The Grudge Director Teases More Sequels in Different Time Periods

Landing in theaters this weekend is the latest The Grudge, one of horror’s most sprawling franchises, with director Nicolas Pesce confirming that he already has some ideas of what could be explored in follow-up films, which could include supernatural events unfolding in various countries and in different time periods. The director didn’t want to elaborate further, as it likely would have spoiled events of the upcoming film, but with the original Japanese series of films and the American installments into the narrative confirming just how much potential the concept holds, it sounds as though there are limitless opportunities that future stories could potentially explore.

“I do, but they sorta involve spoilers,” Pesce revealed to Bloody Disgusting‘s The Boo Crew podcast about ideas for continuing the series.”I think the overarching thing would be to take it to more places than just Japan and America, and potentially even leave the modern era.”

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.

Clearly the timelessness of the concept allows for numerous manners of reinvention, with Pesce noting what he would personally like to see a future installment in the series explore.

“This is something to me…the Grudge is not a thing that happened once, it’s been happening forever,” he adds. “It’s just a matter of revealing when and where that happened. I think that there’d be something cool in going way far back and doing something that’s less contemporary and seeing what shape this sort of thing has taken the form of in other forms and other places.”

With it being more than a decade since audiences earned an American entry in the series, there are some audiences assuming that this new take was a reboot. Instead, Pesce confirmed it was merely yet another entry into the growing mythology of the concept.

“In my head, the American movies are not divorced from the Japanese ones, and this is not divorced from the greater canon. It’s all one big thing, and so similarly important to me was that we’re not just nodding to the American remake,” Pesce shared with IGN. “It’s not super clear in the trailer, but this curse that has been brought to America is connected to the one in Japan, so it’s not like we’re totally divorcing the worlds. We’re just showing you more of the impact that that story has had.”

He added, “I will tell audience members to pay particular close attention to the dialogue of a conversation that happens over a phone that seems like it’s a throwaway conversation, but if you really know the other movies, the conversation that they’re having is loaded with a ton more information.”

The Grudge hits theaters Friday.

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