Rika (Megumi Okina), a young volunteer care worker, is sent to an ordinary house in Tokyo to look after an elderly woman. She finds the house filthy, the old woman in shock, and a small, pale boy sealed inside a cupboard with a cat. From there, the film jumps between different people who come into contact with the house, and each one meets a terrifying fate.
The story is told out of order, in short chapters named after each character. At first it is confusing, but it creates a constant feeling that something is wrong. You never know when or where the ghosts will appear: under a bedsheet, in a lift, behind a stair rail.
Kayako, played by Takako Fuji, is unforgettable. She crawls, twitches and lets out a horrible croaking rattle, a sound director Takashi Shimizu made himself. Toshio's pale face and black eyes are just as creepy.
The low budget shows, and the non-linear story will annoy some viewers. But for pure, simple scares, Ju-On: The Grudge is one of the best ghost films ever made.
