The titular curse expands along with the franchise in the sequel to THE GRUDGE, which itself was a remake of the Japanese original for American audiences. The film has an ensemble cast and an extensive number of subplots that further reflect this tendency towards expansion. The story picks up right where the last one ended, with Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER) in the hospital, the only survivor of an ill-fated encounter with a cursed house. She has not emerged unscathed, however, and it's up to her estranged sister, Aubrey (Amber Tamblyn, JOAN OF ARCADIA), to figure out the mystery behind the strange-goings-on related to the now half-demolished house. In doing so, she teams up with a journalist named Eason (Edison Chen), who has been following the case from the very beginning, and the pair embarks on a trip to the decidedly creepy Japanese countryside, hoping to visit the mother of one of the house's original inhabitants. Meanwhile, three teenage girls who attend a local international high school are haunted with nightmarish encounters, which begin after they venture inside the house to pull a mean prank on the new girl. When one of the girls returns home to Chicago, the curse spreads to her apartment building, where members of a family that have recently acquired an unexpected new stepmother (Jennifer Beals, FLASHDANCE, THE L WORD) violently turn on one another. Symptoms of the curse begin to turn up everywhere, while a horrified Aubrey learns that there is no way to stop it from spreading. Although the film suffers from a diffuse plotline and an unfortunate flashback sequence at the end, the high production values and well-executed special effects ensure a highly satisfying experience for discerning viewers out for a thrill.

Theatrical Release: October 13, 2006

DVD Features:

Keep Case
Widescreen
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English, French/Canadian
Subtitles - English, French/Canadian - Optional
Additional Release Material:
Additional Footage - TALES FROM THE GRUDGE with Introduction from Sam Raimi
Deleted Scenes
Featurette 1. EAST MEETS WEST
2. GRUDGE 2: STORYLINE DEVELOPMENT
3. READY WHEN YOU ARE MR. SHIMIZU
4. HOLDING A GRUDGE: KAYAKO & TOSHIO
5. Cast & Crew Reel Change Montage

Amber Tamblyn: Star, JOAN OF ARCADIA
Jennifer Beals: American Actress
Sarah Michelle Gellar: American Actress, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER TV Series
Edison Chen: Actor
Eve Gordon: Actress
Arielle Kebbel: AQUAMARINE (2006)
Teresa Palmer: Actor, THE GRUDGE, (2006)
Misako Uno: Actor, THE GRUDGE, (2006)
Sarah Roemer: Actor, THE GRUDGE, (2006)
Matthew Knight: Actor, THE GRUDGE, (2006)
Takako Fuji: Actor, THE GRUDGE (2004)
Jenna Dewan: Actress, TAMARA (2005)
Oh-Ga Tanaka: Actor, THE GRUDGE, (2006)
Joanna Cassidy: American Actress
Paul Jarrett: Actor, THE GRUDGE, (2006)

Takashi Shimizu: Japanese horror director, JUON

Christopher Young: Composer, COPYCAT/THE SHIPPING NEWS

3 stars out of 5 -- "This entry is one of the best in the never-ending series, with an unlucky TV crew unleashing the haunted house's curse....It's genuinely creepy..."