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Grudge 2, The
Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Entertainment

Grudge 2, The reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 33 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
4.9 out of 10
based on 16 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 40 votes
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MPAA RATING: PG-13 for mature thematic material, disturbing images/terror/violence, and some sensuality

Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Amber Tamblyn, Edison Chen, Arielle Kebbel, Jennifer Beals, Teresa Palmer, Misako Uno, and Sarah Roemer

The much-anticipated sequel to the 2004 worldwide hit The Grudge, this terrifying thriller explores the dark secrets of the grudge as the terrifying supernatural curse is unleashed on a group of seemingly unrelated victims. One by one, they are infected by the grudge, which quickly moves from a burned-down house in Tokyo and spreads to everyone who crosses his path. (Columbia Pictures)


GENRE(S): Drama  |  Horror  |  Mystery  |  Suspense/Thriller  
WRITTEN BY: Stephen Susco
Takashi Shimizu (movie Ju-On: the Grudge)
 
DIRECTED BY: Takashi Shimizu  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: February 6, 2007 
Theatrical: October 13, 2006 
RUNNING TIME: minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 
LANGUAGE(S): English / Japanese 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

58
Entertainment Weekly Scott Brown
Once again, we're treated to loosely aligned scenes of half-formed characters getting a faceful of director Takashi Shimizu's croaking, implacable, and, yes, still scary housewife-geist.
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50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jason Anderson
Those ghosts might want to find a new vocation, because their work here is done.
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50
LA Weekly Chuck Wilson
Generating gore-free unease through sound effects and scary faces is the specialty of director Takashi Shimizu, who helmed the original series (known in Japan as Ju-On). He creates some unsettling moments here, particularly a well-staged scene involving a body under the sheets and a man in a shower, but the evil ghost itself is a predictable, one-trick pony.
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50
New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
While The Grudge 2 feels like a second-generation copy - a little faded, with less impact than the first - there are still plenty of moments that will linger in your nightmares.
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50
San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub
There are fun distractions, but it's easy to focus on the flaws.
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42
The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps
While the film deserves some credit for creating and sustaining a creepy atmosphere, it doesn't matter much when the plot doesn't go anywhere, and here, it winds toward the most arbitrary, nonsensical final scene in recent memory. But, hey, they're ghosts. They can do some pretty crazy shit.
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40
Variety Peter Debruge
Story is incidental here, as auds merely anticipate the scares.
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40
The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis
Puberty causes an exponential increase in evil -- and in incoherence -- in The Grudge 2.
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40
Washington Post Stephen Hunter
A movie so bewildering and impenetrable that I believe it siphoned off a good 40 IQ points.
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40
Empire Angie Errigo
Despite some nifty Japanese style tricks and ghostly illusions this isn't scary. It's muddled, same-old mayhem, just with a more international cast going crazy.
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40
Los Angeles Times Michael Ordona
This is not the cool, eerie déjà vu, but the "Hey, isn't that exactly what happened in the first movie?" déjà vu.
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38
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
The film pulls off a couple of "gotchas!", but the subtle creepiness of its predecessors is gone, replaced by a sense of numbing predictability.
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38
Boston Globe Wesley Morris
The most popular facial expression for victims in The Grudge 2 is something I'd like to call "deep befuddlement." This time "deep befuddlement" goes double for paying customers.
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20
Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar
The same problems that plagued the original are on display here. Most notably, the lack of any coherent plot. Lots of creepy kids jump out at us, but these scenes are never satisfactorily meshed into the story itself.
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20
Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
Americans are befuddled by the inexplicable, and they demand explanations. With The Grudge 2 Shimizu delivers them and thus defangs the horror, leaving us in a well-lit room, pining for the shadows.
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0
New York Post V.A. Musetto
Utter junk.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 4.9 (out of 10) based on 40 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Christy B. gave it a10:
Awesome, I loved the movie the Grudge. It is really scary and there is a purpose to it. I jumped when I was watching it. But after that I couldn't keep my eyes off of it. The second movie was great too. I love horror movies.

Axel L. gave it a10:
A great sequel, not better than the first, but still eerie and scary!

Redlight gave it a2:
Awful. And Sarah Michelle Gellar's appearance has contractual obligation written all over it.

Sam gave it a4:
Typical J-horror scares abound, the latest entry into "The Grudge" franchise brings nothing new to the table, except an even more terrible performance by Ms. Gellar.

[Anonymous] gave it a1:
Jeez. What trash. Watch it to see what happens when America tries to make Japanese horror, which isn't all that amazing in the first place (how many pale, crawling, jerking ghosts does cinema really need?). If you really want to enjoy this over used horror style, go get Juon 2, which is vastly better and easily the best in its class. It also takes it step further by being much edgier and darker.

Ben D gave it an8:
This movie really suprised me, especially considering the horrible reviews by "professional" movie critics. It all boils down to whether you liked the first Grudge. I loved it, and this one actually creates more tension and unease then the first. There are some very shocking visuals that will stay with you for a while.

Moose gave it a0:
This might be the worst movie I have ever seen! Wow, what a waste of time. Very disjointed. Just horrible!

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