While I’m waiting to mosey on down to the local Cineplex (and there actually is one) to watch Matrix Revolutions (because I don’t really want to watch a crappy camcorder rip of it), I’ve been buying up movies at the local DVD store like a madman. Most of them are movies that I’ve seen before but that I’d like to own — Oh Brother, Where Art Thou and Vanilla Sky are two recent examples — but a few are more ambitious picks, mostly foreign language movies with English subtitles.
For instance, we (Greg, actually, I think) bought L’ultimo capodanno, an Italian film staring Monica Bellucci (and, despite what the back cover suggested, she is only fully nude for about 15 seconds in the entire insane movie, but I still think it was worth it).
But the best of the these foreign films (or the worst, or the most horrifying) has been Ju-on: The Grudge. It is easily the most horrifying movie I’ve ever seen. It is a classic Asian horror film — very little blood, and you don’t see a whole lot of killing (that is, it’s not Nightmare on Elm Street) — but it absolutely fucks with you to the point that by about half way through the movie you no longer really want to watch it because you know the next time she turns the corner, or when she goes upstairs, or whatever something is going to scare the shit out of you, but at the same time you can’t bring yourself to stop watching the movie.
So what I’m trying to say is that you need to go down to your local import movie store (or move to China, where they are plentiful), get some friends that won’t mind you jumping on them (and vice versa) when something totally horrifying happens, and watch this movie. You won’t regret it, though it may result in not wanting to ever, ever go to Japan (just in case).
You are wrong. Alien is the scariest movie ever.
Left by Matt on November 7th, 2003
Have you seen Ju-on? I’ve seen both Alien and it, and Alien doesn’t hold a candle as far as pure creepy scary goes. Yeah, most shit jumps out at you in Alien, but beyond the initial visual shock it’s not actually scary. It just startles you.
Left by John on November 7th, 2003
After getting back from the movies, I’d like to add to the discussion:
The new Texas Chainsaw Massacre is NOT the scariest movie ever.
Left by scott on November 9th, 2003
i’m still stuck on the fact that you a) wanted to purchase vanilla sky and b) are brave enough to admit it. no matter how cheap dvds are here, i’d rather set my 6rmb on fire. vanilla sky is the worst movie EVAR. ok, enough ranting and raving. i have a favor to ask you! i want to buy an mp3 player and heard you are the go to guy for electronics/gadgets. fancy a trip to the electronics market one day (they also have a fabulous selection of dvds…i will even buy you one to replace your copy of vanilla sky that i am throwing in the garbage!)?
Left by heather on November 9th, 2003
Not so sure about Alien and Ju-on since I’ve seen neither, but I’m gonna have to second the Vanilla Sky vote for worst movie ever. If it was 30 minutes long it could have been really good. An hour and it could have been allright, 3 hours? Worst movie, EVAR.
Left by Jordan on November 9th, 2003
Heather, yeah, no problem. I’ve been told of this electronics market and want to check it out myself, so just give me a holler and we can figure out when to go.
Jordan, you’ve never seen Alien? I know for a fact you didn’t grow up under a rock, so what’s wrong man?!
Heather and Jordan, re: Vanilla Sky… bite me :)= Maybe I just wanted to see Penelope Cruz’s breasts. Is that a good enough reason? Because it is for me. But actually, really, I do like the movie.
And the worst movie EVAR is, of course, Never Been Kissed, which is saw twice with Lauren. Ugh.
Left by John on November 9th, 2003
Hey ive been tryin to find the movie Ju-on: The Grudge to no avail. Any suggestions on where i should be looking?? oh yea and vanilla sky really did suck
Left by Jenine on November 10th, 2003
hey john-
anyway, how about next tuesday or wednesday for our trip to the electronics market? email me your cell number and i’ll give you a call on monday to make plans, ok?
i have friends from france coming in this week so i’ll be busy playing tour guide. i’m even thinking about getting some yellow hats and a flag. the only thing i’m worried about is how many chinese tourists will blindly follow me.
Left by heather on November 11th, 2003
Heather, get ‘em all green tourist hats; though you’ll get a lot of snickers, no one will follow your group, I promise.
John B. and Heather: If you need help at the electronics market, let me know. I’m a regular there and I can point you to the (few) vendors who won’t try to rip you off - be you in the market for custom-built desktops, used laptops, accessories (USBs, MP3s, Firewires, Bluetooth, DVDs, English-version software (legit, of course ;), “and so on”).
John B., at al: I didn’t forget the baseball game I promised to arrange with the Zhe Da baseball team. I was out of town the “next, next week” after Huzhou, last weekend the students were studying for mid-terms. And judging by your posse at the Commons last Saturday night John, you weren’t thinking baseball, either.
Left by chuck on November 11th, 2003
posse? John has a posse?
Left by Jordan on November 11th, 2003
What the hell? Vanilla Sky is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. Why don’t you like it?
Left by Scott on November 11th, 2003
Heather - as far as mp3 players go, there is only one that is even worth considering: the ipod. Everything else is just amateur crap.
Also, why does VS suck? I’m curious as well.
Left by Dave on November 11th, 2003
Chuck, yeah, that would be of great help. I’m especially interested in the English-language software which is pretty damn hard to find. Also, yes, I’ve not been thinking about baseball
Though I’m totally still interested in doing it, it’s hard to coordinate with the guys. If you guys are going to be playing another team, though, I’d be interested in just going out and watching by myself.
Heather, I’ll e-mail you today.
Jordan, it is a posse of one, but the posse is cute.
Left by John on November 11th, 2003
chuck-that would be great if you could come along…thanks for offering. i have been there a zillion times but never bought anything other than loads of dvds.
dave-i would LOVE to get an ipod. its on my christmas/hanukkah list.
until then i am just looking for a cheap one to use at the gym. lightweight so i can clip it to my shirt or hang it around my neck. only needs to hold 100 songs or so. any suggestions…i know nada about this topic and would probably be in the category of amateur using amateur crap.
all you VS lovers out there-let me just say the highlight of the movie was the scene of tom cruise in an deserted times square. that and penelope’s breasts.
there ends the list of good things about this movie. although i like tc and cd i seriously doubt their soundness of mind when accepting the role. the movie was boring boring boring. lots of holes in the script. i’m not against movies that make you think (loved memento!) but this movie made me think more about how i was wasting my time (i’m with jordan on the 30 minute version!) watching it than tc and his feelings (or lack thereof since he was a shallow prick) for either woman. but in the end, to each his own, if you guys liked it, that is fine by me. in fact, i’ll dig the copy out of john’s garbage and send it to you. 
Left by heather on November 12th, 2003
john-
electronics market on thursday work for you? my friends are still in town on tuesday and i’m taking my american culture class for a lesson in western dining ettiquette (if i can remember what it was like not to slouch and spit while eating!) on wednesday. let me know if that works for you. hope you had a good weekend.
Left by heather on November 16th, 2003
ya i widh i could see ju-on but im probably too poor buts its all good alien was an ok movie cause i really dont get scared easily
Left by bryan on November 16th, 2003
VS:
I really liked the concept, I liked the visuals, I liked the story. What I didn’t like, and what totally ruined it for me was that they took a short story and tried to turn it into a full-length feature film. I really mean it, I probably would have loved it as a 30 minute featurette. They didn’t have nearly enough worth watching for me to sit still for 3 hours. I ~barely~ managed to watch the whole thing, and I’m glad I did since the ending was cool, but the +points gained by the end still couldn’t rectify the fact that the ending should have come at least 2 hours earlier.
Even if it was ‘normal movie’ length, I probably don’t think I’d be hating on it so much. But if you’re making me sit through a movie that long, there’d better be something extra special worthwhile, or you really ought to have enough actual content to fill the time.
Left by Jordan on November 16th, 2003
Ya that is a really long movie…. almost to long. i hate movies’ like that.
Well the only movie that is alright is Th Lord Of The Rings series.
It’s sorta actioned packed but other parts are boring…
Left by Bryan on November 19th, 2003
scariest movie ever?
seen THE EYE?
fucking scary shit! the only film that i had to cover my ears cause it scared the shit out of me in one scene with the ghost in the hospital. the sound is awesome! really gets under your skin! (providing you are watching it in the right environment: lights off, turned up loud as!)
Left by tony on November 20th, 2003
Ju-on is the most scariest movie of all time. It has an autheticity and uniqueness. To all you guys i respect the fact that you like other movie because we created different but try to think about the movie itself whether its most likely a paradox.
Left by Jason on March 10th, 2004
Yup.
They Eye was quite scary until you realize, as I found myself doing:
Cornea transplants making you see things is not too odd to grasp but cornea transplants that make you HEAR things? That seemed a leeetle too far fetched.
Left by jane on March 13th, 2004
Juon the Grudge rocks! You should also check out The Grudge 2… and maybe Juon1/juon2 (the original 2000 tv movies).
If you liked Juon the Grudge, I recommend Dark Water, Kairo, Phone (no not PhoneBooth!), Tale of Two Sisters, Audition, Three… all excellent japanese/korean horrors… enjoy
Left by Matt on April 25th, 2004
Man Ju-On is just so awesome, whenever I find someone that says they’re not scared of movies I release the horror that is Ju-On.
Left by Adam on June 16th, 2004
I just read that whole stupid paragraph about how you love those mainstream hollywood garbage movies and how you rented some retarded movie because that dumb girl was naked in it. and let me tell you, You are a blubbering moron. you shouldn’t even have a website thats got anything to do with movies.
Left by jade on August 1st, 2004
the scariest movie ever is a japanese movie called the eye
Left by fe. on September 1st, 2004
I am 12 years old I have seen this past year the shinning, it, exersist the bigening, psyco, signs, what lies beneth, terror tunes, carrie, the eye, dead 7, highway to hell, the grudge, nightmare on elm street, silence of the lambs, hanibal, 1 2 and 3 jaws, cabin fever, all of the chuckys. and i’m sure theres more but come on im 12 and i’m not afried of any of these. and your like what 30 come on!
Left by morgsine Johnson on January 1st, 2005
I’ve never been scared watching a movie.nothing is scary.
Left by oscar fennell on January 2nd, 2005
if u want more fuicked up japeneeese movie watch ichi the killer and visiter Q, and Tetsue:The Iron man, im sure ull love them all, mmwwwaaahhhhhh.
Left by ANima on January 9th, 2005
If you are not scared by anything try to find a copy of August Underground’s Mordum. This film won’t make you jump but it sure as hell made my girlfriend cry after about 5 minutes. Its one of those films were you have to tell yourself that its not real over and over.
If you really want to f*** with someone get it as an unmarked VHS because the way it starts you would swear its real.
This is no fucking popcorn movie empty the bowl and keep it on your lap.
Left by Ben on January 19th, 2005
Response to 22 - Matt:
Best and scariest movie (including frog leaps on the viewer’s side) EVAR:
Jangwha, Hongryeon - A Tale of Two Sisters
Period.
Left by Quon Ku Raavi on January 23rd, 2005
no THE ABSOLUTE BEST movie in the world is monty python and the holy grale not so much scary but freakin awesom
Left by Jesse on January 28th, 2005
Okay, so I wandered onto this website looking for suggestions for the scariest movies to watch. I just watched Juon and nothing - not scared a bit. I have had movies scare me before but this one did nothing for me. In fact I watched it 2 more times and listened to part of the commentary to figure out the story line i.e. the cop who was dead but works on the case and sees his daughter. Can anyone explain that part of the timeline to me. I am not really into Japanese storytelling - I guess I’ll have to watch the American version of The Grudge. Maybe I didn’t like it because the English translation was so ridiculous it was cheezy. No one speaks English that way. They should have consulted some Americans when writing that part.
By the way I am an adult and looking for thoughtful responses so I am not really interested in suggestions from those under 16 (sorry no offense) (to include those under 20 is even a stretch). One reason I say this is because of the snotty response from a 12 yr old (above). I am looking for those who can engage on a more intellectual level and have an appreciation and understanding of the art and philosophy of movie making. I realize their are a handful of teenagers who can do this so I did not want to exclude this group all together.
Left by Krissy on February 24th, 2005
Wrong Turn!!! You have to watch that! It’s about these imbreds that eat people, it’s not the scariest but it’s cool!! Also Jeepers Creepers 2 was cool. I enjoyed Texas Chainsaw Massacre, although it wasn’t that scary!!! But you should still check out these stellar movies!!!!!!!!!!
Left by katie on March 17th, 2005
damn da scariest movie ever.. ju on kicks ass..
Left by mors on March 26th, 2005
Okay I watched Ju-On and the american remake. gotta say I liked the american version better but that’s only because the timeline made more sense to me I didn’t get the part with the schoolgirl and her detective father. Audition was okay not really scary. Alien was cool possibly on the top 10 of scary movies but not the number one. If you wanna watch something freaky deaky then I would recommend Gozu, this is the freakiest movie ever it’s kinduv funny and horribly morbid at the same time. plus the english subtitles are better than JuON or Audition.
Left by ash on April 11th, 2005
If anyone is the least bit confused about the ‘Izumi’(schoolgirl) chapter of Ju-on: The Grudge. Your best guess is probably the right one. One scene that i found strange took place in Izumi’s house, when you hear an anchor woman on the TV in the background. She reports that a 23 yr old woman(Rika, the main character) was found in the attic of a house. Now, everything the news woman says is true. There is just one problem…when we follow the 23 year-old Rika through the other chapters of the movie, Izumi, the “school girl” was only a child. Although at the time of the broadcast she is in her teens! Time seems to be crossing over… Actually I think I’m wrong about that, it makes perfect sense. maybe this chapter is crazy.
There is nothing to this chapter though, If you have seen this movie you know no more than I do… Simple.
The story is that Izumi was in “The House” with her three friends(the ones on the missing poster) they all got taken by Kayako, and Izumi got away. Since she had also been in the house the curse was upon her and her three dead friends were sent from the spirit world to GET HER! A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that the three girls on the poster are the same three she is walking down the street with at the start of the chapter. Nothing complex about this chapter.
Left by jasper on April 19th, 2005
the sad truth is that there is a serious serious lack of genuinely scary movies out there. Once you get good and scared by one or two, it really raises the bar, so things just get less and less scary.
I would like to see somebody make a really awesome horror movie that starts out sweet and nice, with a guy and a girl meeting, falling in love, you know, maybe it would feel like a romantic comedy. And it would be marketed as a romantic comedy, but then after like… 20 minutes of sweetness, the next twenty minutes is kind of sweet and funny, but has a few really weird things that make the lead actress say “huh, that’s kind of weird,” and then the movie goes to hell in a handbasket because he boyfriend turns out to be this extremely crazy serial killer. Something like that would be nice. I think for a horror movie to be truly truly effective, it really needs the element of surprise. And I don’t mean that in a startling, things-jumping-out-at-you-every-five-minutes way. I mean, you have to go in there completely not knowing what to expect, and it has to hit you really really hard.
There aren’t too many movies like that. I guess I thought Saw was pretty good. I went into it not knowing much at all, and the ending was fantastic. What do you guys think? Know any movies that truly scare instead of just startle or gross out?
Left by matt on April 20th, 2005
So glad people are recognising The Eye, A Tale Of Two Sisters and Audition. Ju-On is great as well. First time I saw Ringu was scary.
Also, for those of you that haven’t found anything scary: honestly? A lot of footage creeps me out, especially if there is some sort of death involved!
Left by theevildead23 on April 23rd, 2005
Well
To be honest “The Eye” seemed more like a drama than horror, maybe the new Japanese remake do out next year will be scary.
Tale of two sisters was very good and freaky, Phone was not bad
Ju-On is classic horror making along with Ringu
One Missed Call by Takashi Mike was a very creepy spoof on the horror movies of japan
Audition is just a great movie period
Left by Squeaky on May 13th, 2005
scary as hell dont watch it alone ?
Left by ??? scott >B on May 16th, 2005
scary as hell dont watch it alone ?
Left by ??? scott >B on May 16th, 2005
Your all wrong salem’s lot is the scariest film of all time i can still see it in my mind playing over and over again. I can’t sleep or eat nothing os the same anymore.
P.S. DON’T WATCH IT BY YOUR SELF LIKE I DID.
Left by gillian on June 12th, 2005
Your all wrong salem’s lot is the scariest film of all time i can still see it in my mind playing over and over again. I can’t sleep or eat nothing is the same anymore.
P.S. DON’T WATCH IT BY YOUR SELF LIKE I DID.
Left by gillian on June 12th, 2005
13 ghosts is pretty scary
Left by Carl on September 17th, 2005
Well Alien is the most boring film
People say “oh its tense” and stuff like that but really its X-rated Star Wars
I think it is over rated and its just darkness for 2 hours
I must say the “stomach ache” scen is really good though
Left by lewis on October 30th, 2005