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不死咒怨
The Grudge

懷著怨恨而死之人狠下詛咒，進入其生前居所的訪客皆畢命於此，咒怨生生不息不斷蔓延，鬼屋充斥著恐怖陰沉的怨氣，意味每一個闖入的不速之客都必定無一倖免。

故事大綱
嘉雲（莎拉米雪芝娜飾）是一名到日本修讀社會工作課程的美國交換生，閒時替一名護士到位於東京近郊一所房子作看護工作，屋內荒寂無人凌亂不堪，病人是一位患有精神病及全身肌肉已僵直的老婆婆艾瑪（姬絲莎芭絲姬飾）。

樓上不時傳來古怪聲響，嘉雲深入調查之下，驚覺整間屋已被深沉的怨氣所籠罩。原來一連串發生的恐怖事情，都是由藏身屋內多年之厲鬼下的詛咒所致，每一個到訪者都難逃一死。身陷險境的嘉雲無意中發現了咒怨的秘密，她必須設法阻止恐怖的咒怨繼續蔓延下去……

原裝日本版掀熱潮
日本的電影版《咒怨》未在當地上映前，已引來坊間議論紛紛，因為單是在戲院播放的預告片，已嚇至大批觀眾不敢再看而離場。此片03年初正式在日本公映，最初只在東京及大阪2間戲院播映，但由於觀眾反應熱烈，2個月後擴展至超過100間戲院上映，累積票房更達5億日圓（約3530萬港元）。

由於本片改編自《咒怨》，講述傳聞中東京郊區一大屋主人突然狂性大發，斬死妻子後自殺，6歲兒子也從此失蹤，自此該大宅頓成鬼屋，有傳到訪者均會離奇斃命或神秘失蹤。女星奧菜惠飾演的大學女生理佳因做義工進入大宅，發現屋內只有一位怪婆婆，之後又發現一個時而現身時而消失的神秘男孩，自此怪事接踵而來，理佳身邊的人皆受牽連，眾人相繼慘死，咒怨一直蔓延下去。

同年8月導演清水推出續集《咒怨輪迴》，故事延續上集，電視台大膽派出攝製隊到充滿咒怨的恐怖鬼屋採訪，找來由酒井法子扮演的女主播京子入內挑戰，外號「凶靈女王」的京子在屋內發現一本日記簿，從而揭開咒怨神秘之謎，但她卻不知已引發出最邪惡的凶靈，神秘鬼童與厲鬼再度回歸，攝製隊人員逐一慘死，唯獨京子未受咒怨所害，但她卻發現厲鬼與鬼童的最終目標其實是自己。

亞洲片勢成搶手貨
亞洲電影在美國影壇的地位也愈見重要，日本新一代恐怖片大師中田秀夫先後憑《午夜凶鈴》及《午夜凶鈴續集之貞子纏身》等打響名堂後，美國的電影公司隨即買下電影版權，改編成電影《七夜冤靈》（The Ring），此片在02年推出後空前賣座，累積票房接近1億3000萬美元（約10億1000萬港元），電影公司遂決定開拍續集《The Ring 2》，並找來中田親自執導。而中田另一舊作、由黑木瞳主演的《鬼水凶靈》亦已被改編成《Dark Water》，由金像女星珍妮花康納莉（Jennifer Connelly）主演。不可不提的還有早前上映、由李察基爾（Richard Gere）及珍妮花洛庇絲（Jennifer Lopez）主演的《Shall We Dance?》，也是重拍96年日本賣座電影《談談情．跳跳舞》。

另外在亞洲大受歡迎的韓國賣座電影《我的野蠻女友》、《我老婆係大佬》及應屆康城影展評審團大獎作品《原罪犯》，也分別被買下版權計劃重拍。港產片如《見鬼》及《無間道》也成為荷李活搶手貨，其中《無》片的荷李活版《The Departed》更會由大導演馬田史高西斯（Martin Scorsese）、畢彼特（Brad Pitt）、里安納度狄卡比奧（Leonardo DiCaprio）及麥迪文（Matt Damon）這個鑽石組合拍攝。

森雷美被《咒怨》嚇倒
自少便對拍攝電影產生濃厚興趣的清水，曾當過數年助導，但他發現這工作並未能讓他學到更多製作電影的知識，因此他決定到東京電影學院進修。其後清水得到《午夜凶鈴》編劇高橋洋向《午》片監製一瀨隆重大力推薦，當時正找尋人選製作一段在手提電話播出的恐怖短片的一瀨，看過清水在學校製作的兩部短片後都大讚其作品極具專業水準。清水回憶說：「我看過《午》片後才拍攝這些作品，我決定製作風格完全不同的恐怖片，我想拍的是更清晰和真實的鬼魂，而不只是幽靈。」

一瀨當時與日本錄影帶製作公司V-Cinema計劃合作拍攝兩部電影，他決定讓清水一試，拍攝他喜愛的驚嚇作品，也就是後來令清水一舉成名的2部錄影帶版《咒怨》。當本片執行監製李洛萊（Roy Lee）看過日本版《咒怨》後，當中的恐怖影像深深印在其腦海中，他隨即找來年輕編劇史提芬素斯高（Stephen Susco）撰寫《咒怨》英文版劇本，同時他又把電影推薦給曾執導經典恐怖片《屍變》的大導演森雷美（Sam Raimi），身為恐怖片大師的森看過後也說：「這是我看過最恐怖的電影之一，清水精巧地拍攝出獨特的恐怖畫面，其風格及節奏是冷酷的，他不讓觀眾有任何喘息機會，他把恐怖片提升至一個新水平。」

森立即計劃透過其製作公司Ghost House Pictures開拍荷李活版，並由清水親自執導，但當時清水覺得他已執導過日本版，認為起用美國導演比較適合。然而他與森會面後改變主意，決定第五度拍攝《咒怨》這個故事，他說：「森很熱情地談及日本版《咒怨》中一些場面的特色，他又表示他想美國版中可以增加一些過往因製作成本有限而做不到的效果，當時我興趣大增，我知道我有創作，自由讓我更深入探究故事的不同方面，我不能錯過這個大好機會。」

美日演員共冶一爐
在本片扮演女主角嘉雲的是擅演驚嚇電影的性感女星莎拉米雪芝娜（Sarah Michelle Gellar），她以往演出過《舊年暑假搞乜鬼》（I Know What You Did Last Summer）及《奪命狂呼2》（Scream 2）等多部傑作，她在人氣電視劇《Buffy the Vampire Slayer》中更與殭屍大鬥法，電影公司找她主演本片可算是最適合不過。

資深男星標貝文（Bill Pullman）則是被導演與別不同的拍攝手法所打動而客串一角，他說：「最初我看《咒怨》時，我認為導演的拍攝風格乾淨俐落、獨特而巧妙，而且當我知道本片會在日本取景及以日本方式製作，我毫不猶豫便答應演出，因為這種經驗是我過往從未有。」

除了一眾來自美國的主要演員，也有少數日本演員參演本片，其中扮演厲鬼伽椰子的日本女演員藤貴子更是第5度演這角色，而飾演其兒子俊雄的7歲童星尾�T優哉也已經第3度扮演同一角色。藤貴子坦言對於《咒怨》系列的演進過程感到難以置信：「當初我只是在一段3分鐘的短片中演出，我根本沒有期望，現在《咒怨》系列的演化過程我連想都未想過。」清水對伽椰子這角色一向有很清晰的概念，而且他與藤貴子已多次合作，她已對角色有強烈感覺和對清水很信任，令二人的合作更流暢和有效率。

日本取景規矩有別
本片監製森雷美除了決定起用日本導演清水崇外，也希望電影能夠在日本拍攝，他解釋說：「把故事背景重新設在美國是很容易的事，但這就失去了原有的效果。由於我們起用原本的導演以求拍出同樣風格的作品，因此很自然應選擇在日本取景。」另一監製一瀨也十分贊同：「《咒怨》部份的恐怖元素是有賴日本房屋獨有的結構及外形，在美國取景就完全是另一回事。另外早前的《迷失東京》及《最後武士》都用上很多美國工作人員，相反今次的幕後人員差不多全是日本人，這正是一次展示本地電影從業員專業水準的好機會。」其中曾與一瀨合作過的山本英夫及齊藤岩男，分別擔任本片的攝影師及製作總監，齊藤更在著名的東寶映�{公司位於東京的片場中精心設計出片中鬼屋的恐怖場景。

在日本工作難免要遵從當地的拍攝規矩，因此大家都要在開鏡前參與傳統祈福及淨化儀式，祈求拍攝順利成功及台前幕後平安，這已成為拍攝過程的一部份。莎拉最初對日本的習俗嘖嘖稱奇：「當大家進入片場時，所有人都會除鞋以示尊重。而且片場內不准吃東西，一日早上我在片場內吃東西，我發現大家都目不轉睛望著我，我立即飛快地把我手上的早餐掉到最近的垃圾桶，因為我身在日本的片場，我希望尊重他們的處事方式。」

莎拉又發現美、日兩地的拍攝手法大相逕庭，片中一場開首的場面，講述她於繁忙時間走過東京人頭湧湧的街道，她對於當中的拍攝方式感到很詫異：「在美國當你在市區拍攝，首先會封鎖交通，人群也是由臨時演員組成。但在日本拍攝你是與其他市民一起走在街上，這真是一次奇妙的經驗，我要設法在人群中穿插，我以往是從未試過，因為你不能要求你旁邊的人走慢一些，或者告訴他們阻擋了你的光線，你只有繼續演下去，如果你把握不到時機，繁忙時間就會過去，這令到拍攝的節奏也變得特別活潑輕快。」

東西交流融和結合
由於清水不諳英語，因此他與片中的美國演員在溝通上難免出現困難，他與莎拉初次見面時便鬧出笑話，當時清水用英語說：「夫人，你正接近目的地。」莎拉以為他可能是說她很面善，後來清水解釋這一點點英語是看《星球大戰》時學。扮演莎拉男友的積遜比亞（Jason Behr）也指出開始時須透過翻譯才知道導演的想法及要求是有一定難度，但漸漸雙方開始習慣，最後還可以用特別的簡略表達方式溝通。而另一演員馬修麥保達（Matthew Mapother）更笑說他發問後須等數秒才有答覆，就像以往打長途電話一樣。

雖然雙方言語不通，但演員們無不大讚清水的導演功力，莎拉表示清水能夠把恐怖的感覺直透觀眾內心深處，即使他們離開戲院後仍會在腦海中縈繞。卡迪史力蘭（KaDee Strickland）則形容清水有一種異常能力令傳統變為不傳統，他能夠用一些簡單的東西如貓或小孩，營造出叫人毛骨悚然的感覺。標貝文更把清水的拍攝手法與名導大�應s治（David Lynch）相比，他指其創作的視覺世界、那有趣兼難以預測的鏡頭運用是非常準確和有組織的。

另一方面，由於大部份美國演員都未到過日本，清水希望藉此把他們這種有點迷失的真實感覺放到演出上，他說：「很多演員都是首次到日本，我知道他們都期望我會與他們談論一下角色，但我刻意沒有這樣做，增加了他們的不安情緒，結果他們的演出的確很真實及令人印象深刻。」當拍攝完成後，莎拉表示今次的拍攝過程給她一種與別不同和獨特的感覺，電影順利完成有賴全體台前幕後融合多種風格、與眾不同的拍攝手法和各類型的演戲方式，這是她以往從未有過的經驗。

一瀨坦言今次美、日合作的最大障礙是改編劇本，因為雙方的感覺與想法不同，尤其日本恐怖片極具特色，例如很多電影的謎團都沒有解決或者甚至沒有結局，日本觀眾覺得這種舖排才夠可怕，相反美國觀眾就喜愛較肯定的答案。編劇史提芬盛讚清水把強而有力的新元素注入恐怖片，他改編時遇上前所未有的挑戰，因為他不想依樣畫葫蘆，又不欲創作一個不依原裝版的故事，幸好過程中清水給他很大自由，同時又以其導演的視野作出指導，幫助史提芬解決不少難題。

演員簡介
莎拉米雪芝娜
在美國紐約出生的莎拉米雪芝娜（Sarah Michelle Gellar）現年27歲，但她入行已超過20年，97年她開始接拍電視連續劇《Buffy the Vampire Slayer》，飾演殭屍獵人，藉此一炮而紅，直至去年她演出完第7季才正式告別電視圈。電影方面，莎拉在97年參演了賣座驚嚇電影《舊年暑假搞乜鬼》（I Know What You Did Last Summer），並認識到現任丈夫費迪派斯（Freddie Prinze Jr.），此片更令她贏得百視達娛樂頒獎禮最佳女配角，同年她又接拍了另一話題作品《奪命狂呼2》（Scream 2）。99年莎拉憑與賴恩菲臘（Ryan Phillippe）合作的《誘惑性遊戲》（Cruel Intentions），奪得MTV電影頒獎禮最佳女演員及最佳銀幕接吻兩獎，攀上事業高峰。而近年莎拉與丈夫費迪主演的喜劇《狗狗震》（Scooby-Doo）及《狗狗震多震》（Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed）均創出票房佳績。

標貝文
現年50歲的荷李活男星標貝文（Bill Pullman）在紐約成長，曾取得戲劇研究碩士學位。早年他在多個劇團演出，直至87年才首度參演電影，93年標貝文參演《似是故人來》（Sommersby）、《緣份的天空》（Sleepless in Seattle）及《海角危情》（Malice）等多部名作而打響名堂，95年他主演的愛情片《暗戀你暗戀你》（While You Were Sleeping）及合家歡喜劇《鬼馬小靈精》（Casper）均大受歡迎，翌年他又在巨製《天煞－地球反擊戰》（Independence Day）中扮演智勇雙全的美國總統，角色深入民心，是其從影以來的代表作。標貝文戲路甚廣，演出劇情片、喜劇、愛情片及驚慄片都揮灑自如，他主演過的作品還有《最後的誘惑》（The Last Seduction）、《極度凶鱷》（Lake Placid）及《天堂劫》（Brokedown Palace）。

幕後班底簡介
清水崇 Takashi Shimizu －導演
現年32歲的清水崇，於日本近畿大學主修戲劇及藝術，畢業後他遠赴京都，在戲院做兼職之餘，又埋首創作劇本，此外他又參與獨立電影及舞台劇製作。95年清水藉參與電影《沉睡的男人》製作而遷到東京，之後他擔任過多部電視劇及錄像製作的助導。97年他當助導期間入讀東京電影學院，翌年他在學校製作的短片得到《午夜凶鈴》編劇高橋洋和《惹鬼回路》導演黑澤清高度讚賞，並推薦他在關西電視台的恐怖短篇劇《學校之怪談G》擔任編劇兼導演。其後清水獲《凶鈴》系列監製一瀨隆重賞識，製作了錄影帶版《咒怨》及《咒怨2》，2000年推出後因影片極度驚嚇而在全國掀起熱潮，2001年清水先執導其首部電影作品《富江Re-birth》。

森雷美 Sam Raimi－監製
憑執導巨片《蜘蛛俠》（Spider-Man）及《蜘蛛俠2》（Spider-Man 2）而晉身荷李活頂級導演行列的森雷美（Sam Raimi），1959年10月23日在密歇根州出生，他自小已對電影產生濃厚興趣，他離開密歇根州大學後便與朋友合組電影製作公司Renaissance Pictures，並於77年執導首部電影，81年他執導的經典另類恐怖片《屍變》（Evil Dead）在康城影展參展時大受歡迎，令他打響名堂，之後他再執導此系列的《鬼玩人》（Evil Dead II）及《人玩鬼》（Army of Darkness），進一步突顯其富想像力的電影製作風格。森其他的作品包括《變形黑俠》（Darkman）、西部片《鳳舞狂沙》（The Quick and the Dead）、《橫財三分驚》（A Simple Plan）、《最後衝擊》（For Love of the Game）及驚慄懸疑電影《驚魂眼》（The Gift）。

一瀨隆重 Taka Ichise－監製
84年開始擔任監製至今，現年43歲的一瀨已製作過42部電影，他擅於發掘新晉日本電影人，其中包括提攜清水崇製作《咒怨》及《咒怨輪迴》。一瀨監製過最成功的作品當然首推98年橫掃亞洲的恐怖片王《午夜凶鈴》，被視為日本歷來最驚嚇電影的《午》片，在當地取得破紀錄的20億日圓（約1億4100萬港元）票房，並在多個國際電影節獲得殊榮，此片也在香港及台灣刷新兩地的日本電影最高票房紀錄，而改編自《午》片的《七夜冤靈》更在全球創下票房佳績。一瀨的近作還包括由甄子丹任動作導演的《修羅雪姬》、劉偉強執導的《不死情謎》、張國榮與常盤貴子主演的《星月童話》、中田秀夫執導的《水銀燈下死》及改編自中田另一作品《鬼水凶靈》的荷李活電影《Dark Water》。一瀨更計劃在今年至06年間，邀請６位日本頂級恐怖片導演包括中田秀夫、黑澤清及本片導演清水祟等，執導6部驚嚇電影。

山本英夫 Hideo Yamamoto－攝影
日本資深攝影師山本英夫曾為一瀨監製的99年電影《午夜凶鈴續集之貞子纏身》擔任攝影工作，他其他參與過的名作還有北野武的97年威尼斯影展金獅獎作品《花火》、賣座電影《雪茫危機》和老拍檔三池崇史的《切膚之愛》及《殺手阿1》等。

齊藤岩男Iwao Saito－製作總監
齊藤巖曾與一瀨合作過6部電影，當中包括《午夜凶鈴》及《午夜凶鈴續集之貞子纏身》，他參與過的電影還有飯田讓治執導的《午夜凶鈴2－凶鈴再現》及中田執導的最後一部日本作品兼第27屆香港國際電影節參展電影《水銀燈下死》。

SYNOPSIS

In Sam Raimi and Columbia Pictures' powerful thriller The Grudge, based on the Japanese blockbuster JU-ON: THE GRUDGE, the normal facade of a modest house in Tokyo belies the hidden terror within. It is possessed by a violent plague that destroys the lives of everyone who enters. Known as "The Grudge," this curse causes its victims to die in the grip of a powerful rage. Those who are fatally afflicted by the curse die and a new curse is born - passed like a virus to all those who enter the house in an endless, growing chain of horror.

Karen (SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR) is an exchange student studying social work in Japan who innocently agrees to cover for a nurse who didn't show up for work. When she enters the assigned home, she discovers an elderly American woman, Emma (GRACE ZABRISKIE), who is lost in a catatonic state while the rest of the house appears deserted and disheveled.

As she is tending to the stricken old woman, Karen hears scratching sounds from upstairs. When she investigates, she is faced with a supernatural horror more frightening than she could ever imagine.

Within this house, a chain of terror has been set in motion resulting from a terrifying evil that was born years before. As more people die, Karen is pulled into the cycle of horror and learns the secret of the vengeful curse that has taken root in this house.

Now she must stop it before it's too late.

Sam Raimi and Columbia Pictures Present A Ghost House Pictures Production The Grudge starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, KaDee Strickland with Clea DuVall and Bill Pullman. The film is directed by Takashi Shimizu from a screenplay by Stephen Susco based on JU-ON: The Grudge, written and directed by Takashi Shimizu. The film is produced by Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Taka Ichise. The executive producers are Joe Drake, Nathan Kahane, Carsten Lorenz, Roy Lee and Doug Davison. The director of photography is Hideo Yamamoto. The production designer is Iwao Saito. The editor is Jeff Betancourt. The music is by Christopher Young.

The Grudge is rated TK by the Motion Picture Association of America for TK

The Grudge will be released nationwide on October 22, 2004

THE BIRTH OF JU-ON (The Grudge)

Writer/Director Takashi Shimizu, who has been passionate about filmmaking since he was a child, explains the roots of his life-long interest: "When I was in primary school, I saw Steven Spielberg's E.T. and realized that film was where I wanted to be. I began as an assistant director for three or four years, but since I didn't have the chance to study more about camera work and lighting, I decided to go to film school."

Prolific Japanese producer, Taka Ichise, whose credits include Ringu, the Japanese- language horror movie that was remade into the Hollywood hit The Ring, is credited with taking a chance on Shimizu while he was still a film student. "Hiroshi Takashi, the screenwriter of Ringu, got in touch with me to tell me about Shimizu, a promising young student who was currently in his class at film school," Ichise explains. Takashi had been impressed by one of Shimizu's class projects and submitted it to Ichise who was, at the time, looking for someone to make a short horror drama that could be audible over a mobile phone.

"Shimizu showed me two shorts he had previously made, both of which were expertly done," Ichise continues.

"I had made these films after seeing Ringu," says Shimizu, "and was determined to make a horror movie in a completely different style, something radically different, even if I failed miserably. My idea was to show ghosts, not as specters, but in a clearer, more realistic fashion."

Ichise had an agreement with the Japanese company V-Cinema to make two movies for video distribution. He decided to hand the assignment to the promising young director. "I said to Shimizu, 'Why don't you make these two videos about anything you like as long as they are really scary.' So he brought me a script that became the basis for the JU-ON series."

The two JU-ON videos developed a major word-of-mouth following throughout Asia, catching the attention of executive producer Roy Lee who had previously discovered Ringu and championed its successful American remake The Ring starring Naomi Watts. "I first heard about it from a journalist named Alvin Lu who claimed that JU-ON was the scariest movie he had ever seen," Lee recalls. "He sent me a copy of the movie and I watched it. Even though it was an un-subtitled print, it was powerfully frightening. I couldn't shake its horrifying images from my mind."

Lee approached a young screenwriter, Stephen Susco, to fashion an English-language script of JU-ON. "I had been an avid fan of Asian horror films for quite some time," says Susco. "They seemed to be consistently pushing the envelope in terms of the genre." When I first saw the original JU-ON films, I was both frightened and fascinated. Shimizu had taken things a step further by adding a non-linear narrative structure that added a powerful new dynamic to the genre, a sense of emotional instability and disorientation. Not only was his use of a non-linear structure masterful, but he peppered the film with some of the most arresting and terrifying images I'd ever seen. I didn't so much agree to write the script as I was compelled to do it."

As the English-language version was being written, Ichise made a Japanese theatrical version of JU-ON. Lee decided to show the film to director Sam Raimi, himself a master of the genre. "I had a feeling Sam would appreciate the horror because it had a similar sensibility to Sam's movie The Evil Dead."

"JU-ON is one of the most terrifying films I'd ever seen," says Raimi. "Shimizu crafted some unique onscreen scares. His style and pacing were relentless. He never left you any time to catch your breath. He had clearly elevated the genre to a new level."

As soon as he saw it, Raimi was determined to back the American remake through his production company Ghost House Pictures and to have Shimizu direct the English-language version as well. Shimizu was, at first, unsure about redoing his film with an American cast. "Since I had already done this story, I thought it would be better for a U.S. director to try his hand at it instead," says Shimizu.

But after meeting with Raimi, Shimizu changed his mind. "Sam talked with great passion and specificity about particular scenes in the original JU-ON," says the director. "He also told me he wanted the American version to have the kinds of effects I had not been able to do because of budget constraints. My interest was piqued, because I realized I would have the creative freedom to explore different facets of the story than I had previously and to take things even further. I just couldn't pass up that opportunity."

About two years after Lee first screened JU-ON, Shimizu was behind the camera remaking it as The Grudge. "Perhaps the largest hurdle in refashioning the script," says Ichise, "was in making allowances for the differing sensibilities of Japanese and American filmmakers and what they think is frightening to an audience. There are special characteristics that are unique in Japanese horror movies. For instance, in many cases the mystery is never solved, nor is a conclusion to the story reached. For Japanese audiences that open-ended quality in itself is considered scary. But American audiences seem to require a more definitive resolution."

Adds screenwriter Susco, "There were challenges in the writing process that I hadn't faced before. The most prominent was to find the proper way to blend my own original ideas with Shimizu's. I didn't want to step on his toes, nor create a story that didn't live up to the high standard he had set with the original films. But throughout the entire process, Shimizu gave me the freedom to explore my own ideas, all the while guiding the script's development with his steady and confident directorial vision. I am thankful for his collaborative spirit and honored to have worked with a man, who in my opinion, is already one of the most talented horror filmmakers working today."

THE AMERICAN CAST

For his first English-language film, The Grudge, director Shimizu was able to gather a strong cast of prominent young American actors as well as seasoned veterans including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, KaDee Strickland, Clea DuVall, Grace Zabriskie, Rosa Blasi, William Mapother, Ted Raimi and, in a key cameo, Bill Pullman. The actors were drawn to the project for a variety of reasons, including the unique subject matter, the director's compelling vision and the opportunity to work in Japan.

Coming off a seven-year stint in the wildly successful TV series "Buffy The Vampire Slayer," Sarah Michelle Gellar assumed the role of the central character, Karen. "The fact that Sam Raimi placed such trust in Takashi Shimizu, though he'd never made an American film before and spoke no English, demonstrated to me an incredible amount of belief in his talent," observes Gellar. "Knowing that, I really had to be involved. And as an actor, it really made me want to rise to the occasion. I love to be scared and, to me, the original JU-ON is a perfect example of that experience."

Jason Behr, who assumed the role of Karen's boyfriend Doug, says he was blown away by the original JU-ON. "I watched it in my living room with a bunch of friends and we all thought it was fantastic, different from any horror film we'd ever seen. So I really couldn't pass up the chance to do a Japanese horror film in English. I immediately packed my bags for Japan."

Veteran actor Bill Pullman has a cameo that will surprise audiences when they first see him. But that was only part of the reason he wanted to be involved in The Grudge. "I'm always intrigued by a new situation, where somebody's doing things differently," says Pullman. "The Grudge had that and so much more. When I saw JU-ON, I thought this guy knows how to make something happen on film with a very clean style, very specific and artful. Then when I learned that it was going to be shot in Japan using the Japanese model of production, right down to the crew and craft services, I was sold. It was the kind of filmmaking experience I'd never had before."

Grace Zabriskie, perhaps best known from her role in David Lynch's "Twin Peaks," also relished the opportunity to work in Japan. "It has always been in the back of my mind as some place I would love to see, so that was part of my decision," says Zabriskie. "But a large part of my response was to the script, which was genuinely scary. I had watched the original JU-ON and I thought the English-language script was in some ways even better. So there was no way I could say no."

William Mapother, who won acclaim for his bad guy role in the OscarR-nominated independent feature In the Bedroom, was also taken with the original film. "I was excited to learn it would be remade by the same director because JU-ON scared the heck out of me."

NOT SO LOST IN TRANSLATION:

ON WORKING WITH SHIMIZU

Director Takashi Shimizu speaks only a few words of English, which producer Ichise cites as a key factor in the decision to shoot the film in Japan. "It is definitely an English-language movie, with a great script and terrific American actors. But it will have a wonderful Japanese flavor to it."

Gellar fondly remembers her initial meeting with the young Japanese director, whom she quickly learned had a delightful sense of humor that transcended the language barrier. "The first day we met he said to me, 'My lady, your destination is approaching,' and I thought maybe he was saying that I looked familiar. Then he explained to me that he learned what little English he knew from watching Star Wars," she laughs.

"There was definitely a sense of being lost in translation at the start," Behr says. "It was a bit of a challenge because you had to go through an interpreter to tell you exactly what Takashi was thinking and what he wanted from you as an actor. So you'd watch him speak in that wonderfully animated way he has and then the translator would tell you what he said in a sort of dispassionate, simplistic way. The lines of communication were a little jumbled at first. But Takashi and I both got used to it and eventually we developed a kind of shorthand between us."

Mapother also had initial difficulties with the translation process. "I'd ask a question and wait a few seconds, like during an early overseas phone call," he says. "It didn't take long to realize that I had to be selective and to the point in my questions, which was better for everyone, believe me."

Clea DuVall who had just finished working with the Spanish-speaking Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez In�hrritu on 21 Grams, had learned how to make herself understood and learn what she needed from that experience. "As a result it wasn't that difficult to work with Takashi. Our communication was surprisingly fluid," she confesses. "In a way it's almost easier working with someone who doesn't speak the same language because you don't spend a lot of time over-analyzing. You're not so much in your head about what you're doing. You just kind of go with the experience instinctually. And because the director doesn't understand what you're saying, he has to focus on the emotions in your performance. Your face and your eyes can't lie."

Since most of his cast had never been to Japan before, Shimizu was able to transfer their real sense of disorientation to their performances. "Many of the actors had come to Japan for the first time," he says. "I know that they were expecting me to have conversations with them about their roles, but I deliberately ignored them in order to heighten their nervousness. A great deal of that comes through in their work and it's very real and very effective."

THE GHOSTS

Japanese actors Takako Fuji and Yuya Ozeki reprise the roles they played throughout the evolution of JU-ON in the English-language version The Grudge. "It was unusual to work with the same actors in the same roles over such an extended period," says Shimizu. "It was also rewarding, because we were able to find greater nuances in those roles in each successive version. It was also amazing for us to watch the evolution of this story from a Japanese short to an American movie."

Fuji plays Kayako the haunting female ghost who stalks all those who enter the house. "At the beginning, I approached the part for what it was-a three-minute test piece, so I had no expectations. But since then, the JU-ON series has evolved in ways I never imagined. I can hardly believe what it has become."

One consistent element throughout, however, has been the ease of her working experience with Shimizu. "Takashi always has a very clear idea of exactly what shot he wants in his head as well as a real sense of the character of Kayako and her movements. Just by following his direction, the character of Kayako deepened and became more meaningful to me as a performer."

Shimizu is philosophical about the development of his relationship with Fuji, who is taking on the role of the female ghost for the fifth time, "Both of us get older each time we do this movie, so it does feel a bit strange," he says. "But if I had to hire someone new for the role, I would have to teach her everything from scratch. Takako already has a strong sense of the role and she believes in me, which makes our working relationship as facile as it is fruitful."

Fuji's suitability for the role transcends her acting ability, Shimizu adds. "We originally met by chance. Later, when I glanced at her resume, I realized we were both born on the same day of the same year. At that point, I felt that fate had intervened and it was more than a coincidence that she was reading for this role."

At age seven, the young Yuya Ozeki is also repeating the role he originally played in JU-ON. Fuji observes, "Yuya-kun has become much stronger and more attractive over the years. In the beginning, he hardly ever spoke to anyone except his mother. He was very quiet. The role of Toshio is such a sad part that as a mother I feel very sorry for him. I'm impressed that Takashi has been able to create such feelings of trust and love between us. Yuya plays a cute ghost who follows his mother around."

Regarding the uniqueness of the film's specters, Shimizu confides that, "Kayako sometimes utters a kind of 'ahhhh' sound. It was actually my voice in the original version. When I was a child I loved trying out my voice and I did it so often that I was scolded by my parents for making strange sounds. Even then, I felt I could use these sounds somewhere in my life. So when I found a good use for it in the original JU-ON series, this whole exercise made me realize that you never know when you might be doing something that seems odd at the time but might, one day, prove useful."

BEARING GRUDGES

Actor Ted Raimi, best known from the popular TV series "Xena: Warrior Princess," speaks of The Grudge as a psychological horror movie. "It's the kind of film that affects you on a subconscious level. It deals with inner fears we have such as the transmogrifications of our bodies when we die. It also brings up the rather disturbing question that if you died and were not at peace or came to an untimely end, what would happen to you?"

Adds Gellar, "Everyone loves to go to a movie and be scared. And the scariest things are the ones that could actually happen, like something of the things in The Grudge. Those are the moments that frighten you to the core and resonate long after you've left the theater."

KaDee Strickland says such complex emotional reactions were inevitable given Shimizu's stylistic use of what seemed to be very simple images. "He'll take something as sweet and lovely as a cat or a child and really make you question whether or not you want to be in the same space with them," says Strickland. "He has an uncanny ability to take something traditional and make it very non-traditional. It's one of his great gifts as a filmmaker."

Rosa Blasi, who is a devoted fan of horror movies, says that by the end of the movie, when the pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place, the audience will experience a great sense of satisfaction. "Shimizu and the writer Stephen Susco added a richness and intelligence to the mystery. This is no simple slasher film or haunted house movie."

Pullman likens Shimizu's approach to that of David Lynch. "The visual world he creates and his use of interesting and unpredictable camera moves is very precise and methodical. It's very exciting to watch."

After completing production, Gellar was confident that Shimizu had achieved something special with The Grudge. "Sometimes you just get a sense that what you're working on is different, unique, even if you can't quite put your finger on why. This film will benefit from an ensemble incorporating many different styles, a creatively different approach and a wide variety of approaches to acting. It's quite unlike anything I've ever worked on before."

Producer Ichise, who took a chance on Shimizu, is satisfied that the director continues to push the envelope creatively and has expanded the parameters of the horror genre. "What he has essentially done is make a Japanese horror movie in English that will be accessible to a worldwide audience. I think his growth as a filmmaker is filled with endless possibilities. This is just the beginning."

MAKING THE MOVIE JAPANESE STYLE

When Shimizu was brought in to direct the remake of JU-ON, producer Raimi also decided that he wanted the film to be produced in Japan. "It would have been easy to reconfigure the story and set it in the U.S., but it might have lost its impact," he offers. "Since we were using the original director and the movie would be in the same style, it made sense to shoot it in Japan."

Ichise echoes those sentiments. "Part of the horror of JU-ON relies on Japanese buildings and special configurations. It would have been a very different movie in an American setting." The director also saw The Grudge as an excellent opportunity to showcase the expertise of Japanese film crews. "Such recent movies as Lost In Translation and The Last Samurai were filmed here mostly with U.S. crews," Ichise points out. "This time around, the talent behind the camera is almost entirely Japanese, a great showcase to demonstrate the sophistication of our local film crews."

Working in Japan required adherence to the customs of local filmmaking, which included a traditional blessing prior to the start of principal photography. "In Japan, there is always a purification ceremony to ensure safety of the filming and the crew," says Ichise. "We also pray for the success of the film. It is all part of the process of making movies here."

The filmmakers observed the Japanese custom of having everyone remove their shoes when working on the set, including the grips and electricians. "There's something wonderful about everyone paying their respects on the set by taking their shoes off when they enter," observes Gellar.

Job responsibilities differed as well. The props department was in charge of shoes, while stylists Miyuki Taniguchi and Shawn Holly Cookson purchased and fitted clothes for the American actors under the guidance of Shimizu.

"Also, there's no food allowed on the set," adds Gellar. "One morning I walked on set and I was eating. I looked up and everyone was staring at me. I quickly rushed off and dumped my breakfast into the nearest garbage bin. Since I was on a Japanese set, I wanted to respect their ways."

Gellar also discovered other pronounced differences during production. One of the film's opening scenes required Gellar to walk through the crowded Tokyo streets during rush hour. She was surprised to find that she did just that. "You see, in the U.S. when you're filming in an urban area, the traffic is blocked off and the crowd is made up of extras," she says. "In Japan, you just walk out on the street with the city's population and they start filming. There I was in rush-hour traffic. It was an amazing experience. I had to make my way through the crowd just like everyone else. It was different from anything I'd ever done before professionally because you can't really ask the person next to you to walk a little slower or tell them that they're blocking your light. You just have to keep going. If you don't get the shot, suddenly rush hour is over. That makes for a very brisk pace of filming."

Behr had similarly unique experiences during the production. "The very first day of work, Sarah and I had an outdoor scene with dialogue. Shimizu looked at us, smiled and said, 'Okay.' So I look at Sarah and she looks at me and we wondered whether okay meant we were going to do another take or shoot the scene from another angle. Then I turn around and notice that the camera tracker's already moved, the camera has shifted and everyone was already in place. It was the most efficient crew I have ever worked with."

Blasi is used to the fast-paced world of television. But this was even faster, she notes. "I was warned if you do something you don't like, make sure you say 'No, no, no' right away, because as soon as the director says 'Okay,' the set is cleared and they're onto the next scene."

Mapother was also caught off guard initially, but quickly came to appreciate the Japanese approach to filmmaking. "While we blocked and rehearsed the next shot, the grips and electricians were setting up for it. We'd deliver our lines as we stepped around them and over cables. At first I was a little thrown, but I came to appreciate it. For actors, the American film system is medieval. You're either working and coddled or unemployed and ignored. But in Japan actors are just another member of the crew, and on the set there's a stronger sense of unity."

ABOUT THE CAST

SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR (Karen) began her career as a child actress and has remained on the road of success, recently starring as the lovable 'Daphne' in the hit Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.

Gellar is best known for her role as 'Buffy Summers' in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." She wrapped her seventh and final season of the critically acclaimed drama in May of 2003.

Gellar starred in Columbia Pictures' hit thriller I Know What You Did Last Summer and the blockbuster hit Scream 2. She won a 1998 Blockbuster Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Summer and was nominated for a 1998 MTV Movie Award for her role in Scream 2. When Gellar starred opposite Ryan Phillippe in Cruel Intentions, she earned two MTV Awards: Best Actress, and Best On-Screen Kiss. Furthermore, Gellar co- hosted the 2002 MTV Movie Awards with Jack Black, garnering the highest ratings in the show's history. Gellar also been seen on the big screen in James Toback's Harvard Man, which premiered last year at the Cannes International Film Festival.

Gellar's career in the world of entertainment has spanned nearly 23 years. She won an Emmy in 1994 for her role on the ABC daytime drama "All My Children" and completed classes at the High School for the Performing Arts in New York one year ahead of schedule. Her other credits include "An Invasion of Privacy" (CBS/MOW), "A Woman Named Jackie" (CBS/Mini-Series), Funny Farm, Over The Brooklyn Bridge and High Stakes. On stage, she starred opposite Matthew Broderick at Circle in the Square in "Jake's Women" and "The Widow Claire" at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.

Gellar has also participated in much off-screen work as a volunteer for many charitable organizations. She is an advocate for breast cancer awareness and participated in Ford's 2003 'Tied to the Cause' campaign benefiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Gellar was also an honoree at this year's Young Survivors Coalition. She has donated her time and talent to the Make-a-Wish Foundation and has spent time in the Dominican Republic working as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. She helped those affected by the recent California fires by visiting shelters and handing out supplies to families who had lost everything. Additionally, she has been involved with Project Angel Food, The Starbright Foundation, Planned Parenthood and the Los Angeles Free Clinic.

JASON BEHR (Doug), who is originally from Minneapolis, is known to audiences for his starring role as 'Max Evans' in the dramatic series "Roswell." The series ran for three successful seasons and still plays throughout the world.

On the big screen, Behr made his feature debut in Pleasantville directed by Gary Ross. He co-starred with Kevin Spacey and Dame Judi Dench in The Shipping News directed by Lasse Hallstrom, receiving a Movieline Magazine Award for his performance. He also starred in Victor Salva's Rites Of Passage with Dean Stockwell. This film was awarded the Best Film Prize at the Santa Monica Film Festival in 2000.

Behr recently appeared in the independent film Shooting Livien, in which he stars in the title role as an emerging singer/songwriter who's struggling with his personal demons. He also stars in Unhappily Even After.

KADEE STRICKLAND (Susan) recently starred in Screen Gems' Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid and, earlier this year, appeared in The Stepford Wives. She was raised in rural Georgia and moved to New York after graduating with a degree in Fine Arts from University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She quickly landed various roles in theater, television and feature films.

Some of her feature film credits include Something's Gotta Give, Woody Allen's Anything Else, The Sixth Sense and Girl, Interrupted. She also starred in Moon Juice, which debuted at the Hamptons Film Festival in 1999.

CLEA DUVALL (Jennifer) first made an impression in the teen horror flick The Faculty and has since managed to stand out among the crowd of young actors. She most recently co-starred in 21 Grams and the HBO series, "Carniv�jle." Other credits include Identity, The Slaughter Rule, Thirteen Conversations About One Thing, Ghost Of Mars and But I'm A Cheerleader.

Born in Los Angeles, she attended the Los Angeles High School of the Arts and got her professional start on television, making occasional appearances on a variety of shows including "E.R." and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." After Duvall nabbed her role in The Faculty, for which she received the Blockbuster Entertainment Award and Teen Choice Award nominations, she appeared in The Astronaut's Wife as Charlize Theron's sister, and Girl, Interrupted with Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie.

DuVall's television work includes the HBO feature "The Laramie Project" and the Showtime telefilm "The Defenders: Payback:"

BILL PULLMAN (Peter) has played a wide range of roles including the President of the United States in the world-wide blockbuster Independence Day, an eccentric private detective in the critically acclaimed Zero Effect and the troubled musician in David Lynch's Lost Highway, to name just a few. Some of his other feature films include Lake Placid, Lucky Numbers, The Guilty, Brokedown Palace, While You Were Sleeping, Casper, Mr. Wrong, Sommersby, Sleepless In Seattle, Wyatt Earp, Malice, The Last Seduction, Spaceballs, The Serpent And The Rainbow, The Accidental Tourist, Sibling Rivalry, Liebestraum and The End Of Violence.

Pullman garnered critical acclaim when he made his directorial debut last year with the TNT original western "The Virginian," which he also starred in and produced under his Big Town Productions banner. In the film, an adaptation of Owen Wister's classic Western novel of the same name, Pullman portrays the Virginian, a laconic Wyoming cowboy with an unwavering sense of justice.

In early 2003, Pullman starred in the dark independent feature Rick based on Verdi's opera "Rigoletto." He was also featured in Andrew Wilder's The Orphan King and with Jamie Bell in Thomas Vinterberg's Dear Wendy.

Born in Hornell, New York, Pullman earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in directing from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He went on to produce plays and teach at Montana State University, where he ran their theater department for two years.

Following his stint in Montana, Pullman worked in New York studying acting and performing in Off-Broadway and regional theatres. He then came to California to work with the Los Angeles Theatre Center and soon made his feature film debut with the hit comedy Ruthless People.

GRACE ZABRISKIE (Emma) has left an indelible mark on both the small and big screens, since making her feature debut in 1979's Norma Rae, for which Sally Field won the OscarR as Best Actress.

Some of her most powerful portrayals have been of mothers, though not exactly in the June Cleaver mold. In An Officer and a Gentleman, Zabriskie portrayed Debra Winger's mom, in Drugstore Cowboy, she was the rejecting parent of Matt Dillon. The actress drew on her New Orleans roots as Dennis Quaid's Cajun mom in The Big Easy and was another Southern mother, this time to Uma Thurman, in Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. Two of her most memorable feature parts were as a crazed killer in David Lynch's Wild at Heart and as Malcolm McDowall's wife in Chain of Desire. She also appeared in A Family Thing and Armageddon.

On the small screen, Zabriskie has lent her unique talents to a variety of memorable roles. David Lynch tapped her to portray the mother of murder victim Laura Palmer in the quirky primetime serial "Twin Peaks," which she reprised in the feature prequel, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. More recently, Zabriskie had the recurring role of the mother of Susan Ross, George Costanza's ill-fated fianc�me, in several episodes of "Seinfeld". She also gave an effective supporting turn as Jennifer Jason Leigh's mother in the controversial and critically praised television movie "Bastard Out of Carolina." She is currently shooting her regular role in the HBO pilot "Big Love."

ROSA BLASI (Maria) stars in the Lifetime television series "Strong Medicine." The show, which is in its fifth season, is the first cable series to reach 100 episodes. Last year, she received a Gracie Award for Best Actress in a Drama for her role on the series. The Grudge marks her feature film debut.

A native of Chicago, Blasi comes from a strong theater background, having performed in more than 40 professional productions beginning at age eight and ranging from comedy at the esteemed Piven Performance Company and Second City to starring roles in numerous musicals and an extended tour with Kenny Rogers.

Her television debut was a recurring role on the CBS soap opera "The Bold and the Beautiful." She later starred in the MTV/UPN sitcom "Hitz." Her rare combination of sex appeal and comedic timing landed her guest roles on hit shows such as "Frasier,' "Becker," "Caroline in the City," "Drew Carey," "Grown Up," "Holding The Baby" and "Beverly Hills, 90210." She was acclaimed for her performance in the Showtime film "Noriega: God's Favorite," which was shot in the Philippines. The film was directed by Roger Spottiswoode and co-starred Bob Hoskins.

Blasi also starred in "The Vagina Monologues" at the Apollo Theater and has recorded numerous radio and television voice-overs. Her sharp tongue and quick wit have earned her a reputation as a favorite guest on such shows as: "Jimmy Kimmel Live," "Craig Kilbourne," "Politically Incorrect" and "Love Line."

She recently married New York Giants football player James Finn.

WILLIAM MAPOTHER (Matthew) delivered a riveting performance in In The Bedroom. His other feature film credits include Suspect Zero, Minority Report, Swordfish, Mission Impossible 2, Almost Famous and Magnolia. He made his big screen debut when he landed a small role in Oliver Stone's Born On The 4th Of July.

TED RAIMI (Alex), a native of Detroit, is the youngest of the four Raimi siblings. He is probably best known for his recurring roles on "SeaQuest DSV" (later "SeaQuest 2032") as Lt. Tim O'Neill and "Xena: Warrior Princess" as 'Joxer.'

He also appeared in the film versions of Tom Clancy's thrillers Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. His other motion picture credits include Hard Target, Candyman, Born Yesterday, Forced Exposure, Stuart Saves His Family and For Love Of The Game. In Army of Darkness, Raimi played four different roles. Recently, he appeared in Spider-ManR and Spider-ManR 2. He also stars in the upcoming Kirk Douglas film The Illusion, which is due for release in 2005.

Raimi also starred in the horror thriller Skinner, in the title role. In addition, he has had guest starring roles on such series as "Baywatch," "Twin Peaks" "Hercules the Legendary Journeys," "Baywatch" and "Alf." He had a very memorable part in "American Gothic" as a psychotic kidnapper.

RYO ISHIBASHI (Detective Nakagawa) is a well-known movie and television star in Japan. In 1982, he made his screen debut in Saraba Aibo. Some of his notable credits include his starring roles in Audition, Another Lonely Hitman for director Rokuro Mochizuki, writer/director/actor Takeshi Kitano's Kid's Return and Brother, as well as a supporting role in The Crossing Guard, which was written, directed and produced by Sean Penn.

Also a musician, Ishibashi started the Japanese rock band ARB and went on to record four albums. After breaking up in 1990, the band reunited in 1998, to release the album "Real Life," and continues to perform around Japan.

YOKO MAKI (Yoko) has appeared in such films as The Princess Blade and Battle Royal 2 for producer Taka Ichise. The Grudge is her first English-language film.

TAKAKO FUJI (Kayako) is, for the fifth time, reprising her role as the eerie ghost for Shimizu. A well-known voice over actress in Japan, she appeared in Shimizu's student film and went on to star in his subsequent versions of JU-ON prior to joining the cast of the English-language remake The Grudge. Her training as a professional dancer helped her to recreate the bizarre movements that make her performance as the distraught ghost seeking revenge extremely haunting.

YUYA OZEKI (Toshio) is, at age seven, repeating his role as the young ghost for the third time.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

TAKASHI SHIMIZU (Director) majored in art and drama and then began his film career working part-time at a Kyoto movie theater, writing scripts during his off hours. In 1997, after several years freelancing as an assistant director, he enrolled at the Tokyo Film Seminar (now the Film School of Tokyo).

Following the completion of a short film project for the school, his talent was spotted by director Kyoshi Kurosawa (Cure) and screenwriter Hiroshi Takashi (Ringu). Their interest in his work brought him to the attention of producer Taka Ichise, who had been asked to produce a series of 'horror stories' for a cell phone company. He asked the young director to give him some ideas of what might scare him and this process launched the beginning of the series of JU-ON movies.

With The Grudge, Shimizu is directing the story of his haunted house and revenge-seeking ghosts for the fifth time.

STEPHEN SUSCO (Screenplay by) was born and raised in Pennsylvania and began writing fiction at age 11, winning several awards before graduating from high school, including an Honorable Mention in Issac Asimov's Science Fiction Competition. While at the University of Notre Dame, he performed in more than 25 plays and 30 student films. He also directed several theatrical productions, including David Mamet's "American Buffalo" and Jos�m Triana's "Night Of The Assassins."

Susco ventured into film when he wrote his first two screenplays, adaptations of Stephen King's novel Rage and Robert McCammon's Blue World. He subsequently wrote, directed and produced his first film, a 12-minute 16mm short that won a regional award in the 1993 College Film and Television Awards, held by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (Regional Winner in the Drama category). With three Bachelor's Degrees (Philosophy, Film & Television and Computer Applications), Susco moved to Los Angeles and, within three weeks, attended his first class at the University of Southern California as an M.F.A. student in Film Production.

In the fall of 1996, Susco produced a student film, Mr. October, which premiered at the Film Fest New Haven competition. The film won a Student Academy AwardR and has been shown in a number of other domestic and international film festivals.

While still in film school, Susco earned his first professional screenwriting credits. He co-wrote Bone In the Throat (an adaptation of the first novel by acclaimed chef Tony Bourdain), Ghosting (an original supernatural horror film), the romantic comedy Marry Me Jane to which Jennifer Love Hewitt was attached to star and produce, as well as Life During Wartime for director Phillip Noyce and producer Gale Anne Hurd.

Upon graduating with his MFA from USC in May 1998, Susco co-wrote Dumbstruck for director Mike Nichols and actor John Leguizamo and the action thriller Airtime for director Scott Ziehl. In addition to writing the English-language screenplay of The Grudge for Ghost House Pictures. Susco is finishing work on an adaptation of Threshold, a French-Canadian thriller.

Susco recently sold an option on his script Red (adapted from the book by Jack Ketchum) and is currently developing Bitter for director Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman, The Devil's Advocate). His original script Adagio is being produced as an independent film.

SAM RAIMI (Producer) is the director of the box office blockbusters Spider-ManR starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Willem Dafoe and Spider-ManR 2, which was released this past summer.

Raimi previously directed the supernatural thriller The Gift starring Cate Blanchett, Hilary Swank, Keanu Reeves, Greg Kinnear and Giovanni Ribisi. Raimi also directed the acclaimed suspense thriller A Simple Plan, which starred Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton and Bridget Fonda, and earned Thornton an Academy AwardR nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Additional directorial credits include the baseball homage For Love of the Game starring Kevin Costner and Kelly Preston.

Known for his imaginative filmmaking style, richly drawn characters and offbeat humor, Raimi wrote and directed the cult classic The Evil Dead, which became an immediate favorite when it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival and spawned the equally impressive The Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn.

Raimi has directed Darkman starring Liam Neeson and Frances McDormand, which he followed up with Army of Darkness, a comic sword-and-sorcery fantasy starring Bruce Campbell. Raimi served as executive producer for John Woo's Hard Target, and co-wrote (with Joel and Ethan Coen) The Hudsucker Proxy starring Tim Robbins, Paul Newman and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Raimi also directed the western The Quick and the Dead starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sharon Stone, Russell Crowe and Gene Hackman.

Raimi's extensive television work includes the hit syndicated series "Xena: Warrior Princess," which he executive produced with Rob Tapert. The highly successful series starring Lucy Lawless ran for six seasons. Raimi and Tapert also executive produced the enormously popular "Hercules: Legendary Journeys" and served as executive producers for the CBS series "American Gothic."

Raimi's interest in filmmaking began as a youngster in Michigan, where he directed his own Super 8 films. Later, he left Michigan State University to form Renaissance Pictures with Tapert and longtime friend and actor Bruce Campbell.

ROB TAPERT (Producer) is Sam Raimi's longstanding producing partner. The Grudge marks the second film for their the newly-formed Ghost House Pictures, a genre label they formed with distributor Senator International, which is dedicated to producing commercial feature films with horror, sci-fi and fantasy themes. Their first production with Senator was Boogeyman.

Tapert and Raimi have worked together since they met at Michigan State University, where they formed the Society for Creative Film Making. After producing the hit horror cult film Evil Dead, Tapert collaborated with Raimi on Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn, Darkman and Army of Darkness.

Tapert went on to become an executive producer of action features Hard Target and Timecop starring Jean Claude Van Damme, as well as two direct-to-video "Darkman" sequels.

He was also a producer of Raimi's theatrical film The Gift starring Cate Blanchett and Keanu Reeves and executive producer of Raimi's high-action The Quick and the Dead starring Leonardo Di Caprio, Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman, as well as the two-hour series pilot of Fox's "M.A.N.T.I.S.," the CBS series "American Gothic," the ABC series "Spy Game," "Hercules and Xena, The Animated Movie," the telemovie "Young Hercules" and four "Hercules" telemovies. In addition, he served as executive producer on the TV series "Hercules, the Legendary Journeys," "Xena Warrior Princess," "Young Hercules," "Cleopatra 2525" and "Jack of All Trades."

TAKA ICHISE (Producer) has, since debuting as a film producer in 1984, produced 42 films and is well known for discovering up-and-coming Japanese filmmakers such as The Grudge creator Takashi Shimizu. For The Grudge, Ichise has painstakingly assembled a group of dedicated Japanese filmmakers for this English language remake of the hit Japanese film JU-ON, which he originally produced along with its equally successful sequel JU-ON 2.

In 1997, Ichise produced another famous Japanese hit horror franchise Ringu, which was regarded by audiences in Japan as "the scariest film in Japan." Ringu earned a record breaking 2 billion yen in Japanese box office, was honored at several international film festivals including Brussels and Catalonia and set box office records for a Japanese film released in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The English language remake, The Ring starring Naomi Watts, was also a worldwide success debuting at number one in the U.S.

Ichise's early career highlights include his first film To Sleep So As To Dream (Yume miruyouni Nemuri tai), which won critical praise at the New York and Venice film festivals. His breakout hits include the 1987 science fiction film Tokyo the Last Megalopolis (Teito Monogatari), which earned 1.8 billion yen at the Japanese box office and was remade into the popular animated series Doomed Megalopolis, and its sequel Tokyo The Last War (Teito Taisen).

Ichise formed OZ Co., Ltd. in 1989 and established OZLA Pictures, Inc., its U.S. counterpart in 1992. OZLA's mission is to produce high quality, globally appealing feature films. Through OZLA, Ichise has produced eight feature films including American Yakuza starring Viggo Mortenson, No Way Back starring Academy AwardR winner Russell Crowe and Christophe Gans' directorial debut Crying Freeman.

Ichise's most recent films include The Princess Blade (Shurayukihime), a sword-driven martial arts film set in the near future with action sequences directed by Donnie Yen, Hideo Nakata's (Ring 2, Ringu) Last Scene, Andrew Lau's Bullets of Love, the romantic thriller Moonlight Express starring Leslie Cheung and the award-winning Japanese horror film Dark Water (Honogurai Mizu No Soko Kara) directed by Hideo Nakata, which Pandemonium is currently remaking in the U.S. with Jennifer Connelly and director Walter Salles.

J-HORROR THEATER, Ichise's next venture, is a package of 6 horror films directed by six of Japan's top horror directors including Hideo Nakata, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, and Takashi Shimizu that will be produced between 2004 and 2006.

JOE DRAKE (Executive Producer) is President of Senator International, which is committed to the financing, production and distribution of A-list theatrical feature films, as well as specialized niche features for the worldwide theatrically driven marketplace. He is responsible for the evaluation, acquisition, sales and distribution of the company's film slate. Drake oversees partnerships with the studios on split-rights deals and manages Senator's joint production and financing ventures.

Formerly President of Lions Gate Films International, Drake established the company as a premier supplier of theatrical feature films to the independent world. He oversaw worldwide sales and distribution of Lions Gate's international programming and championed such projects as Nicolas Cage's Shadow of the Vampire, the highly controversial American Psycho and the Academy AwardR and Golden Globe Nominee Amores Perros.

Before joining Lions Gate, Drake spent three years at Rysher Entertainment as senior vice president of International Theatrical. Prior to that, Drake worked at Moviestore Entertainment for six years.

NATHAN KAHANE (Executive Producer) has brought established relationships with high-level talent to Senator International and is responsible for overseeing the development and production of the company's growing feature slate. He also oversees the daily creative operations of Ghost House Pictures, Senator International's joint venture with Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert.

Prior to his time at Senator, Kahane was Executive Vice President of Production at The Canton Company where he managed the company's development and production line-up while serving as co-producer on Trapped (Charlize Theron, Kevin Bacon, and Courtney Love) and as the executive in charge of production for Angel Eyes (Jennifer Lopez) and Get Carter (Sly Stallone & Michael Caine). He was also responsible for packaging several high-profile projects including Taking Lives starring Angelina Jolie and Books of Magic to be directed by Nick Matheiu.

Kahane started his career at ICM in their agent-training program after graduating from the Hass School of Business at The University of California, Berkeley.

CARSTEN LORENZ (Executive Producer) serves as President of Physical Production at Senator International and oversees production on all features from development to release. This includes budgeting and financing activities as well as overseeing relationships with co-production partners.

Lorenz rejoined Senator after serving as an independent producer/writer on such films as the Lola Award Winner The Little Vampire, Prince Valiant and Invasion of Privacy. Lorenz served as Head of US Operations for Senator from 1991-94, and was involved with such films as Heavenly Creatures, The Crying Game and Fried Green Tomatoes.

ROY LEE (Executive Producer) received a bachelor's degree from George Washington University and a law degree from The American University. He moved from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Hollywood. His first job was with the production company Alphaville, where he worked on films such as The Mummy, The Jackal and Michael.

The Ring was Lee's first production as an independent producer. He has subsequently set up more than 20 projects at various studios including remakes of the Japanese films

Dark Water and Chaos, both directed by Hideo Nakata, who helmed Ringu. As a result, Lee has developed a reputation as someone who can identify foreign films with English-language remake possibilities. In addition to developing original ideas and scripts, he has successfully imported films from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Indonesia to be remade in the United States.

Vertigo Entertainment, his company with partner Doug Davison, has a first look deal with Dimension Films. They are currently in production with The Ring 2 and Dark Water.

DOUG DAVISON (Executive Producer) began his career in the film business in New York City working as a reader for New Line Cinema and as an on-set production assistant on numerous films including Die Hard 3. Davison soon moved to Los Angeles where he worked at the William Morris Agency. He later joined Mad Chance Productions where he rose to become President of Production working on such films as Space Cowboys, Cats And Dogs and Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind.

Davison formed the independent production company Vertigo Entertainment with Roy Lee. The company has a first-look production deal with Dimension/ Miramax Films. In addition to The Grudge, Davison is currently in production on Dark Water starring Jennifer Connolly and directed by Walter Salles. Later this year, he will start production on Infernal Affairs starring Brad Pitt with Martin Scorcese directing and My Wife Is A Gangster with Queen Latifah. In addition, he is developing more than 20 films at various studios including a remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Chaos with Robert DeNiro and Benicio Del Toro.

Davison grew up in Washington, D.C. and received his Bachelor's degree in English and Art History from Hamilton College.

HIDEO YAMAMOTO (Director of Photography) shot the popular Japanese version of Ring 2 with Producer Taka Ichise. The Japanese cinematographer is known for his work on variety of productions, including Fudoh: The New Generation, Andoromedia, Blues Harp and, more recently, the popular action film Muscle Heat. Given the chance to work with Takashi Shimizu and his cast of American actors for the remake of JU-ON, he readily agreed to join the team. He also shot the Hana-Bi for Takeshi Kitano and Audition for Takashi Miike.

IWAO SAITO (Production Designer) brings his vast knowledge of Japanese production design to the English-language remake of The Grudge. Working previously with Producer Taka Ichise on six projects including Ringu and Ringu 2, he jumped at the opportunity to recreate the haunted house of The Grudge on the sound stages of the legendary Toho Studios in Tokyo. Other noteworthy credits for the talented artist are Mr. Baseball, Private Lessons, Rasen and Hideo Nakata's Last Scene.

JEFF BETANCOURT (Editor) recently edited Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle and The United States of Leland starring Don Cheadle, Chris Klein and Kevin Spacey. He also edited the critically acclaimed drama The Good Girl starring Jennifer Aniston. His other feature film credits include Get Over It, The Girls' Room, Chuck & Buck, Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss and Star Maps. For television, Betancourt edited the series "Opposite Sex."

CHRISTOPHER YOUNG (Music) has evolved into one of the most skilled of a new generation of film composers who are able to move effortlessly between hardcore melodrama and off-the-wall satire and comedy. He combines the orchestral craftsmanship of the great film composers of the '50s, '60s and '70s with an edgy sensibility as well as a keen and sharply tuned intelligence. His music can enhance dramas with subtlety and simplicity, propel suspense and action films with powerfully thrusting rhythms and electrifying textures, and provide comedies and unusual subject matter with hip, cutting-edge musical commentary. He achieved early recognition in 1987 with his bone-chilling score to the Clive Barker horror tale Hellraiser and in 1988 added two more thundering horror scores to his resume: Hellbound: Hellraiser II and The Fly II.

Young's distinctive and imaginative approaches to several unique projects have made him a highly sought-after commodity on films with unusual subject matter. He wrote an ingenious score incorporating breathing effects for the offbeat film The Vagrant in 1992. His score to the moody serial killer film Jennifer Eight added immeasurably to the film's unnerving atmosphere, while his darkly dramatic score to the Christian Slater/Kevin Bacon prison drama Murder in the First distinguished it from several competing courtroom thrillers.

In 1995, his music elevated a trio of thrillers: the sci-fi horror film Species received an unnerving score in the manner of Saint-Saens. The cyber-reality adventure Virtuosity was energized by a supercharged action score and the Sigourney Weaver/Holly Hunter serial killer film Copycat received a brilliantly-nuanced score that burrowed deeply into the psychologies of both Weaver's and Hunter's characters. He tuned in perfectly to the offbeat sensibility of the Bill Murray comedy The Man Who Knew Too Little and provided an appropriate urban blues groove to the John Dahl gambling melodrama Rounders. His other works include the scores for Head Above Water, Jon Amiel's Entrapment, The Big Kahuna starring Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito, Norman Jewison's Hurricane starring Denzel Washington, The Wonder Boys starring Michael Douglas, Sam Raimi's The Gift, as well as the scores to such hits as Runaway Jury, The Core and An Unfinished Life.

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