The Grudge 2 turns 20 this week, and its October horror energy makes it a fitting Halloween rewatch. The sequel is stranger behind the scenes than many remember: Takashi Shimizu nearly walked away, Sony skipped critic screenings and still opened at No. 1, and the film’s Blu-ray journey took years. Here are nine things you may have missed.
1. Shimizu only said yes because the story was new
Takashi Shimizu told Sci Fi Wire that The Grudge was a complete remake of Ju-on, meaning the storyline was very similar. But The Grudge 2 was actually different from Ju-on: The Grudge 2. He said, “I don’t think I would have accepted this job if it was going to be the same storyline.”
2. The shoot wrapped in late April 2006
Principal photography took place at Toho Studios in Tokyo, Japan, and production wrapped up on April 25, 2006. During an interview with Amber Tamblyn, it was reported that sets were created in Chicago for Tamblyn to re-shoot several scenes.
3. Kayako’s childhood became the big mystery
Shimizu said he was going for a mystery that was never there in The Grudge. “There’s a secret about Kayako’s childhood life, so that’s part of the big mystery,” he explained. The other mystery was how the grudge would keep spreading and never stop.
4. Sony teased the film on April Fools’ Day
On April 1, 2006, a teaser site launched with details revealing the October 13 release date. The campaign kept building months later when Yahoo! Movies became the first site to release three short films titled Tales from the Grudge.
5. Sam Raimi introduced the tie-in shorts
Those three shorts arrived on September 19, 2006, with an introduction from producer Sam Raimi. They expanded the story of the Saeki curse and were directed by Toby Wilkins, who later directed The Grudge 3, and written by Ben Ketai.
6. It skipped critics and still won the weekend
The Grudge 2 was not screened in advance for critics. It opened in 3,211 theaters, grossed $10,018,039 on its opening day and $20.8 million on its opening weekend, placing number one at the box office and beating out The Departed.
7. The worldwide total reached $70.7 million
After placing number one at the box office and beating out The Departed, the film grossed $39.1 million in the United States and Canada and $31.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $70.7 million.
8. Critics found the plot hard to follow
On Rotten Tomatoes, 12% of 77 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.6/10. Metacritic assigned a score of 33 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating generally unfavorable reviews. Several critics said the plot was confusing, with Tim Goernert noting it was hard to follow because three stories were happening at the same time.
9. The Blu-ray road was long and uneven
The DVD and UMD for PSP arrived on February 6, 2007, but the film has yet to receive a Blu-ray release in the United States. France got the first Blu-ray on March 2, 2010 with the Director’s Cut, although it was Region Locked. Home sales grossed $8.5 million.
The Grudge 2’s legacy is full of odd turns, from the mystery Shimizu wanted to the home-video wait. Which of these details caught you off guard?
Facts from Wikipedia: The Grudge 2, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Film images from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
