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The Grudge

Play trailer Poster for The Grudge PG-13 2004 1h 30m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
41% Tomatometer 163 Reviews 46% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Matthew Williams (William Mapother), his wife, Jennifer (Clea DuVall), and mother, Emma (Grace Zabriskie), are Americans making a new life in Tokyo. Together they move into a house that has been the site of supernatural occurrences in the past, and it isn't long before their new home begins terrorizing the Williams family as well. The house, as it turns out, is the site of a curse that lingers in a specific place and claims the lives of anyone that comes near.

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The Grudge

The Grudge

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Critics Consensus

There's some creepy imagery to be found, but not much in the way of logic or truly jarring scares.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Common Sense Media Dec 28, 2010
2/5
Grisly ghost story lacks plot; not for tweens. Go to Full Review Jamie Russell BBC.com Jan 26, 2005
3/5
It's mechanical moviemaking, but when it works you're likely to quiver, cower and leap with fright. Go to Full Review Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com Nov 6, 2004
3/4
Shimizu understands it is the unknown and the unseen that's scariest, resorting to gurgled growls and passing glimpses of greasy-haired demons to illicit shrieks and shouts from a terrified theatre. Go to Full Review Max Allen Horror Movie Talk Dec 4, 2025
8/10
The ghost looks extremely creepy in most scenes, with a face that genuinely terrified me as a kid, even before I had seen the movie. Its mark on pop culture is undeniable. Go to Full Review Akos Peterbencze The Screen Aug 16, 2024
The absence of a real narrative and legit characters actually allowed Shimizu to focus on his one and only primary goal: inducing and cultivating fear in the viewer. Go to Full Review Brian Bisesi Horror Movie Club Podcast Dec 14, 2023
3/5
The film toggles between characters in the past and present which prevents the viewer from becoming wholly engaged in the film and its stakes, but the frequent and effective scares make this a worthwhile watch. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Ashley C @Cash8805 Sep 18, 2026 This movie is based on the murder of a child while in the tub done by the "father". See more Robert P @Superbad Sep 13, 2026 The Grudge = a *2.5* star movie! See more B P @Bradster69 Sep 3, 2026 Not Bad, but Not My Favorite See more Horror fan 4 @Horrorfan4life Aug 21, 2026 One of the most underappreciated movies of not only the decade but of the century. SMG gives a great performance and while his role is short Bill Pullman was really good to. The characters were cool and there were some nice jump scares. I loved the atmosphere and story. I quite enjoyed the sequel as well. Tim Treakle See more Abdi A @RT24941433 Aug 14, 2026 To say I’ve wasted my time would be an understatement. The constant switching between flashbacks and current events makes it difficult for the film to retain the viewer's full engagement. It is a travesty. On an optimistic note, the film was in fact thought provoking, and left me on the edge of my seat for the majority of the movie. However, every positive aspect of this movie was undone in the last 10 minutes of the film. The anticlimactic burning of the house, which should've had a much larger build-up, and the return of the ghost after Burke goes to school ruined everything that the movie built up to. It is a pitiful excuse for an ending, and the crescendo of jump scares culminated in such an underwhelming ending where I now have to sit and ask myself, "Does the horror genre have any remaining hope?" May the directors of this movie learn from the devastating mistakes they have made, and NEVER make another film again. Disgusting. See more J H @UpstateNYThriller Jul 22, 2026 9/10 Early 2000s movie about a house that remembers tragedies. Everyone who enters is cursed and is track down by an entity. Very similar to the girl from the ring Top-tier scary movie because of the time period creepiness , Japanese setting See more Read all reviews
The Grudge

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Cast & Crew

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Takashi Shimizu

Director

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Karen Davis

Jason Behr

Doug

William Mapother

Mathew Williams

Clea Duvall

Jennifer Williams

Kadee Strickland

Susan Williams

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The Grudge

KaDee Strickland as Susan in "The Grudge." A scene from the film "The Grudge." Sarah Michelle Gellar as Karen in "The Grudge." Takako Fuji as Kayako in "The Grudge." On the set of the film "The Grudge." On the set of the film "The Grudge." Sarah Michelle Gellar as Karen in "The Grudge." (L-R) Sarah Michelle Gellar as Karen and Grace Zabriskie as Emma in "The Grudge." William Mapother as Matthew in "The Grudge." (L-R) Sarah Michelle Gellar as Karen and Ted Raimi as Alex in "The Grudge." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Matthew Williams (William Mapother), his wife, Jennifer (Clea DuVall), and mother, Emma (Grace Zabriskie), are Americans making a new life in Tokyo. Together they move into a house that has been the site of supernatural occurrences in the past, and it isn't long before their new home begins terrorizing the Williams family as well. The house, as it turns out, is the site of a curse that lingers in a specific place and claims the lives of anyone that comes near.
Director
Takashi Shimizu
Producer
Doug Davison, Rob Tapert, Takashige Ichise
Screenwriter
Takashi Shimizu, Stephen Susco
Distributor
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co
Ghost House Pictures, Lionsgate Television, Senator International
Rating
PG-13 (Mature Thematic Material|Disturbing Images|Some Sensuality|Terror|Violence)
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 22, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 18, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$110.2M
Runtime
1h 30m
Sound Mix
Surround, DTS, Dolby SRD, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)
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