Hollywood has rebooted The Grudge. Why? The ones utterly unaware of the Japanese and American horror movie franchise might find a novelty in the new one. But for fans, new The Grudge has absolutely nothing to offer. The movie directed by Nicolas Pesce and produced by Sam Raimi relies heavily on predictable scares and a boring plot. Ghost Stories Movie Review: Dibakar Bannerjee Exceeds Expectations, KJo Makes a Glamorous Horror Film.

The bottom line is the same. When someone dies in the grip of rage, a curse is formed that consumes anyone coming in its vicinity. The story begins with Andrea Riseborough as Detective Muldoon investigating a crime scene. A decomposed dead body of a woman is discovered in a car in the woods, which this leads the detective to the house that is harbouring the curse this time. There are about four stories, in different timelines, unfolding simultaneously.

The film continues to follow the non-linear style to unfold the narrative. But at this point, it seems to be done solely to add some spice to a lacklustre story with zero charisma. Pet Sematary Movie Review: Jason Clarke’s Film Is an Unsettling Blend of Horror and Grief.

Horror is a vast universe. There are no rules. And yet filmmakers continue to stick to a template that has been long associated with scary movies. We are still making the kind of horror movies that we have grown up watching. The Grudge fails to reinvent itself. The cliched haunting adds no value to entertainment. It never feels like that anything is at stake. The story stays faithful to the source material, but it is tough to tell if it is loyalty or refusal to break out of the comfort zone. And all would have been forgiven, if the movie ends up being entertaining.

Yay

The cast puts forth a good performance

The background score is impressive at places

Nay

Everything

Conclusion

The Grudge is only a reboot in theory. It follows every trope of a horror movie and removes exciting elements from the Grudge universe. A dull, unimaginative, and cliched film which is tiring to sit through.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 02, 2020 07:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).