Matthew Knight:  Jake Kimble
Shawnee Smith:  Dr. Ann Sullivan
Emi Ikehata:  Naoko Kawamata
Marina Siritis:  Gretchen
Akio Horiuchi:  Kayako
Johanna Braddy:  Lisa
Gil McKinney:  Max

Release Date: May 12th, 2009
Studio: Stage 6 / Sony /
Ghost House
Genre: Suspense / Horror
Rated: R      1 hr 33 mins

CAST:

Just like The Grudge 2, The Grudge 3 keeps the story in America. Part revenge flick, part The Amityville Horror, the third installment, and first to not to be helmed by the original Asian films' director, actually proves to be an exception to the Direct-to-DVD-sequel rule.

The film opens with Jake Kimble, the sole survivor of the second film. He's gone crazy, and no one believes him that a ghastly Asian contortionist is out to get him.  His doctor, Ann Sullivan (Shawnee Smith) tries to help him with his hallucinations, but this help proves to be too little, too late. The film then quickly jumps back to the apartment of the second film. It seems Kayako gets around and uses this joint as base for spooky operations. With nothing left to do, she starts creeping out the remaining tenants, including Marina Siritis (Star Trek: The Next Generation), and gets under the skin of the fractured family. Thrown into the mix is Naoko, a relative of Kayako, who has come to America to try and stop the curse/haunting/scary shenanigans. 

Most of The Grudge 3 really reeks of The Amityville Horror. But instead of a house, it's an apartment. The film's final ten minutes are worth the price of viewing though. Somehow a rather clunky plot irons out the nonsense and actually expands on the whole story. Instead of one vengeful ghost, we now get two. Is it enough for The Grudge 4? Yep. Better than the first two films or the originals? Nope.

While The Grudge 3 isn't required viewing, it's a fun ride for those that like the first two films. It moves the story along even though it gets a bit soggy in the middle. However, this is the first R-rated Grudge, so the gore and violence are kicked up several notches, and the jump scares are better. Shawnee Smith kind of moves away from eye-candy and does a real good job for a change. But her screen time is much too short and it seems she only shows up to try and appeal to her fans from the Saw series.

It's a cinematic cheapie but not a waste of time. The Grudge 3 is a recommended rental only if you dig the previous two films or can't get enough American-tweaked J-Horror.

The Grudge 3

December 3, 2009

Reviewer: Rottenbucher

DIRECTOR:

Toby Wilkins

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