The Grudge Review

The flaws that arise in writer/director Nicolas Pesce's reboot of the 2002/2004 cult horror film's The Grudge are not only blatant within his direction and script, but nearly every element presented throughout its extremely uneventful and tedious runtime. Abysmal acting fails to enhance the one-dimensional and bland characters that they're attached to, while poor cinematography results in most of the film being disgustingly underexposed or out of focus. The Grudge even manages to squander the iconic imagery that has made the originals so memorable, conjuring source material that feels predictable and boring instead. Pesce's sloppy and generic attempt at horror ultimately has nothing substantial to offer and will quickly fade into insignificance.

The Grudge follows rookie detective Muldoon as she investigates a gruesome murder that's connected to a suspicious house on 44 Reyburn Drive. After some questioning, Muldoon begins to hear theories from her partner that the unspeakable events that have happened in the house are in connection with an evil entity that haunts the property. As she delves deeper into these rumours, Muldoon begins to find herself the target of demonic spirits that wish to harm Muldoon and her family.

The Grudge often exemplifies the lazy and predictable tropes that have begun to plague the modern horror genre. Characters are devoid of likable traits, drab dialogue creates pointless or uneventful scenes, and all elements of horror stay completely dependant on the slow and foreseeable jump scares that are laughably bad and fail to have any lasting payoffs. It's immediately apparent that Pesce lacks a narrative that he finds compelling enough to want to tell, as the majority of his efforts feel indolent and weary.

Surprisingly, the weakest features and characteristics of the film isn't its dull source material, but how it's visually presented. The direction and framing feel uninspired and lack flair, brutally inconsistent special effects diminish immersion, and the cinematography from Zachary Geller is often hideous and unflattering. Combine these issues with the jarringly fragmented storytelling and editing and The Grudge quickly becomes an unprepossessing and formulaic film that's vacant of memorable content.

Overall, the countless problems within Nicolas Pesce's reboot proves to be more than the film can handle, forcing its capable cast into portraying shallow characters that are unrelatable and unlikable in a story that is equally as lacklustre. The disastrously dull pacing and abysmal visual style fortify Pesce's vision as an unimaginative and monotonous one.

Painfully formulaic horror elements combined with Nicolas Pesce's weak script and direction make the anticipated reboot of The Grudge and horrendous and forgettable experience.

Produced By: Sony
Runtime: 94 minutes
Rating: R