Ju-On: The Grudge

A volunteer home care worker, Nishina Rika (Megumi Okina), enters the home of a bed-ridden patient and discovers a strange ghostly presence lurking behind a door sealed with duct tape. Her discovery unleashes a horrible evil which baffles police investigators, who find that a whole series of people have gone missing from this particular house. Further investigation leads to Izutni Toyama (Misa Uehara), a former detective who handled the case of a man who murdered his wife in the house, but whose son was never found. But when the angry "Ju-On" spirit of vengeance that has infected the house reaches beyond its boundaries to kill Toyama and his daughter, Rika realizes that the horror is spreading. Worse, unless something is done about it, she feels she may become the angry spirit's next victim!



PRODUCTION NOTES

In Japan, unspeakable evil has been given a new name, Ju-On, and legions of devoted fans can't get enough of the horror. Vitagraph Films and Lions Gate Entertainment (AMEX and TSX:LGF) are bringing the Japanese horror sensation Ju-On: The Grudge to American shores, opening up a whole new realm of terror for the masses. Beginning July 23, Ju-On: The Grudge will premiere simultaneously in Los Angeles and New York City, expanding nationally to Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle and other markets.



Director/Writer Shimizu Takashi delivers horror filmmaking in its most absolute form through a tale of a family who is brutally killed in their own home, leaving behind an evil spirit lurking in the shadows. When an unknowing homecare worker enters, the spirit is awakened and a terrifying chain of events begins, passing through all those who step foot in this dark house. This is the film Sam Raimi calls "The most frightening film I've ever seen, leaving you no time to catch your breath."



Ju-On: The Grudge is the third film in the Ju-On series, following Ju-On and Ju-On 2, both underground hits released directly to video. It was also the first of the Ju-On films to be released theatrically, not only shocking Japanese audiences but also its distributor. Unable to find theaters willing to show the film, they watched as word of mouth turned it into a 500 million yen (US$4.7 million) box office sensation.



 "One of the freakiest, most unsettling movies to come out of Japan in the past few years."
-- Gary Dowell, DALLAS MORNING NEWS




This is the superior Japanese original of the current box office hit "The Grudge."