Search - Ju-On 2 on DVD

Little Boy Blue

Zack Davisson | Seattle, WA, USA | 08/21/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Japan is not a place that calls for great originality in cinema. After all, this is the country that made 26 films in the Zatoichi series and 48 in the Tora san series, all with the same actors and essentially the same plot. Even with the phenomena of what is usually called J-Horror, most Western audiences don't realize that this is nothing new or ground-breaking, but that they have only just discovered a cinematic style and tradition that has been going on virtually unchanged for decades. The classic ghost story "Yotsuya Kaidan" has something like 20 or so versions filmed, with new ones still coming out, and Japanese audiences aren't bored yet.

By this measure, I'm not sure if Takashi Shimizu needs to either be praised or shamed. He keeps banging out different versions of his horror series Ju-On, and while he has never matched the intensity and terror of his original vision, he hasn't made a real stinker either. He just does what a traditional Japanese filmmaker does, and keeps producing variations on a theme.

This version, "Ju-On 2", actually the 4th film in the series which makes it even more confusing, is only bad by comparison. I have gotten a little too used to Toshio and Kayako, and their simple appearance is not enough to creep me out and get me looking over my shoulder anymore. Shimizu does drive the plot a bit more in this one, giving the ghostly Kayako more motivation than just simple vengeance, trying to make her into more of a character than a costume and a creepy sound effect. However, the emphasis on plot is ultimately the weak point. The horror of the Ju-On films is the absolute lack of motivation on the part of the vengeful ghosts. They kill, because that is all they know how to do. Giving them desires, objectives...it somehow makes them less scary, and a bit too human.

Some of the ghostly devices come out more comical that terrifying. I don't care how you light it and what music you use, a ghostly wig is just not going to cut it. I think Shimizu can still make something of the Ju-On series, but he needs to remember what worked in the first place. Toshio cannot come out in the daytime and play soccer, even if he is only using his head. Stick to the dark corners of the house, the closets and the mirrors. That's where the ghosts should hide."

A winner

B. E Jackson | Pennsylvania | 08/08/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"*This* is how you make a horror movie! The Japanese got it right all along.

You're not supposed to have all these super Hollywood special effects that dominate American horror movies that really do nothing but make the storyline more predictable and less frightening because you know when and what is going to happen.

Nope, none of that in Ju-on 2.

What makes this movie work so well is that the little creepy boy that appears occasionally appears when you LEAST expect him to. The atmosphere in the movie is incredibly and disturbingly silent for the most part, meaning there's no predictable build-up to the actual scary segments that you can see coming a mile away. That's why Japanese horror is superior to American horror.

Watch Ju-on 2 to see how it's done. If you think the atmosphere is too quiet, well, keep in mind THIS is how it's done. THIS is how you feel fear. It's done exactly like this.


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