First posters for the upcoming The Grudge have featured familiar and frightening iconography from the film series, but this latest poster puts who appears to be the villainous Kayako front and center for a horrifying image. Throughout the entire franchise, between the American and Japanese films, audiences have seen all manner of intimidating ghosts, but few of them are as intimidating as Kayako, the main specter seen in 2004’s The Grudge. It’s unclear if this is the exact same ghost as seen in the previous films or merely a spirit who resembles her, but it’s a striking poster, regardless. The Grudge is set to debut in theaters on January 3, 2020.
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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.
The franchise has already earned a dozen installments, with the concept also being adapted into video games, novels, and comic books.
The last American installment in the series came in 2009, leaving fans to wonder how this new film factored into its predecessors. Director Nicolas Pesce previously revealed that his film takes place at the same time as the 2004 Sarah Michelle Gellar-starring film.
“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 lands in theaters on January 3, 2020.
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