Sarah Michelle Gellar

The Grudge 2 offers mediocre scares

Images of chainsaws, spinning heads and nightmarish ghosts embody what we think of when we hear people say “Friday the 13th.” And on this particular day, the superstitious are on overdrive as teens search for the best scares while others take it as any other day. All of this leading directly to the most-awaited event this month: Halloween. That being the time for haunted houses, trick-or-treating and, of course, the fall lineup for the best horror movies.

Contemplating my choices for activities on this past Friday the 13th, The Grudge 2 seemed like the perfect outlet for releasing some timely horror.

Familiar faces hit the screen in the first few minutes. Amber Tamblyn plays Aubrey, who is Karen’s (Sarah Michelle Gellar) sister. In the first Grudge we saw Karen burn down the cursed house hoping to get rid of what haunted her, but in the final scene we realize she is in a hospital and the curse has come with her. This movie continues the plot with Karen still in the hospital.

Aubrey is sent by her mother to bring Karen back from Japan. Aubrey sets out to find out what her sister saw in that house; she teams with a journalist named Eason (Edison Chen) and they try to find some way to stop the curse. There are several character-driven story lines that tie together nicely in the end.

Another American girl in Japan (Ariel Kebble) goes into the house and is afflicted with the curse, and a family in Chicago starts to show signs of rage, which can only be attributed to the horrendous curse.

I liked the fact that more history is given in the sequel and the hunt to get rid of the curse continues. However, I found it to be very disappointing because there were so many storylines where none of the characters progress, but are stuck in that nightmarish curse up until the end of the movie.

The curse was more like a spreading virus with no cure, swallowing people up in rage and thick strands of black hair. Director Takashi Shimizu knows how to keep audiences on the edge of their seats, with many spine-tingling moments and sudden scares. No matter how often the cursed girl and little boy came out, the effect was always the same: shocking, gruesome and terrifying. At times the movie would grow confusing with so many storylines, and I tried to figure out exactly what was happening with whom.

The ending was as big a let down. We see nothing come out of all the characters’ storylines. I was hoping to see at least a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, but all I saw was a mass of dark hair and a creepy, crackling sound coming from the girl’s broken jaw. If you see the movie, you will know exactly what I mean.

Grade: C