 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Grudge
- Review Date: January 30, 2005
- PG-13
- Genre: Horror
- 2004
Common Sense Media says
Grisly ghost story lacks plot; not for tweens.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is a very scary movie with a great deal of tension, many jump-out-at-you surprises, graphic violence, and frequent grisly and disgusting images, including graphic wounds, suicide, dead bodies and pieces of dead bodies. Characters also drink and smoke and use strong language.
What's the story?
An American exchange student (Sarah Michelle Gellar as Karen) in Japan is sent out as a substitute for the caregiver of a woman suffering from some dementia. The woman is an American, living with her son and daughter-in-law, and with a daughter living nearby. It turns out the house was once the site of great rage and anguish, giving rise to a curse that attacks anyone who enters.
Is it any good?
THE GRUDGE is one of those "Don't go into the house" movies, a remake of a popular Japanese horror film by Takashi Shimizu, the writer/director of the original. Shimizu makes good use of shifts in time to pull us into what little story there is. The usual ghost activities (messing up the house, stalking people) are updated a little bit. These ghosts can call a cell phone and get from the lobby to the 16th floor very quickly. There are some creepy images and gotcha scares but nothing can disguise the fact that this is just a "who gets it next and how does he get it" movie. Too much of it is familiar, though, from the mysteriously feral child to the backwards-crab-crawling guy looking horrified at some looming presence. You know if a bloody jaw with teeth shows up, eventually we're going to have to find out where, or should I say who, it came from.
Indeed, the biggest problem with the film is that, like many American remakes (Wicker Park is one recent example), feels it has to explain too much. We get a helpful little ghost re-enactment of the whole story. Horror movies are much more horrifying when they leave the explanation to that part of our imagination where our own deepest fears lie, so each of us can feel personally unsettled right where we live.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the enduring appeal of ghost stories and their own views on whether strong emotions can continue to "occupy" a place. They might also want to find out more about efforts to investigate real-life reports of ghosts and curses.
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- Teens & kids
AGE
it was fine :\
SPOILERS!!! very confusing, i didnt know what was goin on half the time. there were some scenes that made me jump,but i jump in almost any movie (narnia,happy feet lol). A suggestion 4 a good horror movie is the exorcist or the shining ( they're my favs).But there wasn't really anything wrong with this movie other than alot of the scenes the scary girl looked fake, to me anyway and that it was confusing, i didn't understand the story very much other than this girl had a crush on this guy and then her husband killed her and whenever any1 goes in the house they die, kinda like the ring i think.
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AGE
great movie with lot of suspence if you are bored with the same old same old horror you should ses this movie
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AGE
for tweens and up
Very good horror movie however this may be one of THE SCARIEST movies in history so think before leting your 9 year olds watch it. very disturbing images and theme.
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AGE
Noooo...
This movie was scary so if you're just watching it to be scared you should watch it. If you're going to watch it to be scared AND see a good film that's fast-paced, well acted and has a good script don't even bother. It was scary but it was also very boring and just dumb. I just bought Ju-On, the original, so we'll see how that goes.
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AGE
Too scary for even older teens
I saw this movie in the theaters when I was 16 with a friend. We sat through half of it before we were so freaked out we ran out of the theater. I slept with the light on for a week. I think what freaked me out was the fact there was no way to stop the ghost from killing you. I watched the whole thing when it came out on video with my older brother. He made funny commentary throughout the movie that helped me not to be so scared. Because of how scared I was when I saw it, and I was 16, I really don't think it's appropriate for 15 or younger.
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AGE
PrEtTy ScArY
What to watch out for
*
Violence:
Frequent intense peril and violence, suicide, characters killed, many grisly and disgusting images.
*
Sex:
Non-explicit sexual situation.
*
Language:
Brief strong language.
*
Consumerism:
Not an issue.
*
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Characters smoke.
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AGE
This was an Ok movie, but I just don't think it's even that scary. Just creepy with a bunch of creepy images. I mean, i watched this with a FOUR YEAR OLD and she wasn't scared at all about the scary parts. I didn't really undertsand the plot, since it was all like a puzzle with a bunch of random scenes smushed together. But I personally thought the actors and actresses did an OK job at acting. I also had to admit, after watching the movie and i was ready to go to sleep, all those creepy images came back and scared me half to death. The ending in my opinion was horrible. I was really wondering what would happen next, but OF COURSE they cut it off right when it was getting good. The Ju-on Version, (Japanese version) is WAYYY better. Overall, okay movie that you can watch in your past time, but nothing special. :L
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Kid, 11 years old
July 23, 2011
AGE
ScArY
10 and up. 10 and under should NOT watch it.
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AGE
The Grudge
I saw this movie when I was 11 and personally, if your child is at a sleepover, you know that usually that there's a scary movie. I saw this at a sleepover with my friends and I do have to admit it is a great scare, it's probably one of the scariest films of all-time. It's extremley fun to watch this movie with friends, as a lot of horror films. I think that if you have a mature 12 year-old it's okay to let them see it. If they're 13 then, its pretty okay. If they're 14 they can definitley watch it. This movie is unlike a lot of scary movie NOW, which usually have extreme sexual content, language, and gore. This movie has minimal sexual content. Doesn't have a lot of language, it's appropraite for a soft PG-13. The gore is not that gory this movie leaves a lot to the imagination about how people die. I think that if you're child wants to see it and you know that they'll be able to handle it, you should let them see it. Great film.
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AGE
Confusing plot, No character definement, unfrightening and overrated.
The Grudge is a horror movie that can be scary to some children under 12.
For me, I thought it was lame. There was some suspence, but much worse than some of the suspence in "the hole", which somewhat ruined it for me. There was some gore and frightening scenes; several odd and freaky occurences occur to people throughout the movie. A woman is shown without her jaw, and a bloody, rotting dead body is found which comes alive..
The plot was confusing. There were so many characters; the movie had so little character development that it was hard to understand what was happening and why events were happening. The plot somewhat makes sense at the end, when a background story is revealed, but leaves a lot of confusing, unanswered questions. All in all, not a very frightening or suspenceful movie, should be okay for ages 11 and up. (if they are not easily scared)
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| Studio: | Columbia Tristar |
| Director: | Takashi Shimizu |
| Cast: | Jason Behr, Sarah Michelle Gellar, William Mapother |
| Genre: | Horror |
| Run time: | 96 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | October 22, 2004 |
| DVD release date: | February 1, 2005 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | mature thematic material, disturbing images/terror/violence, and some sensuality |
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