The Real Urban Legend Behind The Grudge (2020) Franchise And The 13 Other Japanese Urban Legends That’ll TERRIFY You + Plot Summary And Review
We are living in the age of the reboot.
Maybe it’s our search for nostalgia in a time of Trumpian and post-Brexit uncertainty. Maybe it’s a desire to reflect on our past pop culture icons as we enter a new decade. Or maybe it’s just a cash grab by greedy producers as they squabble over the latest bonus.
Either way, let’s just hope The Grudge (2020) was better than Cats.
(Spoiler alert: EVERYTHING was better than Cats.)
The first horror film to signal our entrance into the new era was a true champion of the genre, from the ungodly aesthetic to the nothing’s-off-limits Japanese take on the genre.
Dragging herself into the new year - fit with deathly white face, locks of dark hair, and a vocal style that would give Billie Eilish a run for her money - the ghost of Kayako and son, Toshio found a new way to terrify viewers.
And they weren’t even in the movie.
(Here’s the trailer:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo_c5lu0W0k
But the true terror behind the film doesn’t start with you paying that much for a small popcorn and Dr. Pepper.
It doesn’t even end with the credits.
The Grudge - yes, all 11 movies from 2 separate franchises - is actually based on an urban legend that has haunted Japan to this day.
And if that wasn’t enough, the films capture components of paranormal activity that are awfully accurate to real ghost stories that go beyond the borders of the small island nation.
So, as your favourite blogger of all things spooky, I thought I’d take us on the express train to Suginami, Japan, to the house that started it all. Today’s post is going to recap the films, explain why the franchise is freak-a-liciously for-real, and go through the other Japanese urban legends you really don’t want to know about.
What’s The Plot Of The Franchise?
Like most Japanese horror films that have been subject to the American treatment (ahem, The Ring, ahem) too many films have been shat out via the silver screen.
But that’s not to say The Grudge film series isn’t worth a watch.
Nevertheless, to save you 20 hours worth of the same jumpscares, jealous ghosts, and attempts to sound out Japanese names, I thought I’d give you the tl;dr on ‘lil Toshio’s afterlife.
The Grudge franchise is actually made up of two films series: the Ju-On (the original Japanese series made up of 7 films) and the Grudge (the 4 American reboots).
Although the original series follows a much more twisted tale, the American version cuts ‘n’ pastes a couple of scenes from the original scripts replays them in the English language. But nevermind the ogre-like layers of films - the premise is the same in each film:
A curse - also known as the Ju-On - created in a house destroys everyone that comes in contact with it. The curse is reborn with every person that encounters it and is passed like a virus among family members.
Question is, where does this curse come from?
The story goes that a happy family were livin’ their bestest life when some bloke called Takeo believed his wife Kayako was having an affair with their son’s teacher.
In a fit of rage, he kills Kayako, Toshio (their son), and their pet cat.
According to the canon, when someone is murdered whilst angry or jealous, a curse is born and gathers where they died. The curse (or the haunting) then repeats itself, killing anyone that comes into contact with it.
“Hol’ up - a woman with a chilling pale face, a mop of black hair, a curse that kills everyone that comes near it… Doesn’t this sound a tad familiar?”
Yes, the Grudge series is basically the domestic abuse version of The Ring…
(Which you can read all about here - including the terrifying true stories behind it)
But did you know that it’s supposed to be?
The brains behind the Japanese-American franchise, Takashi Shimizu, was not only inspired and assisted by the brains behind Sadako’s tragic story, but also took inspiration from things that had haunted him throughout his own life:
He cites dancers painting their nude bodies white as the basis of the aesthetic for the film as made evident by the lookbooks of the leading roles, and noted that around the time of watching said dancers there was a notable rise in the number of domestic abuse cases.
Urban legends or domestic abuse - which scares you more?
Regardless of the backstory to the big screen, what actually happens in the films?
Here’s a quick summary of the Ju-On film series:
The series starts with a handful of abstract short films which dip into the hauntings, then evolving into a couple straight-to-dvd movies. Think Bring It On but with more dead people and less Rihanna.
Following on from their success, the cinematic hit Ju-On: The Grudge was sent to the big screen.
This is where the story properly starts.
(Here’s the trailer:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYyPTyXlT9w
We finally see Kayako’s and Toshio’s story unfold and the curse attach to all those that come to the house. And this starts with social worker, Rika Nishina, who was summoned after the former social worker mysteriously disappeared.
As with all horror films, paranormal activity goes down, and Rika discovers the truths behind the house. But unlike the other films which just explore the hauntings of the families that just so happen to enter the house, this film explores the rebirth of the curse.
The basis of this film is that Rika is set to die the same way Kayako did and fulfil the Ju-on. At the same time the powers of the curse are further unleashed as its time travelling capabilities are uncovered: a victim from a past film sees her father just before he encountered Kayako himself, even though he died years before.
The next film - the final one is the Japanese franchise - sticks to this theme of rebirth, and sticks to it quite literally.
It starts with a pregnant actress who gets in a car accident caused by Toshio and miscarries.
Well, she thinks she has. A doctor does doctor stuff and discovers she is still carrying a healthy child, but this baby ain’t no normal baby. It’s Kayako.
Good luck getting on Maury with that.
It is then uncovered that she worked for a paranormal documentary TV show that visited the house haunted by the curse.
This is confirmed years later, when a young Kayako pushes her mother off an overpass and kills her. The last we see of this franchise is the young girl wandering off into the distance.
Now it’s America’s turn. Here’s a rundown of the Grudge film series:
The first film is a reboot of the Japanese Ju-On: The Grudge, but this time its horror-film-fave Sarah Michelle Gellar who is stepping up to the plate as Karen (aka Rika). But this time Buffy Karen burns the house down at the end of the film.
(Or does she?)
(Oh and here’s the trailer I’m just Oprah for trailers today:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC3bzK_i9_s
The sequel then follows a school girl who is pressured to enter the house by her friends a la every urban legend ever. But this time, Kayako hits the road and follows her back to Chicago, cursing her apartment. And the schoolgirl ain’t the only one struggling with spooky stuff.
When Karen falls from a hospital roof and dies, Karen’s younger sister investigates the circumstances of her death and stumbles into the legend. This time she attempts to stop the curse.
4 more films follow this movie, and all stick to the recipe of schoolgirls daring to go into the house or people being through from hospital roofs.
No, I’m being serious.
The final film prior to the latest reboot takes a different turn, however, and takes inspiration from The Ring to a whole new level. Sadako vs. Kayako is a crossover of these iconic female spirits, and climaxes in the spirits merging into the ultimate ghost: Sadakaya.
What Happens In The Grudge (2020)?
The film follows 4 different families as they encounter the curse, creating a domino effect that ties each of the stories together. The thing is, only one family actually encounters Kayako and the original haunting that made this franchise famous.
Nevertheless, in true Grudge style, Kayako possesses the mother of a family who then goes on to kill her family members.
These ghosts then begin to haunt the following inhabitants of the house and affect all those connected to it. For each story, someone either ends up in an asylum, or kills their entire family, or some chaotic cocktail of the two.
When I first heard a new Grudge was set to hit the big screen, I was honestly a bit surprised; I hadn’t heard anyone mention it!
The thing is, I only found this out last week, a whole month after it first premiered.
I was shooketh.
How had I heard f*ck all about it? Unfortunately, there’s good reason for that:
A unanimous decision has labelled this film a sequence of boring, dull, thin plots all tied together with a smile depressing aesthetic. No, the reviewers did not hold back.
“I saw this movie in the middle of the day, having had a great night’s sleep, and I had to slap myself awake a few times.”
Nevertheless, The Grudge (2020) does buck the trend of former films, introducing a new plot style and welcoming a new brand of paranormal activity we haven’t seen fall under the franchise just yet.
But honestly, the franchise - like all horror films - gets messy, twisting into a mop of black hair and a sound byte of a death rattle on a loop.
All you really need to know is there’s a spooky-ass house with some dead-ass people and you either die or end up in a mental hospital.
And it’s not like any horror film has ever done that before, right?
But even if the films aren’t keeping you up tonight, the story it’s based on should do the trick - especially considering the films portray it so damn accurately…
What’s The Urban Legend That The Films Based On?
The Grudge franchise might not go down in horror history for a dense plot chock-full of cinematic innovation, but there’s no doubt that Kayako and Toshio will.
The thing is, the characters of this iconic franchise all started as real people with real lives. Well, as real as an urban legend can make them out to be, that is.
The story goes that Kayako grew up neglected by the members of her family, retreating into her shell and becoming shy. And so, she would write diaries to keep herself company.
In one of these entries from when she was younger, she mentioned a crush.
Flash forward to years later, and she’s married with a child. Problem is, her husband, Takeo, stumbles upon one of these diaries, and believes she’s having an affair.
So, like all rational people, he decides to kill her and his son, Toshio.
How he kills her is a little confused, but we know that at some point she tries to crawl down the stairs and escape, at some point Kayako and Toshio are drowned in a bathtub, and at some point Takeo gets strangled by Kayako with her hair.
Either way they are all very dead.
But it’s Kayako that returns from the afterlife as the vengeful ghost we all know and love.
And that’s because Kayako fits perfectly within Japanese folklore, and is an onryo - a vengeful ghost.
“Hold up - does that mean Sadako/Samara is one of these onryos?”
Nope - Sadako is a yurei, which you can learn all about here.
An onryo is a spirit from japanese folklore, or, more specifically, a ghost that has often been wronged by brutal men. And Kayako is far from alone in the afterlife:
Oiwa has earned her name as the most famous onryo to haunt Japanese literature, and claimed her title by being murdered by her unfaithful husband whilst she was pregnant. At first he tried poison, but she survived the attempt - it just disfigured her face and made her miscarry.
To complete the attack he pushed her off the cliff. And yes, that did the job.
Or did it?
Oiwa returned as a vengeful ghost who sought to destroy him and everyone around him.
Sound familiar?
So we know that Kayako’s story doesn’t fall too far from the urban legend inspiring the films, nor the reality of domestic abuse in society - is there anything else that is uncomfortably real about the movies?
*Nods head*
They hit the paranormal activity dead on.
(Emphasis on the dead bit.)
How Accurate Is The Paranormal Activity?
I could rattle off the movies minute by minute and explain why that door creaking is, like, totally accurate to supernatural theories. But even as a paranormal blogger, I’m not that sad.
(Yet.)
However, there are 2 key pieces of the paranormal that I wanted to explore to confirm that these films are c-ree-pily real.
1. Possession by a yurei or onryo
Most horror films tend to follow the same ‘ol trajectory:
There is ghost. Ghost does ghosty things. People are scared of ghost. Ghost possesses one of the people.
All the writers have to do is fill in the blanks.
The thing is, this only happens a couple times in this franchise, most notably in the 2020 reboot. But it got me thinking:
The whole point of Sadako and Kayako - although different kinds of spirits - is that they want to spread dread and darkness, and that at some point they simply want to be reborn to ensure their ambitions are met.
But aside from waving a rather mangled feminist flag, they don’t fill in the blanks like most horror films. Possession by onryo is supposedly possible, however, and has even been captured by a rather famous if lacking-in-detail case:
Hirotsugu possessed some bloke called Genbo way-back-when and affected his health. Yeah, that’s about it.
2. Residual hauntings
Another theory the franchise taps into is that of time travel which is known amongst paranormal fanatics like me as a residual haunting.
Also known as Stone Tape theory, this is belief that events with a high energy atmosphere can imprint onto the surroundings like rocks, objects, furniture, and maybe even houses.
Ever heard of Borley Rectory? What about Bethnal Green Underground?
These are just a few cases of residual hauntings from which these events are replayed in a haunting fashion.
The 13 Other Japanese Urban Legends That Should Make You Avoid Visiting Asia In The Near Future In Case You Encounter The Slit-Mouthed Woman
Trips to Tokyo, breakfast under sweeps of cherry blossom trees, walks around the temples of Kyoto.
Japan knows how to showcase its culture.
But your next trip to this island in the Pacific might leave you a little more terrified than tourist. And given the size of the island, I don’t think you can hop on a tram without bumping elbows with some legend conjured up from the darkest recesses of the web.
In that case, grab your fanny pack and chuck your passport in the hotel safe - let’s find us an urban legend!
#1 - Aka Manto // Red Cloak
Our first legend haunts toilets. No, I’m not kidding. He’s not even the only Japanese urban legend that specifically haunts the bogs!
This urban legend reportedly haunts the last stall in bathrooms and is cloaked in a red cape.
The story goes that, whilst your mid-shit, he will offer you red or blue toilet paper. Whichever one you pick decides on how you die. If he offers you yellow, however, he will just shove your head down the shitter.
To avoid either of those fates, don’t pick any toilet paper. Just ignore, and escape.
Drip dry; don’t die.
#2 - Hanasako-san // Hanako Of The Toilet
Our next bathroom related urban legend is clearly much more explicit about her haunting, but bears a striking resemblance to her male counterpart.
With pale skin and a red uniform, she hides in the 3rd bathroom stall, but doesn’t offer you any TP.
Instead, you should knock on the stall door 3 times, ask if she’s there, and wait for her to whisper and confirm her presence. Well, that or she’ll stay silent which is really helpful.
Anyway, once you’ve alerted her that you’re there, she will straight up drag you to hell.
Okay, fine, the legend sounds simplistic - I mean, you do just go to hell - but her backstory is slightly more imaginative. There’s actually 2 potential tales that explain her haunting:
The first is that he hid in the bathroom during a bombing in WW2 and the building collapsed around her; or she was bullied and committed suicide in the bathroom.
(I mean, I don’t know what you expected, its an urban legend, okurr, shits gon’ be depressing.)
#3 - Jinmenken // Human-Faced Dog
Let’s lighten things up, shall we? I think a comedic dog with the face of a human which is popularly spotted by surfers mid-joint should do the trick…
Jinmenken are dogs with human faces often seen in urban areas. Not only can they talk, they can also be rude - and specifically homophobic - according to some reports.
The most popular sightings can be traced back to surfers in the 1950s, but the most famous tale can be found in 1810 from which one was supposedly exhibited at a museum.
Gnarly, bro.
#4 - The Cursed Kleenex Advert
This urban legend has already featured in one of my posts as an iconic cursed video, but here’s the lowdown for people that don’t waste their time looking this up:
A Kleenex advert was released in the 1980s in Japan and featured some rather odd goings-on.
There was a baby painted red like an ogre and sitting on a bed of straw, there was german music singing ‘die’ repeatedly, and there was the sudden deaths or spiralling of all of the film crew and actors into mental health crises.
You know, the usual marketing campaign.
Oh, and I nearly forgot - everyone that watched it had sudden suicidal thoughts!
It was quickly pulled from air due to complaints, and is now known simply as an urban legend.
*mysterious pipe music plays in the distance*
#5 - Kuchisake-onna // The Slit-Mouthed Woman
Equally as famous as Kleenex firing most of their TV advertising department (before they all died, anyway) is the slit-mouthed woman, an onryo just like the main characters of The Grudge.
A woman (gasp) supposedly wanders the streets of Japan, and, in the dark of the night, wanders up to those walking alone.
She then asks them how she looks.
If you react with disgust, she will kill you via the scissors she just so happens to have on her. If you react positively and clearly think she’s beautiful, she will smile weirdly at you, revealing the slits giving her a permanent smile and repeat the question. If you compliment her, she will give you the same cuts that have slit open a permanent smile.
If you say she looks average or distract her with food or sweets you will be free to go.
And the moral of this story?
We are all beautiful in our own way. Also pls don’t kill me.
#6 - Benzaiten’s Curse
Benzaiten is the goddess of everything that flows: time, water, knowledge, the linings of my womb from my nether-regions every 5 weeks.
But, as made clear by the latter, she isn’t necessarily a positive force. Let’s say you take your partner to the Imokashira pond for a romantic row across the river. As the pond and the park containing it are full of her shrines, for some reason she takes delight in ending relationships.
Jealous of the happy couples enjoying the peace of the park, she curses them, leaving them to split down the middle.
Mwahaha?
#7 - Kunekune // Wriggling Body
There’s no backstory, there’s no explanation, and there’s no evidence of the kunekunes. But this doesn’t stop this story being perhaps the most chilling to haunt this blog.
Kunekunes are slender white figures that stand tall on fields, lingering in the distance.
Get too close? You go insane.
Touch one? You dead.
It is believed that this legend could be linked to claims of scarecrows coming to life at night or if you stare at them too long, but regardless of where it evolved from, this shizz be spooky.
#8 - Teke Teke
Got any more room for another onryo? Good. ‘Cause this one involves a woman who was sliced in half by a train.
Having fallen on a railway and lost her legs to the accident, it is claimed she drags her torso along with her arms, her elbows making the noise titling the legend.
Don’t fancy an encounter with her? Stay away from urban areas. But if she does happen to, uhh, bump into you, here’s what you have to do to avoid your legs being scythed off.
(Actually, sorry to interrupt - how in the hell does she do that like surely a scythe is a long boi and like shes only got her arms as her height so how does this work)
She will ask you where her legs are and you either have to tell her that they are on the Meichin Railway or say in perfect Japanese “mask death demon”.
And no, I don’t think she allows you time to pull up Google Translate.
Oh, and I also just found out that anyone that learns of her story will encounter her within one month. Soz.
#9 - Kāneru Sandāsu no Noroi // The Curse Of The Colonel
Honestly, this be a fucking meme. Like this is hilarious.
This is why I started this blog: for ghosts, for horror films, and for curses relating to fast food restaurants.
The story goes that in 1985 the Hanshin Tigers basketball team won the Japan Championship series. On the night they won, a statue of Colonel Sanders - yep, the KFC guy - was thrown into a river.
Since 1985 they haven’t won the series, something that has been attributed to the bad luck from the statue still being in the river.
In 2009, they began to recover their lucky charm, and all they need now is to find a hand and his glasses.
#10 - Cow Head
Sure, this urban legend might not have a descriptive title, but it is probably the most perplexing. Heck, there are even two stories behind it, both of which I assume are related.
The first claims that a teacher once told his students a story of ‘Cow Head’. They all began to experience strange symptoms over the following days, from seizure-like shaking to their eventual deaths. This slow demise is traced to the story, but only fragments are available to find.
(And, because I’m only gonna let you be haunted by teke teke, I thought I’d let you find that one out for yourself cause I’m nice and also scared.)
The other side of the story goes a little something like this:
A town is cursed after they eat the head of a cow.
Yeah, that’s the end of the story.
Or maybe the urban legend is from Ukrainian folklore? A woman received good fortune after offering shelter to a disembodied cow head.
#11 - Kokkuri
This is a classic: it’s basically a Japanese ouija board.
A favourite among high school students searching for a quick buzz, all this requires is someone that can write out hangara symbols and someone else willing to cough up a coin.
And all you have to do is ask kokkuri-san a question. Well, the question might go unanswered - they can only tell you of your death.
If you do so happen to stumble into a sesh, make sure you say goodbye to kokkuri-san, spend the coin she used to point out the answer, and use us all the ink from the pen used to draw the symbols.
Other than that, you’re good to find out when you’ll meet the Grim Reaper!
#12 - Kisaragi Station
This one’s fresh from the new age of the urban legend.
It’s 2002, and we are probably on some dodgy 4-chan-before-4-chan website.
The story is pretty simple, and claims there is a railway station that is unmarked on maps which someone has reportedly visited. This unmanned station is spook central, with the name of the station roughly translating to ‘demon station’.
The original story claimed a commuter train which normally frequently stopped took a different route and only a few other passengers - all fast asleep - were on board.
No taxis, no buildings, no guards, no timetables…
All aboard the not-sleeping-ever-again train!
#13 - Hasshaku-sama
Similar to the urban legend previously described, this is ripped fresh from the early days of the web.
It is claimed that a woman towering over 2 metres tall attempts to lure young people into the arms of death, mimicking the voices of their family members. Or, in more simple terms, if she likes you, you gon’ die.
The story attempts to explain her backstory, claiming she might be a divine spirit, or that she is attached to a village the protagonist of the urban legend must escape to avoid her powers.
Who Else Ain’t Sleeping Tonight?
(Or taking a bath/shower/going into the bathroom ever again?)
And which urban legend traumatised you the most?
Why not fall further down the rabbit hole and check out my other articles exploring the reality behind your fave horror flicks?
And while you’re there, be sure to hit follow to see a new ghost story everyday.
(Also this is now you trying to live life but now thinking about the urban legends I told you about lol c ya byeeeeeee)
ten-of-imps
