31 DAYS OF HORROR THAT STICK. DAY 1: The Grudge
/“STAIRWAY TO HELL”
The grudge is an effective but sometimes sloppy film. It's not particularly well acted, and the pacing brothers me in parts, but there is a visceral visual aspect to the films most effective scenes. The movie thrives off of the power of its visuals and sound. Cat yawls coming from agaped human mouths, Swinging bodies banging against walls, and that "rasping sound" which is forever. The story execution is somewhat distracting, but there is a unique buy in in the fact that you really are kinda fucked from the moment you enter this house which is a superb place holder for fear. This finale combines all of what made this movie effective, and what kept the actual film from being a classic..drawn out payoffs, mediocre acting, potent audio visual (the contortion became a norm in horror for a bit after this film, a sign of the power of the effect of the original), and tension based only in the aesthetics and not enough in the actual characters, and narrative.
The Grudge is not a classic. But I enjoy watching it..especially around Halloween, and this scene is classic even if the movie itself is nowhere near it.