Ju-on: The Grudge(2002)
2002 · Takashi Shimizu · 92 min
When a social worker is sent to check on a traumatized elderly woman whose family have moved in at the site of a notorious murder case, she unwittingly unleashes a cycle of terror that transmits via its victims.
Horror
6.81k votes
TMDB score
4/5
Intensity
1/5
Gore
5/5
Stays with you
How scary is Ju-on: The Grudge?
There's a constant low hum of dread here, the kind that makes you check the corners of a room long after the movie ends. The story jumps between different people and points in time, which makes everything feel unstable and inevitable, like nobody can outrun what's coming. Scares come from stillness and sound more than gore, with long quiet stretches suddenly broken by something appearing where it shouldn't be. It's less about jumping in your seat and more about carrying an uneasy feeling with you afterward, so it's better for a quiet night alone than a fun group watch.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Ju-on: The Grudge rates psychological 5/5, visceral 2/5, gore 1/5, lingering effect 5/5, and overall intensity 4/5.
- Psychological: 5 of 5
- Visceral: 2 of 5
- Gore: 1 of 5
- Lingering: 5 of 5
- Intensity: 4 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 35 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 10 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 75 of 100 — leans Disturbing
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
An episodic, jolt-heavy ride that keeps resetting into new bursts of fright rather than building smoothly to one climax.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 2, 3, 4, 2, 3, 4, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 4.
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