Who could forget the impromptu game of paranormal peek-a-boo with a terrified KaDee Strickland? How about the same entity uttering its unmistakable death rattle, as it slinks its way down the stairs to confront Sarah Michelle Gellar? Most iconic of all, what about the cold fingers that seemingly emerge from the back of the latter’s head within the personal privacy of a shower? It has been 15 years since Takashi Shimizu brought “The Grudge”—itself an Americanized remake of his 2002 film “Ju-On: The Grudge”—to audiences. Now, “The Grudge” returns to horrify and haunt new and staunch fans of these movies.
Nicolas Pesce directs “The Grudge,” based on his own screenplay. In a relatively short time, Pesce has carved out a solid standing in the horror genre with his 2016 film “The Eyes of My Mother” and 2018’s “Piercing” which, like “The Grudge,” is Japanese in origin. Genre heavyweights Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, and Takashige Ichise produce the movie whose events are supposed to occur at the same time as those depicted in the 2004 version.
Many of the project’s cast members boast nice credentials for dealing with all things chilling. Demian Bichir battled evil extraterrestrials in “Alien: Covenant” and a spooky sister in “The Nun,” while Andrea Riseborough fought off diseased denizens in “Hidden.” Let’s also not forget about Jacki Weaver (“Bird Box”) and Lin Shaye who danced with the devil in the “Insidious” series. John Cho (“Searching”) and Betty Gilpin (“GLOW”) also star.
Here’s the synopsis:
A single mother and young detective, Muldoon (Andrea Riseborough), discovers that a suburban house is cursed by a vengeful ghost that dooms those who enter it with a violent death. Now, she runs to save herself and her son from demonic spirits from the cursed house in her neighborhood.
“The Grudge” is set to be released on January 3, 2020. Check out the trailer below and watch the creeps come a-calling once more.