
[[Image:The_Grudge_Poster_in_Japan.jpg|thumbnail|right|200px|Promotional poster for ''The Grudge'' in Japan retained the original series title prefix of ''Juon''.]] ''Ju-on'' (呪怨) is the title of a series of four horror film by Japan film director Takashi Shimizu. Shimizu attended the Film School of Tokyo, where he studied under Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Kurosawa helped Shimuzu shepherd the ''Ju-on'' projects to fruition. The title of the films translates roughly to ''The Curse'' or ''The Grudge''. The first two films in the series were so-called V-Cinema, or direct-to-video releases, but became surprise hits as the result of favorable word of mouth. The story is a variation on the classic haunted house theme, as well as a popular Japanese horror trope, the "vengeful ghost" (''onryou''). The curse of the title, ''ju-on'', is one which takes on a life of its own and seeks new victims. Anyone who encounters a ghost killed by the curse is himself killed, and the curse is able to be spread to other areas. Under very tight budgetary constraints, Shimizu's films garnered much acclaim from both critics and genre fans for their effective use of limited locations and eerie atmosphere to generate chills. Shimizu was at the same time perfectly willing to show his ghosts onscreen, in contrast to some directors who might choose only to hint at their appearance. But critics noted that Shimizu's minimalist approach to directing and storytelling — a necessary by-product of the production's limited overall resources — allows the films to retain their ability to unnerve viewers. Very few scenes in the movies are graphically bloody, making such scenes more disturbing when they occur. Following the success of the two direct-to-video films, and the international success of Hideo Nakata's ''Ringu'' (1998), Kurosawa and ''Ringu'' screenwriter Hiroshi Takahashi helped Shimizu develop ''Ju-on'' as a theatrical feature starring Megumi Okina. Titled ''Ju-on: The Grudge'', this was released in 2003 to critical acclaim, and the United States remake rights were purchased, with Shimizu himself attached to direct and Sarah Michelle Gellar starring. Later that year, a theatrical sequel, ''Ju-on: The Grudge 2'', was released. The theatrical films retain the central premise of the direct-to-video films, but tell different stories. In 2004, the US remake, ''The Grudge'', was released. == Chronological list == ===''Katasumi'' and ''4444444444'' (1998)=== VHS_cover_for_''Gakkō_no_kaidan_G''.">Image:Gakkô no kaidan G Video Cover.jpg|thumbnail|left|100px|VHS cover for ''Gakkō no kaidan G''. Takashi Shimizu first became involved with the ''Ju-on'' saga when screenwriter and film director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who was teaching a filmmaking class that Shimizu, then working as an assistant director, attended, was impressed by a three-minute short film Shimizu had written and directed. When Kurosawa learned that a television producer he knew had just commissioned a feature length horror film film for Kansai Telecasting Corporation, he recommended Shimizu for the job of directing one or more sections of the film. To complete this task, Shimizu wrote several scripts, each roughly thirty minutes in length, only to be asked to make two brief three minute segments (''Katasumi'' and ''4444444444''), as the television movie was intended to be an anthology of short films. After being edited together, the collection of four shorts (one of which was helmed by Kurosawa) was titled ''Gakkō no kaidan G'', which roughly translates to ''School Ghost Story G'' ("G" supposedly standing for "Great"). It was first broadcast on Kansai TV on September 27, 1998, and ran for around seventy minutes, meaning that Shimizu contributed to just under ten per cent of the finished product. While there is an oft-repeated claim that the subsequent feature length video films ''Ju-on'' and ''Ju-on 2'' are remake of ''Katasumi'' and ''4444444444'', the two segments are "are actually the foundations of ''Ju-on''," according to Shimizu, and act "almost like the true prequel of the story." [http://japattack.com/japattack/film/juon_itv.html] ''Katasumi'', in particular, is notable for marking the first appearance of actor Takako Fuji as (at this point anonymous) Kayako Saeki, a role that she would reprise for every ''Ju-on''-related production thereafter. ''Katasumi'' and ''4444444444'' did not become widely available in the United States until Shimizu's MPAA film rating system director's cut of ''The Grudge'' (2004) was released onto DVD on May 17, 2005. The shorts were included as special features on the disc, with ''Katasumi'' being retitled ''In a Corner''. ===''Ju-on'' (2000)=== ''Ju-on'' was originally released under that exact name, but due to audience confusion regarding the V-Cinema films around the time that the theatrical ''Ju-on: The Grudge'' (2003) hit cinemas, has latterly become informally known among ''Ju-on'' enthusiasts as ''Ju-on: The Curse'' (abbreviated as ''JTC1''). When Kurosawa (serving as executive producer) gave Shimizu the go-ahead for his first feature length film, the project also attracted the help of producer Takashige Ichise, a veteran of the highly successful ''Ringu'' series. In addition to Ichise, screenwriter Hiroshi Takahashi, who had also worked on ''Ringu'', was enlisted as a screenplay consultant. It is perhaps because of the presence of these prominent filmmakers that ''Ju-on'', while a direct-to-video release, boasts a rather well-known cast, including Yûrei Yanagi and Taro Suwa (both of whom are in ''Ringu 2''), Chiaki Kuriyama (''Shikoku (movie)''), and Yoriko Douguchi (''Cure (1997 movie)''). Explaining the fractured, episodic nature of the film, Shimizu revealed that he had written the script based on many short films he had originally written in the hopes that they, like his work on ''Gakkō no kaidan G'', would be produced one day. After going direct-to-video on February 11, 2000, ''Ju-on'' was so well received that it was given a brief theatrical run on March 18 at the Box Higashi-Nakano theatre in Tokyo. It has since developed a strong cult film following. * 1998: ** ''Katasumi'' and ''4444444444'' (shown within television movie ''Gakkō no kaidan G''); * 2000: ** ''Ju-on'', aka ''Ju-on: The Curse'' (V-Cinema); ** ''Ju-on 2'', aka ''Ju-on: The Curse 2'' (V-Cinema); * 2003: ** ''Ju-on: The Grudge'', aka ''The Grudge''; ** ''Ju-on: The Grudge 2'', aka ''The Grudge 2''; * 2004: ** ''The Grudge'', aka ''The Juon''; * 2006: ** ''The Grudge 2'' (pre-production); ** ''Ju-on: The Grudge 3'' (in production); ==External links== * * * * * * * * *[http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/thegrudge/index.html Official site for ''The Grudge''] *[http://www.juonthegrudge.com/ Official site for ''Ju-on: The Grudge''] 2000 films 2003 films Japanese films Horror films J-Horror
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
Words begining with Ju-on:
Ju-on
Ju-on:_The_Grudge
Ju-on
[[Image:The_Grudge_Poster_in_Japan.jpg|thumbnail|right|200px|Promotional poster for ''The Grudge'' in Japan retained the original series title prefix of ''Juon''.]] ''Ju-on'' (呪怨) is the title of a series of four horror film by Japan film director Takashi Shimizu. Shimizu attended the Film School of Tokyo, where he studied under Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Kurosawa helped Shimuzu shepherd the ''Ju-on'' projects to fruition. The title of the films translates roughly to ''The Curse'' or ''The Grudge''. The first two films in the series were so-called V-Cinema, or direct-to-video releases, but became surprise hits as the result of favorable word of mouth. The story is a variation on the classic haunted house theme, as well as a popular Japanese horror trope, the "vengeful ghost" (''onryou''). The curse of the title, ''ju-on'', is one which takes on a life of its own and seeks new victims. Anyone who encounters a ghost killed by the curse is himself killed, and the curse is able to be spread to other areas. Under very tight budgetary constraints, Shimizu's films garnered much acclaim from both critics and genre fans for their effective use of limited locations and eerie atmosphere to generate chills. Shimizu was at the same time perfectly willing to show his ghosts onscreen, in contrast to some directors who might choose only to hint at their appearance. But critics noted that Shimizu's minimalist approach to directing and storytelling — a necessary by-product of the production's limited overall resources — allows the films to retain their ability to unnerve viewers. Very few scenes in the movies are graphically bloody, making such scenes more disturbing when they occur. Following the success of the two direct-to-video films, and the international success of Hideo Nakata's ''Ringu'' (1998), Kurosawa and ''Ringu'' screenwriter Hiroshi Takahashi helped Shimizu develop ''Ju-on'' as a theatrical feature starring Megumi Okina. Titled ''Ju-on: The Grudge'', this was released in 2003 to critical acclaim, and the United States remake rights were purchased, with Shimizu himself attached to direct and Sarah Michelle Gellar starring. Later that year, a theatrical sequel, ''Ju-on: The Grudge 2'', was released. The theatrical films retain the central premise of the direct-to-video films, but tell different stories. In 2004, the US remake, ''The Grudge'', was released. == Chronological list == ===''Katasumi'' and ''4444444444'' (1998)=== VHS_cover_for_''Gakkō_no_kaidan_G''.">Image:Gakkô no kaidan G Video Cover.jpg|thumbnail|left|100px|VHS cover for ''Gakkō no kaidan G''. Takashi Shimizu first became involved with the ''Ju-on'' saga when screenwriter and film director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who was teaching a filmmaking class that Shimizu, then working as an assistant director, attended, was impressed by a three-minute short film Shimizu had written and directed. When Kurosawa learned that a television producer he knew had just commissioned a feature length horror film film for Kansai Telecasting Corporation, he recommended Shimizu for the job of directing one or more sections of the film. To complete this task, Shimizu wrote several scripts, each roughly thirty minutes in length, only to be asked to make two brief three minute segments (''Katasumi'' and ''4444444444''), as the television movie was intended to be an anthology of short films. After being edited together, the collection of four shorts (one of which was helmed by Kurosawa) was titled ''Gakkō no kaidan G'', which roughly translates to ''School Ghost Story G'' ("G" supposedly standing for "Great"). It was first broadcast on Kansai TV on September 27, 1998, and ran for around seventy minutes, meaning that Shimizu contributed to just under ten per cent of the finished product. While there is an oft-repeated claim that the subsequent feature length video films ''Ju-on'' and ''Ju-on 2'' are remake of ''Katasumi'' and ''4444444444'', the two segments are "are actually the foundations of ''Ju-on''," according to Shimizu, and act "almost like the true prequel of the story." [http://japattack.com/japattack/film/juon_itv.html] ''Katasumi'', in particular, is notable for marking the first appearance of actor Takako Fuji as (at this point anonymous) Kayako Saeki, a role that she would reprise for every ''Ju-on''-related production thereafter. ''Katasumi'' and ''4444444444'' did not become widely available in the United States until Shimizu's MPAA film rating system director's cut of ''The Grudge'' (2004) was released onto DVD on May 17, 2005. The shorts were included as special features on the disc, with ''Katasumi'' being retitled ''In a Corner''. ===''Ju-on'' (2000)=== ''Ju-on'' was originally released under that exact name, but due to audience confusion regarding the V-Cinema films around the time that the theatrical ''Ju-on: The Grudge'' (2003) hit cinemas, has latterly become informally known among ''Ju-on'' enthusiasts as ''Ju-on: The Curse'' (abbreviated as ''JTC1''). When Kurosawa (serving as executive producer) gave Shimizu the go-ahead for his first feature length film, the project also attracted the help of producer Takashige Ichise, a veteran of the highly successful ''Ringu'' series. In addition to Ichise, screenwriter Hiroshi Takahashi, who had also worked on ''Ringu'', was enlisted as a screenplay consultant. It is perhaps because of the presence of these prominent filmmakers that ''Ju-on'', while a direct-to-video release, boasts a rather well-known cast, including Yûrei Yanagi and Taro Suwa (both of whom are in ''Ringu 2''), Chiaki Kuriyama (''Shikoku (movie)''), and Yoriko Douguchi (''Cure (1997 movie)''). Explaining the fractured, episodic nature of the film, Shimizu revealed that he had written the script based on many short films he had originally written in the hopes that they, like his work on ''Gakkō no kaidan G'', would be produced one day. After going direct-to-video on February 11, 2000, ''Ju-on'' was so well received that it was given a brief theatrical run on March 18 at the Box Higashi-Nakano theatre in Tokyo. It has since developed a strong cult film following. * 1998: ** ''Katasumi'' and ''4444444444'' (shown within television movie ''Gakkō no kaidan G''); * 2000: ** ''Ju-on'', aka ''Ju-on: The Curse'' (V-Cinema); ** ''Ju-on 2'', aka ''Ju-on: The Curse 2'' (V-Cinema); * 2003: ** ''Ju-on: The Grudge'', aka ''The Grudge''; ** ''Ju-on: The Grudge 2'', aka ''The Grudge 2''; * 2004: ** ''The Grudge'', aka ''The Juon''; * 2006: ** ''The Grudge 2'' (pre-production); ** ''Ju-on: The Grudge 3'' (in production); ==External links== * * * * * * * * *[http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/thegrudge/index.html Official site for ''The Grudge''] *[http://www.juonthegrudge.com/ Official site for ''Ju-on: The Grudge''] 2000 films 2003 films Japanese films Horror films J-Horror
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
J
JA | JB | JC | JD | JE | JF | JG | JH | JI | JK | JL | JM | JN | JO | JP | JR | JS | JT | JU | JW | JX | JY | JZ |Words begining with Ju-on:
Ju-on
Ju-on:_The_Grudge
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