I have opted to review both these ‘films’ together as their total running time apiece is 61 minutes, hardly the length of your run-of-the-mill movie. Despite their title’s making use of the Ju-On phrase that had been developed by Film Auteur Takashi Shimzu, these films have nothing to do with the original films that shot Shimzu to such heights of popularity in the horror world.
The film’s credits do give a grudging (sorry) nod to Shimzu as the Ju-On creator with a ‘based on characters created by’ tag. Both the Ju-On’s were released simultaneously on the tenth anniversary of the original Ju-on’s as a sort of ‘honour’ to Shimzu and his films.
Ju-On: White Ghost (originally titled Ju-On Old Lady in White) is directed by Ryûta Miyake. I may be a bit obtuse, but after watching this film twice, I cannot for the life of me understand several things about the film. Why, for instance, is the ghost a ‘little old lady’ who carries a basketball with her everywhere? Why is that considered terrifying by those who meet her? What connection does this little old lady ghost have with the school girl in the yellow hat?
Do you even care?
That this is a homage is obvious. the director uses all the same shock tactics and build-ups that Takashi Shimzu used in his films that later became a standard for all his Grudge films. The only thing that Miyake’s film has in common with Shimzu’s original is the murder of a family in Japan‘s suburban world.
It is an interesting film. Scary in the right places and utilizing the slow build-up and disjointed segments that Shimzu used so well in his films. It is a homage and as such does not rely on blazing originality to make it’s point. At 61 minutes it is better to watch this one with it’s ‘sister’ film Ju-On: Black Ghost to give you a more ‘cinematic’ feeling when you’re done rather than the’special of the week’ feeling that a film just over an hour long leaves you with.
Now on to Ju-On: Black Ghost (or Girl in Black, the original title) it too is 61 minutes long. Directed by Mari Asato the plot of Black Ghost is a bit convoluted and confusing. It never goes on to explain why the Grudge spirit in this film is all in black. Like the basketball playing grandma in the first film, we never find out why this black apparition is terrifying or why she’s even there.
The plot of this film revolves around a cyst found in a young girl (Fukie) that is the result of her ingesting her unborn twin while in her mother’s uterus. Sound familiar? If it does, it’s not because it was ever used as a plot device in any of the original Ju-On films.
Neither film has a whole lot going for it apart from the claim that they are ‘honouring’ the original films by Shimzu. They are worth a look but only as a stand alone curiosity and not as a sort of sequel or prequel of the original films. They are scary (a bit) and best watched at night.
As I am sitting here finishing this article, I have been playing the White Ghost on the telly. I have decided that the basketball playing grandma was much scarier when she was alive.
Final verdict? Don’t go out of your way to find these films, they’re not worth the effort. If you find them ‘accidentally’ like I did (live streaming on LOVEFILM) go ahead and watch them. They do have a certain novelty value. But if you want ‘real’ scares?
Watch Takashi Shimzu’s originals.
Related articles
- Ju-On: White Ghost/Black Ghost (2009) (horror-movie-a-day.blogspot.com)
- Death of a Ghost Hunter (2007): Small Budget, Big Scares (mikesfilmtalk.com)
- Ghost story spooks 40 years on (bbc.co.uk)
- 200 Pounds Beauty (2006): Life in Plastic, it’s Fantastic (mikesfilmtalk.com)
- Forget Me Not (2009): Forget Me Not Likely (mikesfilmtalk.com)
- John’s Asian Horror Corner: White, The Melody of a Curse (2011) (moviesfilmsandflix.com)
- The Shock Labryinth (2009) (horror-movie-a-day.blogspot.com)
- Chills to Beat Summer Heat, Part Two – Ju-on: White Ghost (Shiroi Rôjo) (horrorboom.com)
I’ve tried finding the original Japanese Ju-on films here, but haven’t had much luck on Netflix or anything. I’d imagine they’re worth purchasing though. I’ve mentioned before that I thought the US version of The Grudge was the scariest ‘Hollywood’ film I’d seen in a really long time, and that noise she makes was a ongoing scare tactic in our house for many years afterwards. Does the Us version even hold a light to the original Japanese versions?
All the original Grudges are excellent. The 1st two (straight to video) are hard to track down. We found our copies on redsundvd.com which has since gone out of business. You might try ebay? The first two are Juon the curse instead of grudge. Good luck in your hunt!
Thanks for the info, Mike! The quest continues!
You really struggled to find something good to say here. Sometimes, it’s really isn’t worth the effort.
Okay, Mike. So we’re sorta goin backwards here! lol I couldn’t find Juon: The Curse 1 or 2, apparently because they were never released in the States. At the moment, I’m really not up for importing and learning Japanese; maybe I will be ten minutes from now.
Anyway, we checked out Juon: White Ghost & Black Ghost, as they were on Netflix, and though there were some eerie scenes and the like, I think you’re right. I remember the US Grudge with Gellar being a lot freakier, and the Grandma was definitely scarier when she was alive. XD Still, I think we’ve all definitely seen worse. I’m still going to try the next two Juon films, the Japanese Grudges, but is there anything else you’d recommend that’s just really freaky that we should look for? Gotta tell you up front, gore-scares aren’t very scary for us; we tear ‘em apart in most cases. Well, at least if the film is ONLY relying on them, and nothing else. But if you know of anything really creepy atmospheric films, (bump in the night types) even if they happen to be gory, let me know! Netfliix is loaded with horror films right now, but I’d rather go to an expert than trust a cover. 
There are a lot J-horror out there at the moment. 2004-6 seemed to be the years of mass production. I’ll be reviewing some of them very soon. Just on the top of my head, Infection (2004) is a corker and a lot easier to find than the first 2 Grudge’s. Let me know how you make out.
Thanks, dude!