The Grudge Timeline Explained
The Grudge Timeline Explained
The Terminator Timeline Explained
If you’re going to scare yourself silly binge-watching this franchise, you might as well get the story straight! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we present The Grudge Timeline Explained. For this video, we’ll be looking at The Grudge franchise, which, in addition to its distinctive atmosphere of foreboding and timeless scares, is particularly known for its A-chronological (or nonlinear) approach to storytelling. Come along as we revisit this deadly supernatural tale in the order that events played out, with the goal of better appreciating the full scope of the story. Please note that while we’re going to avoid major spoilers from 2020’s “The Grudge”, we will be discussing the overarching plot - meaning that minor spoilers are unavoidable. Though best known to American audiences as “The Grudge”, this franchise was first unleashed upon the world in Japan, where it is known as “Ju-On”. It was created by filmmaker Takashi Shimizu, and began with two short films, “Katsumi” and “4444444444”, both of which appeared as vignettes in the 1998 made-for-tv horror film “Gakkō no kaidan G”. From these humble beginnings, Shimizu’s haunting concept has evolved into a franchise spanning 13 feature lengths films, numerous novels, comic books, and a video game. One of the most notable ways in which this franchise has expanded is with the American film series. Though it began as a remake of “Ju-On: The Grudge”, 2004’s “The Grudge'' proved to be so profitable at the box that it spawned an entirely new branch of “Grudge” movies - weaving its own complicated tapestry of stories. Remaking his own film for American audiences, creator Takashi Shimizu got to ensure that it honored the spirit of the original. And he was joined by “Evil Dead” creator and living horror legend Sam Raimi as a producer. The American remake of ‘The Grudge” was quickly followed by a 2006 sequel, “The Grudge 2”, which saw the return of both Shimizu and Raimi. In 2009, there was a direct-to-video third instalment, “The Grudge 3”, that continued to expand the story, albeit with a different creative team. In 2020, after over a decade spent dormant, the American leg of this franchise came roaring back into the theaters. Many were expecting a reboot, but in keeping with property’s tendency for subverting expectations, 2020’s “The Grudge” was set in the existing universe. And while Takashi Shimizu was not directly involved with the film, Sam Raimi returned as producer and was joined by co-producers Robert Tapert, Takashige Ichise, both of whom had worked with him on previous installments. A “sidequel”, 2020’s “The Grudge” expanded the mythology of the franchise in a unique way by telling a separate but related story that ties back to the very same curse from the 2004 film. So without further ado, let’s go back to the beginning - the crime of passion that started it all. Some time before 2004, a young woman named Kayako Saeki was living in the suburbs of Tokyo. She was a wife, mother and homemaker, but she harbored a secret love for a local American professor named Peter Kirk. When her husband, Takeo, learned of this, he murdered Kayako in a jealous rage. He then murdered their son Toshio before hanging himself. As the opening of the film tells us however, “When someone dies in the grip of a powerful rage... a curse is born. The curse gathers in that place of death. Those who encounter it will be consumed by its fury.” Before her death, Kayako sent a letter to the professor. Curious, Peter Kirk visits the home, only to be greeted by the ghost of Toshio. When he enters the home and discovers the bodies, he flees the scene in terror. Haunted by what he’s seen, Professor Kirk takes his own life the next morning. A few years go by, and the Saeki home is eventually sold to an American family, the Williams. Little do they know, the house is already inhabited by the malevolent spirits of the Saeki family. Husband, sister and wife are soon consumed by Kayako’s undead rage. Eventually, only the aging Emma Williams, who suffers from dementia, remains. Emma Williams has been receiving in-home treatment from a nurse, Fiona Landers, but, citing disturbing experiences, Landers ultimately abandons her post and returns home to the US. Not before Kayako gives a good scare though! Without her nurse, Emma Williams begins receiving care from a woman named Yoko. When Yoko comes to check on her one day, however, the young woman is dragged away into the attic and killed by Kayako. It’s the disappearance of Yoko that ultimately brings Sarah Michelle Gellar’s character, Karen Davis, into the picture. With Yoko M.I.A., Davis is sent in to care for Emma Williams. Upon arriving, she’s understandably concerned by the state of the house and Mrs. Williams’ lack of communication. But when she witnesses the spirit of Kayako, Karen goes outright catatonic from fear. And it’s in this state that she’s discovered by her employer, Alex. The incident draws the police to the scene, effectively dooming a whole new group of people. Emma Williams is the most recent victim, but an investigation reveals the bodies of her son and daughter-in-law. The thing that’s so scary about the grudge-curse is that it’s (for lack of a better word) “contagious”. It doesn’t begin and end with Kayako. Those who are killed by her can become cursed, murderous spirits in kind. Yoko’s jawless ghost kills Alex, Kayako kills Karen’s boyfriend Doug, and Kayako’s husband, Takeo kills Detective Nakagawa. It’s a curse that just keeps on killing and cursing. Karen Davis ultimately survives the ordeal, but she’s haunted by Kayako. Traumatized by her experiences, Karen is living in a hospital when her younger sister, Aubrey, arrives from the US to help her. Unfortunately, she’s really just arrived in time for Kayako to finish the job. As Aubrey and a local journalist begin investigating the situation, they’re soon killed too. The investigation unveils dark secrets from Kayako’s past, and Aubrey even meets Kayako’s mother, but the younger Davis inevitably falls victim to the curse. Around the same time, in the United States, Mrs. Williams’ old live-in nurse, Fiona Landers, has returned home to small town Pennsylvania. But as she learns the hard way, the grudge-curse can’t be foiled by something as simple as a plane ride. Tragedy soon strikes, drawing an entirely new contingent of people into the plot stateside, including the local police department and a real estate agent, Peter Spencer, who hopes to sell the Landers home. He’s an expecting father with a soft spot for children-in-need, but unfortunately, when it comes to the curse-grudge, lonely children are rarely as innocent as they seem. The curse continues to spread, drawing more people and homes into its web. The following year, an elderly couple, William and Faith Matheson, move into the Landers home. Faith has a terminal illness and is no longer able to care for herself, prompting William Matheson to call in an assisted suicide specialist, Lorna Moody. As Moody soons discovers, however, there’s far more to this house, and the Mathesons, than meets the eye. In 2006, back in Japan, the Saeki house stands empty, having become something of a local urban legend. A few school girls break in on a dare, only to discover that the stories are all too real when they encounter Aubrey Davis - now an undead agent of the grudge-curse. One by one, the girls lose their lives to the curse, until only Allison Fleming remains. She returns home to Chicago. Unfortunately, as Fiona Flanders learned, fleeing the continent is no way to shed the curse, and Allison ultimately brings it with her - unleashing it upon unsuspecting families in the apartment building where she and her family reside. And just like that… you’ve got the grudge-curse active in multiple US cities. In “The Grudge 3”, Jake Kimble is the only known survivor from the previous film. But he’s haunted by Kayako, meaning that his days are numbered. Jake has been institutionalized, while the grudge-curse continues to prosper in his old apartment building, where Kayako and Toshio have moved in - so to speak. This prompts Kayako’s sister, Naoko, to travel to the US and attempt to bring an end to her sister’s bloody crusade. But… as these things tend to go, she ultimately becomes just another victim and agent of the curse. 2006 is also the year in which we meet Muldoon, a young detective who has moved to the Pennsylvania same town as the Landers, Mathesons, and Spencers. Muldoon is partnered with Detective Goodman, who's previous partner ultimately went insane while investigating a case touched by the grudge-curse. Soon enough, Muldoon finds herself fighting for her life and the life of her son against the seemingly unstoppable spread of this deadly curse. We don’t want to give everything away, so we’re going to end our story there. But as you can see, “The Grudge” franchise is more than just a series of horror movie sequels rehashing the same story. Rather, it is a complex and ever-growing tapestry of interconnected hauntings and supernatural killings - all stemming from one brutal act of murder. And as the 2020 film reminds us… there’s no telling how, when or where the Grudge-curse will pop up next!
