[Set Visit] Rated-R Reimagining of ‘The Grudge’ is Nothing Like the Franchise You Know – Bloody Disgusting

One of the most popular franchises to emerge from the J-horror craze in the late 90s was Takashi Shimizus Ju-On series. It was so popular that Sam Raimi and Robert Taperts production company Ghost House Pictures tapped Shimizu to helm an American remake, The Grudge, in 2004. Many sequels later, including Ringu and Ju-on crossover event Sadako vs. Kayako in 2016, its clear that theres still a strong fanbase in native Japan for a series centered around the spooky ghosts of Kayako and her son Toshio, both of whom are permanently tethered to the house in which they were brutally murdered, birthing a rage-fueled curse. Anyone who dares step foot in their house then becomes victim of that curse, beginning with haunting and culminating in death at the hands of Kayako or Toshio.

When it was announced that Ghost House Pictures would be rebooting the franchise, long after the J-horror craze had waned, the immediate reaction was why? And why now? But after stepping foot on set of The Grudge in Winnipeg, Canada, those answers became clear. More importantly, the group of journalists left set that day in June feeling very excited about director Nicolas Pesces vision for this reimagining.

This new iteration bears very little resemblance to the franchise that we knew, promising to take things in a very different, gorier direction.

Right away, executive producer Schuyler Weiss addresses what it is about The Grudge that makes it ripe for reimagining, Its a great story in a really fundamental way, not just that the actual plot and the characters are perfect for a remake. Its more this underlying mythos of The Grudge that was created by Shimizu, its just really fertile grounds to make any story that still feels connected. Its the overlapping stories that all connected through an intersection with this one location that holds The Grudge and the origin of that Grudge. Its just really great material. Plus, you have a rich legacy of films, and here we are making new, fresh stories that fit in with that really good framework. In other words, this iteration is only taking the foundational elements from the franchise and using them as a starting point to craft an entirely new mythology.

The 2004 American remake featured American leads but retained the Tokyo setting, but that will no longer be the case here. Weiss explains, This is definitely a reimagining of it thats purely American. However, there are subtle ways in which we want the film to feel connected, and there are nods here and there. But this is very much about reimagining The Grudge as something located here in this house. When asked what that meant for the Japanese style of ghosts associated with this series, he answers, Weve tried to handle that very delicately and not try and just lift J-horror tropes and just slap them onto our story, but rather get beneath the surface of what some of those things are. You look at the way the ghosts are treated in the Japanese films, connect directly to what the audience would recognize very clearly from everything from kabuki theater to other J-horror movies as to how understanding portrayal goes. We wanted to get beneath the surface of that and make something that felt natural and organic to this world but still connect it to The Grudge ghosts. I think when you see it, youll understand what I mean. Something like the cats being harbingers of death in Japan. Cultural appropriation aside, that would just go over the heads of American audiences. They just dont carry that meaning. So, we had to find different things but still honoring the idea that The Grudge comes with certain harbingers.

There will be no Kayako or Toshio in this reimagining, with production departing from the Japanese aesthetic and creating something wholly new. Director Nicolas Pesce, whose debut film The Eyes of My Mother wowed critics, elaborates: Im not trying to make an Americanized J-horror movie and I think that, just as a fan of J-horror, a lot of that stuff is baked into me and baked into my sensibilities. Theres definitely nods to that stuff, and we even go so far as referencing the original Japanese case that started the whole franchise, but were not trying to make a J-horror movie. Im definitely trying to do my own thing with a little bit of J-horror peppered in there.

This reimagining will still feature an evil house that curses anyone who dares step foot in it, including the police detectives tasked with investigating the grisly deaths that take place in the house. Like the original, Weiss describes of the anthology-like aspect of the story, Its overlapping stories, and theres sort of a sense of ensemble. And some of the stories, like Andrea Riseboroughs story, is more of a through-line and so that character is someone we can be with throughout the movie, but were going to have to bring together a large group of people and Nick [Pesce] wanted that to be the best possible actors and a diverse and interesting group. In addition to Riseborough as the central character, the film also stars Demian Bichir, William Sadler, John Cho, Betty Gilpin, Lin Shaye, Jacki Weaver, and Frankie Faison.

Riseborough, who plays Detective Muldoon, was interested in the role not just because of her character but also because of Pesces vision for the film. She told us, He had no interest in making it a genre film that was stunted by all the trappings of regular genre formula. He just wanted to make a film and I think thats the great strength that some of my favorite, very thrilling and quite horrific films have. Though it took her a while to read through the script due to how scary it was, It took me about God, was it like six weeks to get through it, because I was so scared. I read the first part, the first third of the script, and I had to take a two week break or something. But the spookiness of the script didnt just stay on the page, either. One of the scenes observed was of Riseboroughs Detective Muldoon cautiously exploring the records room in the precinct, flashlight in one hand and gun in the other. Shes looking for a presence lurking in the dark, empty room, breathing heavy in fear. The sudden appearance of a man in the doorway, pale and sickly with purple veins spidering throughout his face, scares her before he disappears. While this scene is demonstrative of the atmosphere and jump scares The Grudge has in store, and the capability of what kind of lead well see in Riseborough, its also telling in just how very different the cursed ghosts will be.

The second scene observed was that of William Sadler as Detective Wilson. He sits hunched over a tape recorder in the basement of the precinct, pouring over tapes searching for clues in the brutal murder case that kickstarted the curse. Hes mumbling to himself, the case taking a psychological toll as he refers to a violent death of a little girl. His partner, Detective Goodman (Demian Bichir), is looking for him, concerned about his deteriorating mental state. As hes recovering from the high energy of his scene, a still shaky Sadler explains of his character, He was one of the detectives who poo-pooed it all at first. Hes like, Ghosts, yeah. Bullshit. Its a crime scene. Theres a family that was murdered. Theres a professional imperative to find out what happened. Who did this? Someones got to pay for this, cause it was really awful. What happens to him, and not just him, but what happens to him is that he starts seeing people that arent there and obsessing about the case. Like you saw, hes not running the show anymore. Hes not in control of this anymore and hes seeing things. That, for someone who lives in a world of logic and facts and someone, theres a woman outside the window and, Shes outside the fucking window. You dont understand. No one else can see her, and that sort of thing. The cheese has slid off the cracker, as they say. As the saying goes.

The crime scene that Sadler describes, the one that appears to be the central driving force of this Grudge, sounds violent and ghastly. And it wont be off screen either; audiences will get to see the physical manifestations of this curse. The Grudge looks to be a much darker, more mature take on Shimizus original story, complete with practical effects. Which begged the question, will this definitely be rated R? Weiss confirms, I think it was never really an issue. Its going to be an R movie.

Watch for part two of our set visit report, with more details on the ghosts of The Grudge and the gory makeup effects.

Originally posted here:
[Set Visit] Rated-R Reimagining of 'The Grudge' is Nothing Like the Franchise You Know - Bloody Disgusting

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero