Ju-On (2004) Critic Reviews

Isn't particularly scary. No, it's much harder on you than mere fright: It's . . . creepy.Read the full review

Gets on your nerves.Read the full review

Both too obvious and needlessly complicated, Ju-On juggles several non-chronological chapters based on different characters, ensuring that none of the corpses-to-be make much of an impression.Read the full review

Director Takashi Shimizu chooses cruel psychological suspense over gore and succeeds in spinning a minimal plot into a panorama of malice.Read the full review

A haunted-house one-trick pony.Read the full review

Divided into chapters, the film jumps around in time, which means that we get to observe Shimizu's utter failure to develop his characters from endless narrative angles.Read the full review

Because there is a new hero to identify with every 10 minutes, the viewer isn't drawn into a sustained suspense, but is merely subjected to a series of more or less foreseeable shocks.Read the full review

The film's repetitious, episodic structure seems to unnecessarily alleviate the building tension, making it a far less frightening film than it might have been.Read the full review

It's creepy, all right. It's just that HOW it goes about creeping you out is sometimes just plain cheesy.Read the full review