, and paid off with perfection.

One thing, however, that stands in stark contrast to the previous film is the amount of screen time given to Takako Fuji and her amazing portrayal of everyone's favorite black-haired demon. In the previous film, her appearances (and it might not even need to be pluralized) were brief and scarce; this time, she's all over the place. Of all seven "Ju-On/Grudge" films with Fuji as Kayako, this is the one where she has the most face time, and she definitely makes the most of the opportunity. If you want to see Takako Fuji eating the souls of many, many unfortunate victims, and see it on the glorious big-screen, this is your bag, baby.

THE SEGMENTS

The movie begins with a pre-credits sequence showing Kyoko and her fiance Masashi driving down a lonely stretch of road. All appears innocent until Toshio makes a surprise appearance, forcing them off the road in an accident that effectively makes Masashi an invalid and seemingly kills Kyoko's unborn child. Or does it? Dun dun dun.

Kyoko: More of Kyoko's story, and unfortunately this segment kind of drags. The main gist of the thing is that Kyoko (known as the "Horror Queen" in her native Japan due to her propensity of starring in various horror flicks - I'd dig her if she was real) finds out that her previously-thought terminated pregnancy is in fact NOT terminated. So who or what is growing inside of her? There's a couple nice trademark "Ju-On" jump scares here, as well.

Tomoka: Now we're talking. Chihari Niiyama plays the title character, a sexy young TV show host who serves as our first lamb being led to slaughter in this go-round. And this...segment...is...awesome. Perfectly plotted, well-paced, containing a foreboding sense of dread and amazing payoff with one of the BEST, most imprinted images in all of the "Ju-On/Grudge" franchise. You don't mess with Kayako hanging two people with her demonic hair and Toshio playing around with the dead bodies like rag dolls.

Megumi: Another classic segment with a wonderful payoff. Megumi (Emi Yamamoto) is the hairstylist for the doomed TV show crew, and it's in this sketch where we see the actual taping of the show. There's one creeptacular scene where Kayako and Toshio - in human form - appear in the background behind Megumi and Kyoko, and the ending - the wig from hell - is once again an ingenious death scene.

Keisuke: Unfortunately, this is another segment that drags, and it's one with a character we don't really care about (even by the end of this part). More than anything, it's more exposition on Kyoko's pregnancy. Yup - creepy stuff is going on, we get it. Moving along...

Chiharu: Probably my second favorite segment in the entire "Ju-On" saga. It begins with an eerie tracking shot that seemingly follows the consciousness of Kayako roaming throughout Tokyo, and the rest of the segment is no less foreboding. Remember Izumi, the daughter of Detective Toyama from "Ju-On: The Grudge?" Well, now Kayako's after her friends. Chiharu is played by Japanese pinup idol Yui Ichikawa; she's fun to look at, but she's also really great at screaming. This part of the film is a mindf**k of Biblical proportions; Chiharu is shuttled in and out of realities with seemingly no pattern. The end result, of course, is that she's screwed.

Kayako: The third "Ju-On" film to have a "Kayako" chapter, and it's just as epic as the others. The entire movie has been building to the birth scene seen in so many romantic comedy and drama films...THIS, however, is a birth unlike any you've ever seen before, I'll tella you that much (Italian mode). What a rocking ending, and it even ends with the premeditated death of boring Keisuke. LOVE the ending, as well; it's tragic, it's sad, and it's ultimately VERY fitting, just as the ending of "Ju-On: The Grudge" was.

In a way, "Ju-On: Grudge 2" was the end of an era. It was, thus far, the final Japanese film to feature Kayako and Toshio before Shimizu would take this grand concept to the United States for even greater fame and fortune. It's also the highest-budgeted film in the Japanese series. Watching the movie in this regard, it's kind of sad; nobody had ever made J-horror movies of this nature before, with a singular sense of focus coupled perfectly with a nonlinear story. It's not quite as strong as "Ju-On: The Grudge," but as an opus for one of the most creative, incendiary chapters in the history of horror films, it's dynamite. As you can probably guess by now, a little over a year after the release of this film, "The Grudge" was released in the U.S. - in and of itself a glorified TRIBUTE to the four films that preceded it in the land of the rising sun. To me, truly a befitting honor for 3.5 classic films.