I've seen Ju-On (the original version, made in Japan) multiple times, but I had never gotten around to seeing the American remake until this weekend. On a scale of one to ten... The Grudge was about a six. It was, essentially, Ju-On with four added white people. Same director, most of the same people in production, same location, same side characters. The only difference is that they slapped Sarah Michelle Gellar in the middle with the hopes that she wouldn't simply turn the movie into Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The character of Peter made no sense. He killed the scary "husband simply lost his mind" aspect by giving Kayako's husband a REASON to kill her and her son. This also got rid of most of the suspense, and Peter, honestly, felt like a bland self-insert character from some fanfic. His character had little depth and he took away more from the storyline than he added.
I'd recommend staying away from this film if you haven't seen it already, and sticking to Ju-On. The Grudge is, when it comes down to it, a film that was completely unnecessary to make. It was an exact replica of Ju-On without the suspense and dark, horrifying aesthetic with added elements that took away from the horror factor. I have no idea what Takashi Shimizu was thinking when he agreed to remake his horror classic with the added bonus of cheesy Hollywood flavor. I suppose The Grudge could be scary in the right situation, but the generally weird, unscary aesthetic killed most of its potential.
