this video is brought to you by The
Grudge own it on digital now and on
blu-ray March 24th when the credits roll
at the end of a horror film you can take
comfort in knowing that it's a work of
fiction or is it welcome to
watchmojo.com being a modern story of
supernatural terror with a timeless and
enduring sense of dread The Grudge is a
hugely successful horror franchise that
spanned more than two decades the
original Japanese property was created
by filmmaker takashi shimizu
and debuted in 1998 with two short films
kata Sumi and ten fours which were both
included in the television movie
kikuno kite and G this paved the way for
two feature-length straight-to-video
films due on the curse and its sequel
both released in the year 2000
in 2002 the franchise made the jump to
the big screen with Jew on the grudge
over the years
Juwanna has spawned a total of nine
Japanese installments including a
crossover with fellow J horror franchise
the ring Jew on has also been adapted
into novels and comic books further
cementing the property's place in the
horror Hall of Fame is the fact that
it's found similar success
internationally the first film in the
American leg of the franchise 2004 is
The Grudge which was also directed by
Shimizu made a staggering 187 million
dollars worldwide on a budget of just 10
million dollars it spawned three sequels
including 2020s The Grudge though not
every installment has been met with
critical acclaim due on The Grudge has
proven many times over that it's an
enduring franchise with lasting appeal
though each film keeps things
interesting with unique twists turns and
frights they're all based on one core
idea that of the Jew on curse or the
grudge as described on screen at the
start of multiple films in the franchise
when someone dies in the grip of a
powerful rage a curse is born the curse
gathers in that place of death those who
encounter it will be consumed by its
fury ominous right essentially what it
means is that when someone dies in a
particularly horrible and emotionally
charged way they live on as a vengeful
supernatural force anyone who enters the
space in which that person met their
demise is doomed to fall victim to this
malicious entity what that quote doesn't
explain however is that the grudge is
self-perpetuating though the curse
begins with a singular murderous
supernatural force the people killed are
similarly cursed and kind basically the
grudge is an ever-expanding and
seemingly unstoppable supernatural
plague
[Applause]
[Music]
within the world of The Grudge this
terrible curse began with the murder of
a mother and child by a jealous husband
/ father this particular narrative is
thankfully a work of fiction but the
basic premise of The Grudge does draw
heavily from Japanese tradition history
and popular culture the concept of a
vengeful spirit is one that crops up in
the traditions of countless
civilizations and cultures from
throughout history the Charis of ancient
Greece the lemierre's of Roman mythology
the Dybbuk of Jewish lore the chewed
ales that haunt northern India and
Pakistan mexico's la Llorona we could go
on all day in Japan there are actually a
number of subtypes of vengeful spirits
if you now Johan ships and the sea munna
are inconsolable mothers who lost their
children to war or famine and go to you
our martyred spirits of aristocrats in
The Grudge however the vengeful spirit
in question is an unreal this type of
ghost is distinctly terrifying because
it can cause direct harm to the living
its purpose is to right the wrongs that
were done to eat in life by taking the
lives of those responsible
however this vengeance often takes the
form of natural disasters which shows
that the art view isn't overly concerned
with limiting its punishment to the
guilty in Japanese tradition honor you
can typically be appeased through the
willful writing of wrongs by the living
or through Buddhist rites and prayer
unfortunately for the victims of the
grudge this particular curse seems to be
a distinctly lethal and resilient breed
of owner to you
[Applause]
[Music]
there are numerous examples of own
review from Japanese folklore but
arguably the most famous such story one
which shares elements in common with the
grudge is that of Yotsuya chitin
interestingly enough it's not actually a
folktale but rather a kabuki play
written by to Atia non boku the fourth
in 1825 a play in five act it tells the
story of a husband who conspires against
his wife
Oya only for her to return from death as
an honor to you sound familiar
with its universal themes haunting
narrative and roots and traditional
Japanese beliefs Yotsuya chitin also
known as the ghost story of Yotsuya in
english has become an iconic and
universally known story in its country
of origin relative to other popular
owner use stories it's a notably violent
and brutal one which many have
speculated is why its popularity
surpasses all others
apparently some things never change
violence sells like oil WA in go Soo
Hyuk hidin Chaya cosas aqui the
principal ghost in The Grudge there's
all the classic physical traits of a
non-real including long messy hair
unnaturally white skin and a white dress
Yotsuya kion has been adapted directly
many times over but why all the grudge's
by no means the closest adaptation the
influence of the kabuki play can be felt
throughout the franchise The Grudge is
rooted in traditional Japanese culture
and supernatural myths dating back
centuries but it's also a franchise
defined by modern preoccupations in
crafting the initial premise creator
takashi shimizu took inspiration not
only from the owner new tradition but
also what seemed to be a rising number
of domestic abuse cases being reported
in Japan in the late 90s so while the
story of kya kosaki isn't based on a
particular incident of a man killing his
wife it was nonetheless inspired by real
world events moreover the central story
at the heart of the grudge is so popular
that it's become an urban legend in its
own right resulting in some confusion as
to which came first the film or the
urban legend about a woman named ko ko
but isn't that the case with all truly
great ghost stories if it's scary enough
it'll take on a life of its own
before we continue be sure to subscribe
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notifications and that folks is the real
story behind the grudge by
simultaneously tapping into traditional
ghost stories and modern concerns
takashi shimizu has given birth to and
nurtured an enduring horror franchise
one that despite being a work of fiction
continues to inspire very real fear in
audiences mrs. Mack
this video is brought to you by The
Grudge own it on digital now and on
blu-ray March 24th
[Music]