The Grudge 3

            I am pleased to report that, despite our current recession, employment devastations, and downward-spiraling economy, there are still a multitude of career opportunities for alabaster-skinned Asian ghosts, particularly those with specialized degrees in cat vocalizations and silly walks. Possessing hair that can double as a teleportation device is a plus.  Anger issues and an “overdeveloped sense of vengeance” are required.

            If you have seen “The Grudge” and its first sequel, then “The Grudge 3” is not going to hold many surprises for you. Best to tell you that straightaway and save you some time. One of the few things that this adds to the mythos of the series is the addition of Kayoko’s sister Naoko as a viable character. Also, Sarah Michelle Gellar does not make an appearance in this film, but Star Trek enthusiasts might be interested in the addition of Marina Sirtis to the list of the haunted.

            “The Grudge 3” opens not long after the deaths of Jake’s family in the now ghost-infested Chicago apartment building. Jake, played again by Matthew Knight, is trapped in a psychiatric ward where no one will listen to his warnings that Kayoko (newcomer to the role, Aiko Horiuchi) is going to kill him. Yeah…this is self-spoiling, but you know that almost anyone who survives one of these flicks is doomed to become an early corpse in the next installment. Horror movie karma will not be denied. It also passes on the curse to Doctor Sullivan (Shawnee Smith of the “Saw” series) and her assistant who dismiss Jake’s prophecy.

Meanwhile, back at the apartments, the other tenants are having some phantom problems. The complex’s manager, Max (Gil McKinney) is dealing with dying and disappearing renters while also acting as guardian for his two sisters, the younger of whom, Rose (Jadie Hobson), is a child in poor health and (unbeknownst to him) has been trying to make friends with the long-deceased, cat-voiced Toshio. As if that isn’t enough to shoulder, the owner of the building is threatening to replace him if he doesn’t get some new lodgers in pronto.  Enter Naoko…

Naoko (Emi Ikehata) has travelled from Tokyo to Chicago to try to put an end to her family’s curse. She rents an apartment from Max and soon begins attempting to convince his teenage sister Lisa (Johanna E. Braddy) of the danger that they all face. Lisa does not want to hear it, but soon regrets her decision as Toshio, Kayoko, and Takeo begin to spread the evil of the Ju-on to the people in her life.

This movie is not awful, but it is terribly predictable. The series has lost its suspense. You know who’s gonna get it and, in most cases, the film doesn’t make enough effort at character development to make you really care. The ones they do focus on are not nearly as interesting as the ghosts. The unfortunately-fated Jake was one of the few to capture my attention, a sadly short span. I found myself watching most of the movie only to idly note the types of places that Kayoko would crawl out of next.

In the American version of this saga (I have not seen all of the original versions of “Ju-on”, so I will limit my opinions to these), the thrill is pretty much gone. It’s to the point where one watches it merely because they’ve seen the others, almost like a habit. The filmmakers need to pull this habit out of a rat and get some bite back into it. Please, shock us! Give us some new tricks with your spirits. Put the scare back in her hair and bring us to the edge of our seats again. This movie is likely to give its audience a grudge for having bought snore instead of gore.

“The Grudge 3” will be creeping onto video shelves March 24^th.

Hy lil mama whats up the grudge movies are great can u please E-mail me a copy of the grudge3 to my e-mail address at lancecameron@peoplepc.com.              By the way u are so fine