New! Ju-On 2 Review!

I didn't plan to catch Shimizu's latest this early. But finding myself done with errands late this afternoon and absolutely trying not to spend more money on Taiko-no-tatsujin (more on that later) myself, my brother and my sister decided to give Ju-On 2 a viewing at Summit. I'd have to say it was one of the best RM 10 I've ever spent, as a horror geek.

Ju-On 2 continues the story (if you can call it that) set by the first instalment. For the uninitiated, Ju-On refers to the curse of a person who dies in a fit of rage. The curse will survive in the place where the person lived and will destroy anyone who comes into contact with it. Apparently this is the fourth instalment (but only the second film version) of the series in Japan, and director Takashi Shimizu shows his grasp of the material here. The curse of the haunted house is alive and well, with its first victims taken barely 10 minutes into the movie. This time the story revolves around a TV crew investigating the house, an actress involved in the making and also a schoolgirl that (I think) was involved starting from the first one.

Shimizu maintains his trademark "episodic" viewpoint while screwing with the viewer's sense of direction, time and place. Any attempt to pin the narrative flow early on only creates more confusion as layer by layer the extent (and to a certain degree) ultimate purpose of Kayako's curse is revealed. Four outings have definitely matured his sense of what's frightening, since the scares come at you hard and fast and you never can guess where the next one's going to come from. No, let me rephrase that. You KNOW something bad's going to happen, but you'll try and keep your eyes on every corner of the screen, hoping you'll see it before the victims do. And that is something you'll often do too late.

Admittedly, there are some flaws in his otherwise excellent execution. Viewers unfamiliar with the mythos and flow of the previous movie will feel slightly lost here, since he wastes no time with introductions but lets the story tell itself. Also, nearing the climax, some elements jar too much that we're left scratching our heads (while one hand covers our eyes, of course). And what IMHO constitutes the biggest weakness is perhaps his frequent use of POV shots (these are shots that are supposed to be from the Point of View of the ghostie) and some special effects glitches. But then again I'm nitpicking. These little blemishes should NOT stop any fan of horror cinema from watching this one. Please.

At the end of the day, Ju-On 2 accomplishes what it sets out to do: tell a story, and frighten people at the same time. I won't spoil any of the wonderful surprises for you, but suffice to say after watching this one, you'll think twice about driving home at night alone, and oh, (for those of you living in apartments) you really sure you want to know what that noise on the other side of the wall is?

Ju-On 2 is currently screening in GSC and TGV theatres, and is rated 18SG. The Ox gives it a 4 out of 5.

Enjoy!