‘Grudge’ Reboot Director Promises a “Very Different Take” on Source Material

The Grudge series has seen three American installments, while the original Japanese Ju-on series has seen 13 feature films, multiple novels, and comic books. Despite the wealth of mythology, director of the upcoming reboot Grudge, Nicolas Pesce, promises his take on the premise will offer a new perspective.

“It’s a very different take on The Grudge than you know it from the past,” the filmmaker shared with Entertainment Weekly.

The original film told the story of a man who murders his family when he discovers that his wife has fallen in love with another man. The spirits of the household are so powerful, they return from the grave to kill the man responsible for the horrific crimes. Birthing a curse that extended well past familial connections, the spirits would go on to kill anyone who inhabited the house.

Pesce’s take might be different than what we’ve seen before, but the filmmaker assures that it won’t damage the franchise’s legacy, as fans are still welcome to enjoy all previous installments.

“Those movies will always exist and always be there for you to watch,” says Pesce. “I think that horror audiences these days are looking for a much more grounded, much more realistic, much more character-driven story in their horror movies. We see what’s doing well now and it is these kind of smarter, more nuanced horror stories, and that’s what this is going to be. We’re trying to update it for contemporary sensibilities, and we have an unbelievable cast, and I think it’s going to be something very different. There’s a thousand Grudge movies out there, and we wanted to figure out a way to kind of put a new, fresh spin on it, and it’s going to be exciting.”

The director went on to detail the ways in which the new film would be different from what we’ve seen before.

“The movie is set up a lot more like Seven, that sort of movie,” Pesce explained of his take on the concept. “There’s a cop drama that drives the whole thing, and Andrea is the lead detective on this new case that they’ve come upon, and is the driving force through the movie. She’s incredible. She’s in absolutely everything and, when you see her act, you know why.”

Fans can see how this new take on the concept compares to previous films when Grudge lands in theaters on January 3, 2020.

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