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The Grudge is one of those horror movies that seems to have an endless supply of iconic scares. From those fingers that ruin Sarah Michelle Gellar’s shower to everyone’s least favorite throat rattling sound, there are a plethora of shocks to make you feel sick in this supernatural thriller. But the one scene that’s haunted me as thoroughly as Kayako haunts everyone that is rarely discussed. On The Grudge‘s 15 year anniversary it’s time to talk about that tongue scene.
There was a time in the 2000s when adapting J-horror movies for American audiences was all the rage. And as a teenager who was as into both gruesome horror and weird Japanese art, I was all about it. From producer Sam Raimi and directed by Takashi Shimizu, the same terrifying genius behind Ju-on: The Grudge, the horror trilogy centered around a Tokyo house cursed by three vengeful spirits: Kayako (Takako Fuji), her son Toshio (Yuya Ozeki), and their cat Mar. Most of the first movie revolved around a group of social workers who are forced to deal with the spooky realities of this clearly haunted house.
And the first victim of Kayako’s boundless wrath was the hapless Yoko (Yōko Maki). While cleaning up after the elderly resident of the Saeki family home, Yoko went to inspect a series of suspicious bumps in the attic. We all know what happened next. The vengeful ghost of a murdered woman sucked her into the attic and consumed her, as Japanese ghosts tend to do.
Yoko’s disappearance early in the first few minutes of the movie is one of The Grudge’s creepiest scares. But it’s nothing compared to what happened next to this poor woman.
The next time Yoko emerges, she’s ambling down a staircase. The questionably named Alex Jones (Ted Raimi) recognizes her as the worker who disappeared a few months ago. Needless to say he’s a little spooked. But he’s still dedicated to helping her because he’s a white guy in a horror movie. As he keeps calling her name to no response and touching her blood puddles, that’s when Yoko goes for her grand finish. When she finally turns to face Alex, she reveals that she doesn’t have a lower jaw. It’s all tongue, baby:
Look at it. Look at that flesh snake. That’s revolting. Forget Kayako’s stop-motion crawl down the stairs or Toshio’s weird meowing. This was my nightmare.
Mouths are already gross and weird. That’s just a fact. They’re moist holes connected to your insides surrounded by tiny exposed bone-like rectangles and home to a big meaty, moving tube of muscle. That’s strange. Seeing Yoko’s tongue and mouth hole dangle open? Truly horrifying.
Also what the hell did Yoko ever do to deserve having her jaw ripped off? I know everyone in a horror movie is basically a victim, but Yoko was so pleasant. All she wanted to do was take care of an elderly lady and probably have a mouth. But no. The Grudge wouldn’t let her have such luxuries, and now I’m stuck obsessively feeling my own jaw to make sure a ghost lady doesn’t take it. So thanks for that, The Grudge. And happy birthday.
