The Grudge 3
| The Grudge 3 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Toby Wilkins |
| Produced by |
Takashige Ichise Andrew Pfeffer |
| Written by | Brad Keene |
| Starring |
Johanna Braddy Gil McKinney Shawnee Smith |
| Music by | Sean Mchahon |
| Cinematography | Anton Bakarski |
| Edited by | John Quinn |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Stage 6 Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country |
United States Japan |
| Language |
English Japanese |
| Budget | $5 million |
| Box office | $38.6 million |
The Grudge 3 is a 2009 American-Japanese supernatural horror film and the third film in The Grudge series. Toby Wilkins, who had previously directed the successful film Splinter and the short films Tales from The Grudge, took Takashi Shimizu's place as director who later served as executive producer, while Brad Keene replaced Stephen Susco as screenwriter. The film stars Johanna Braddy, Shawnee Smith and Marina Sirtis, with a special appearance by Matthew Knight and was released on DVD on May 12, 2009.
Unlike the previous American films that were both rated PG-13, The Grudge 3 was given an R rating because of its graphic bloody violence, gore and language. The film features a linear plotline unlike all of its predecessors, which used nonlinear sequences of events for their respective plots and subplots.
Plot
Jake, the only survivor from the second movie, is under the care of Dr. Sullivan in an asylum. He is locked in his room following several escape attempts and is attacked by Kayako. The attack is seen on security cameras, although Kayako cannot be seen, and Jake is dead by the time Dr. Sullivan arrives with a security officer. News of the incident reaches a young woman in Tokyo, Naoko, who is the sister of Kayako. Believing that her sister is responsible, she travels to Chicago.
The apartment building where Jake lived is under renovation. Of the few residents who remain, some glimpse Toshio. One is drowned by Takeo Saeki and is never again seen. Dr. Sullivan, while investigating Jake's death, speaks with residents and finds that others have seen the little boy of whom Jake spoke.
Naoko moves in as attacks continue against the residents and anyone associated with them. She tells the landlord's family that the curse now resides in the apartment and tries to convince them to participate in an exorcism. The landlord's sister, Lisa, refuses to cooperate but reconsiders when she realizes that her brother, Max, is possessed by the spirit of Takeo Saeki, the evil husband of Kayako and the source of the curse. Naoko warns that the ceremony must not be interrupted and tells Rose that she must drink Kayako's blood. Lisa disallows this. Takeo, as Max, realizes what Naoko is attempting and attacks and kills her. Lisa is chased by Kayako until, just as Kayako is about to kill Lisa, Rose drinks Kayako's blood which causes her curse to disappear.
Max returns to his senses and sobs over what he has done, but Naoko's murder has begun a new curse. Her ghost attacks and kills him. The film ends with Kayako shown to be in possession of Rose.
Cast
- Johanna Braddy as Lisa, a young woman who plans to move to New York and pursue a fashion career.
- Gil McKinney as Max, Lisa and Rose's anxious older brother, who is in charge of the apartments.
- Emi Ikehata as Naoko Kawamata, Kayako's younger sister, who holds the secret to ending the curse.
- Jadie Rose Hobson as Rose, Lisa and Max's sister, who suffers from severe asthma attacks.
- Beau Mirchoff as Andy, Lisa's boyfriend
- Marina Sirtis as Gretchen, a painter and Rose's frequent babysitter
- Matthew Knight as Jake Kimble, the traumatized young boy
- Shawnee Smith as Dr. Francine Sullivan, a doctor who works at the mental hospital and Jake's caretaker.
- Aiko Horiuchi as Kayako Saeki, a ghost who is bent on killing anyone she sees.
- Shimba Tsuchiya as Toshio Saeki, a ghost that occupies the house.
- Michael McCoy as Mr. Praski, Max's boss.
- Takatsuna Mukai as Daisuke, Naoko's husband
- Laura Giosh as Renee, a tenant who moves out with her daughter Brenda after the Kimble family deaths
- Mihaela Nankova as Brenda, the frightened daughter of Renee
Production
The Grudge 3 was announced at Comic Con 2008. Kayako and Toshio had to be recast, as Takako Fuji and Ohga Tanaka passed on the roles. The film's budget was reported as approximately US$5 million.
Release
The DVD release was originally scheduled for March 24, 2009, but was delayed until May 12, 2009, due to the Blu-ray release of the first film. It was issued in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track. Two featurettes appear: "Tokyagoaria" documents how the Bulgarian location was made to look like Tokyo and Chicago, and "The Curse Continues" shows how the film ties into the previous two. Three deleted scenes also are included.[1]
Its reported sales of 2,271,177 DVD units (approximately US$38,610,009 in sales) recouped its $5,000,000 budget. In the United Kingdom, the film's television premiere was broadcast in High Definition on Syfy Channel on Friday, 22 January 2010 at 9.40 pm. In Mexico, the film received a limited theatrical release on June 25, 2010, and a nationwide release on August 6.
Reception
Critical reaction to The Grudge 3 was generally mixed to negative. Viewers reacted positively to Shawnee Smith (known for her role of Amanda Young from the Saw franchise) being in the film but the replacement of Ohga Tanaka as Toshio was criticized as Shimba Tsuchiya was regarded as too tall for the part.
See also
References
External links
- The Grudge 3
- The Grudge 3 at the Internet Movie Database
- The Grudge 3 at AllMovie
- The Grudge 3 at Rotten Tomatoes
- Official Trailer
- BloodyDisgusting|The Grudge 3
- ShockTillYouDrop|The Grudge 3
- The Grudge 3 at FEARnet