Warning: The first 30 minutes of this second entry in the Ju-on series (the first two of which were released direct-to-video) repeats the last 30 minutes of the first movie. Trying to puzzle out why they did this, I can only think it must have been a (rather sleazy) decision on the producers' part to maximize profits from the video release, but putting out two movies instead of one. After all, if you merged the two films with the overlapping footage, you'd still have a feature in the 110 minute range. Jeez.
(Mild spoilers follow.)
Having said that, this movie continues the creepfest begun in the first to solid effect. What is so cool about the curse concept that Takashi Shimizu has come up with is that EVERY character in this story who encounters Toshio, Kayako, or the dreaded house is affected. Unlike an American horror film, where you'd get a brave hero or heroine figuring out a way at the end to save the day and lift the curse, in this movie, once you're cursed, you're cursed. Screwed. Doomed. It's cool.
This is a good series, though I think its low-budget, atmosphere-based approach to frightening audiences won't probably play well to American audiences programmed to expect horror movies to be bombastic, loud, and all about special effects.
(Mild spoilers follow.)
Having said that, this movie continues the creepfest begun in the first to solid effect. What is so cool about the curse concept that Takashi Shimizu has come up with is that EVERY character in this story who encounters Toshio, Kayako, or the dreaded house is affected. Unlike an American horror film, where you'd get a brave hero or heroine figuring out a way at the end to save the day and lift the curse, in this movie, once you're cursed, you're cursed. Screwed. Doomed. It's cool.
This is a good series, though I think its low-budget, atmosphere-based approach to frightening audiences won't probably play well to American audiences programmed to expect horror movies to be bombastic, loud, and all about special effects.