Review by Deep Red
For the tenth anniversary of the Ju-on series the fifth and sixth instalments were simultaneously premièred in Japanese theatres. Both were based on stories by Ju-on series director Takashi Shimizu. Each film is about an hour long. The character Toshio Saeki briefly appears in both films, here played by Shûsei Uto.
JU-ON: WHITE GHOST aka THE GRUDGE: OLD LADY IN WHITE
呪怨: 白い老女
Directed by Ryûta Miyake
Stars Hiroki Suzuki as Fumiya Hagimoto, Ichirôta Miyakawa as Hajime Kashiwagi, Natsuki Kasa as Shôgakusei no Akane, Akina Minami as Akane Kashiwagi, Marika Fukunaga as Yuka Kanehara, Chie Amemiya as Mayumi Yoshikawa, Aimi Nakamura as Junko Isobe, Akiko Hoshino as Haru, Eiichi Ôkubo as Kentarô Isobe, Sumire Arai as Miho Isobe, Yasuo Gotô as Shûichi Hirata, Mihiro as Chiho Tanemura, Chinami Iwamoto as Mirai Isobe, Shûsei Uto as Toshio Saeki, Takuji Suzuki as Hideki Yasukawa, Yoshinori Edagawa as Keisuke Kawabata, Tsuyoshi Muro as Atsushi Isobe and Chikako Isomura as Old Lady in White.
A man called Atsushi Isobe kills his family then hangs himself. A girl called Akane Kashiwagi was aware that Atsushi was abusing his niece, Mirai, but was unable to help.
Many cool scenes crammed into an hour. Made me jump, especially the first time we see the old lady in white. Pretty scary stuff! It’s also quite violent in places, brutal really. Very impressed by this one.
Ju-on: White Ghost
JU-ON: BLACK GHOST aka THE GRUDGE: GIRL IN BLACK
呪怨: 黒い少女
Directed by Mari Asato
Stars Kôji Seto as Tetsuya, Kuniteru Shigeyama as Ryûta, Kana Tsugihara as Mutsumi, Ai Kago as Yûko, Shinji Nomura as Ishi – Samukawa, Michiko Iwahashi as Kangoshi – Mika, Yuno Nakazono as Ayano, Ichirôta Miyakawa as Takushî no Untenshu, Hana Matsumoto as Fuki’e, Ayato Kosugi as Shônen, Kôzô Satô as Seishinkai – Mitsuyama, Masanobu Katsumura as Yokota, Ryôta Matsushima as Yoshio, Shûsei Uto as Toshio Saeki, Yuri Nakamura as Mariko, Ryûnosuke Hashino as Mariko no Musuko – Takashi, Yoshimi Tachi as Mariko no Otto – Yoshiyuki and Maria Takagi as Kiwako.
A nurse, Yûko, is caring for a girl called Fuki’e. Fuki’e has a cystoma, a twin never born. Fuki’e’s mother, Kiwako, asks her sister, Mariko, for help.
I thought this was great. Good story and like White Ghost inventive and compelling. I want more! Weird.
Ju-on: Black Ghost
Both films are pretty scary and the special effects are very effective. OK, the two films really do look like TV programmes more than films but they are full of ideas and great viewing. I really enjoyed both and highly recommend them as just something different to watch, perhaps one dark night alone. They both come on one disc which is brilliant and are definitely worth watching again, I can’t wait to watch them again. White Ghost is probably the scarier of the two but Black Ghost is great too so if you like one you’ll certainly like the other. The death rattle noise is one of the creepiest sounds in horror and Toshio’s brief appearance in both films is a nice touch. Very different to the Ju-on films but sheer class nonetheless. Both are very nicely acted too.
Treat yourself to something different but don’t scare yourself to death in the process. Who would read my reviews?
