What is clear right away as we begin to watch is just how humble the origins were of this well-known collection of films. Whether it's a matter of the equipment used, or a technique employed otherwise during production, the movie has the appearance of programming on a public access channel, or maybe daytime television. The technical aspects of the feature are just fine - image quality, sound effects, music, lighting, and so on. Yet their realization or integration definitely feels a little inorganic, or inauthentic, as details too obviously added in post-production. Especially compared to other, later 'Ju-on' entries that audiences may be more familiar with, 'The curse' is a bit of an oddity.
Then there's the content. The strength and elasticity of an individual viewer's suspension of disbelief is the sole factor determining whether scenes and their highlighted moments of disquiet are sufficiently unsettling as a horror film requires, or too ham-handed and ridiculous to be taken seriously. At that, some facets may be suitably disconcerting, while the next are over the top. This fluid dichotomy is a reflection as much of Takashi Shimizu's screenplay, and direction, as of the imperfect synthesis of the technical components with the seeming "live TV" presentation. Where 'The curse' succeeds in disturbing us, it excels. Where it falters, one rather struggles to suppress a cheeky grin. That said, so long as we're willing to accept the title on its level, it works more than it doesn't.
Just as the apparently low-budget nature of the film restricts its constituent parts to effectively rudimentary rendering, the cast is somewhat hampered by the directness of how their characters are written. I think the actors perform admirably, doing what they can with the parts. Yet one gets the impression that their contributions were less a result of what each player brought to days on set than of the specific guidance Shimizu provided for each scene. I do not mean that as a criticism for anyone involved - I think that's just the fruit borne from the essence of the movie's low-grade production.
Makeup, costume design, and admittedly baseline set decoration are quite fine, while editing and transitions are decidedly inelegant. Whatever one thinks of the content, scenes are written well, even as characterizations and dialogue are simply adequate. And then there's the plot. I appreciate the challenge to viewers to parse the non-linear assemblage of the feature's interconnected scenes. Considered both as a whole and in recognition of the film's style, I think the story is pretty solid. However, for my part I have a difficulty with the way various details are left unspoken or uncertain, or in some instances altogether omitted from the final cut. This is partly an effect of the consciously disordered sequencing, with some rounding minutiae being lost in the process, but I think Shimizu's screenplay also emphatically disregards total coherence of story beats in the same way he pointedly declines to show the conclusion of each successive element of horror. It's an interesting choice - not a wholly novel one, and not a bad one - but it requires an utmost deft hand to execute well, and here the application falls slightly short, to the point that some outside context may be necessary to cement the narrative for the viewer.
I had seen the 2004 American film 'The Grudge' way back when, and later also got to watch the 2002 Japanese feature, 'Ju-on: The grudge.' I was surprised to pretty recently learn just how many movies there are total in the franchise, and this is the first I've seen of the remainder. I don't know how committed I am to possibly watching the rest, but it felt important to see where the series began. I'm not disappointed. I quite enjoy this - it's just certainly an uneven ride.
In my mind the entertainment and chills to be had here are dependent on one's willingness and or ability to forgive the feature's deficiencies, both undeniable and subjective. It's not bad, but even at its best, nearly all the varied ingredients bear faults of one kind or another, to one extent or another. The qualities outweigh the shortcomings to result in a noticeably low-budget but satisfyingly sinister picture, and I'm glad I came across this and was able to watch it, though I don't begrudge anyone their disagreement. Ultimately, 'Ju-on: The curse' is a bare-bones, modest inauguration of a renowned series, and while its weaknesses do make engagement a little trying at times, the payoff is pretty well worth it. Don't go out of your way to find it, but this is a horror flick worth watching if you come across it.
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