Sarah Michelle Gellar

Grudge 2 Reveals Secrets

TOKYO-Takashi Shimizu, the director of the upcoming horror sequel film The Grudge 2, told SCI FI Wire that the follow-up to 2004’s hit film will answer some questions raised in the original movie, including the backstory of the fearsome spirit Kayako (Takako Fuji).

Speaking during a break in filming April 3 on the sequel’s set at Tokyo’s famed Toho Studios, Shimizu said through a translator: "For The Grudge 2, I was going for this mystery that was never there in Grudge 1, and I think that’s going to fulfill the audience. ... There’s a secret about Kayako’s childhood life, so that’s part of the big mystery. And the other mystery is, this grudge will never stop, and it’s going to ... spread. And how is it going to get spread? That’s another mystery."

The Grudge 2 stars Amber Tamblyn (TV’s Joan of Arcadia) as the younger sister of Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar), who encountered Kayako in the Tokyo house where horrifying atrocities occurred. SCI FI Wire observed the filming of a key scene between Tamblyn’s character, Aubrey, and a Tokyo-based Chinese photographer played by Chinese-Canadian Hong Kong action star Edison Chen (Infernal Affairs), making his English-language film debut.

SCI FI Wire also toured sets that included Karen’s apartment, recreated from the first movie, as well as a rustic Japanese farmhouse that will be seen in flashbacks to Kayako’s childhood.

The sequel will also address the question of what happened to Karen (Gellar is slated to make a brief appearance in the sequel). "The other mystery is, what has happened to Karen, who was the main lead actress in Grudge 1," Shimizu said. "So that’s another mystery that you’ll find out."

As with the first The Grudge, The Grudge 2 is produced by Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert’s Ghost House Pictures and Japanese producer Taka Ichise and is being shot in Japan with a Japanese crew and an international cast. The film marks the sixth time Shimizu has dealt with the Grudge mythology on film and video, including the original Japanese-language Ju-On and its sequel, Ju-On 2. The American Grudge 2, however, will consist of all-new material and won’t be a remake of Ju-On 2, Shimizu said.

"The Grudge 1 was a complete remake of Ju-On 1, meaning the storyline was very similar," Shimizu said. "Basically, it’s the same. But Grudge 2 is actually different from Ju-On 2, and I don’t think I would have accepted this job if it was going to be [the] same storyline. And because it was a different story, you know, my motivation was a bit higher, and I actually enjoy doing this." The Grudge 2, which also stars Arielle Kebbel and Teresa Palmer, is slated to open Oct. 13.