Ju-On, DVD

by Marc Wiener

Well, it took a while to get my next slab of DVD glory reviewed for the Hoboes, but oh what a disc it is. Takashi Shimizu's Ju-On is next on the list of Japanese horrors scheduled for US remakes, having caught the attention of Sam Raimi's production company. They will produce the US remake while Shimizu returns to direct. It will be interesting to see how the US version pans out, as Ju-On is certainly a case of style over substance. But as any Dario Argento fan can attest to, when the style is so overwhelmingly good sometimes it's all you need.

Ju-On is told in a series of connected vignettes. These short tales combine to tell the story of doomed house where a murder has been committed. This original murder has created a lingering curse that pervades through anyone who comes into contact with the house and further onto those that these now tainted victims come into contact with. The tragic family haunts and eventually destroys any of these poor passer-bys, creating a chain of victims linking back to the original crime. If this sounds somewhat confusing or vague, that is because the films plot is both of those things. Yet all of that is lost in a swirl of devilishly tense and disturbing imagery.

Ju-On is subtle. Often we only catch a fleeting glimpse of something amiss out of the corner of our eye, or a quick appearance of something strange in a mirror or on a security monitor. But these quick glimpses keep us on the edge of our seat and filled with dread. Once the film settles into its rhythm, there is certain inevitability to it. We know almost immediately that each vignettes protagonist will fall victim to the curse, and we watch in horror as they edge closer and closer to disaster. Usually there is a small clue in each story signifying at what point in time and how it fits into the overall narrative. However, some of this is lost in a wash of fear and poetic horror. The film almost works like a collection of poems dealing with a common theme-short works that generate their desired emotion and then fade out while we move on to the next one.

The young boy who seems to have watched the initial murder of his mother by his father is now a harbinger of doom to each victim. A pale, disturbing specter, he is usually the first image seen by those cursed and is the movies iconic image. Sad and terrifying at the same time, he truly is a disturbing site and no review of this film would be complete without mentioning him.

If you are looking for a moody film filled with chills, Ju-On is for you. While not full of deep and complex plot points and twists, it delivers the goods as a horror film. It scares you.

--released on the Great Hoboes of New York on February 26, 2004