The Grudge: Old Lady in White | Ju-On: Shiroi Roujo (2009) Poster, Synopsis, Cast, Photos, Trailer and Review

SYNOPSIS / PLOT At a certain house, a son brutally and methodically murders all five of his family members after failing the bar exam. He then hangs himself, leaving behind a cassette recorder at the scene on which he can be heard saying, “Go… Go now.” in unison with a strange female voice. That voice belongs to a victim of the family massacre, the elementary school best friend of teenager Akane (Minami). When the two were young they wore yellow hats and red satchels to school. Akane, who has a strong sense of the supernatural, soon begins seeing visions of a female ghost wearing a yellow hat and red satchel.

* Movie: The Grudge: Old Lady in White / Ju-on: Old Lady in White
* Romaji: Ju-on: Shiroi Roujo
* Japanese: 呪怨　白い老女
* Director: Ryuta Miyake
* Writer: Ryuta Miyake, Kei Ooishi (novel)
* Producer: Takashige Ichise
* Cinematographer:
* Release Date: June 27, 2009
* Runtime:
* Language: Japanese
* Country: Japan

JU-ON: KUROI SHOJO stars former Morning Musume member Ai Kago as Yuko, a nurse caring for a young girl named Fukie who has a cyst growing inside her body. The cyst turns out to be the grudge of Fukie’s unborn twin, and soon the curse spreads to her father, transforming him into a homicidal madman. When Fukie’s sister and mother trying to stop the Ju-On it retaliates with even greater fury.

The film was directed by Mari Asato (SAMURAI CHICKS) and is also based on the stories of Takashi Shimizu and Kei Ooishi.

In addition to Ai Kago, JU-ON: KUROI SHOJO stars Koji Seto (MASKED RIDER DEN-O & KIVA THE MOVIE), Yuri Nakamura (R246 STORY), Maria Takagi (NOROI THE CURSE), Hana Matsumoto, Yuno Nakazono (HANAYOME TO PAPA), Kana Tsugihara (YOMUTOSHINO: DEATH COMIC PART 1), and Masanobu Katsumura (HERO).

JU-ON: SHIROI ROJO stars nineteen year old J-idol Akina Minami as Akane, a high school student who can sense supernatural phenomena. After failing the bar exam, a distraught young man murders his parents and siblings and then hangs himself. At the crime scene, police find an audio recording of the man and an unidentified female voice saying “Go now”.

One of the victims was the childhood friend of Akane’s. And now Akane keeps seeing a ghost in a yellow hat and carrying a red handbag just like she and her friend had back in elementary school…

Rounding out the cast for JU-ON: SHIROI ROJO are Hiroki Suzuki (ENGINE SENTAI GO-ONGER VS GEKIRANGER), Mihiro (SHINJUKU SWAN), Aimi Nakamura (PERSONA), Marika Fukunaga (TOKYO GIRL), Akiko Hoshino (SAKURAN), Takuji Suzuki (writer and director of ONE PIECE!), Tsuyoshi Muro (SUMMER TIME MACHINE BLUES), and Ichirota Miyagawa (ULTRAMAN ZEARTH 2). According to Japanese reports, more than a dozen filmmakers were considered for the project before Shimizu and Ichise decided that Ryuta Miyake (the TALES OF TERROR FROM TOKYO series) would write and direct the film. It is based on a story by Takashi Shimizu and Kei Ooishi, author of the novelizations of JU-ON and the Korean films OLDBOY (2003) and THE UNINVITED (Sa Inyong Siktak, 2003).

Also, the Grudge 3 Hits America! THE GRUDGE 3, the straight-to-DVD sequel from Ghost House Pictures and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment that will be released on May 12. Directed by Toby Wilkins and written by Brad Keene (THE GRAVEDANCERS), THE GRUDGE 3 was produced by Andrew Pfeffer, Taka Ichise, Jeffery Beach and Phillip Roth, and executive produced by Roy Lee, Doug Davison, Takashi Shimizu and J.R. Young.

The story picks up from the events of THE GRUDGE 2, with Kayako (now played by Aiko Horiuchi) and Toshio (Shimba Tsuchiya) now haunting an apartment building in Chicago. Jake Kimble (Matthew Knight), the sole survivor of the previous movie, has been confined to a psychiatric hospital following his family’s alleged murder/suicide. The boy is tortured by chilling visions of the deadly ghosts; and before too long Kayako and Toshio appear to finish what they started.

Following Jake’s death, his caretaker, Dr. Ann Sullivan (Shawnee Smith of the SAW films), decides to investigate his horrifying tales. She explores his Chicago home and finds building manager Max (Gil McKinney) and his sisters Lisa (Johanna Braddy) and Rose (Jadie Hobson) on the brink of succumbing to the curse.

The grudge continues to claim new victims. After the bizarre disappearance of Brenda (Mihaela Nankova)— a teenager who recently moved out of the building— and the violent death of tenant Gretchen (Marina Sirtis, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION), it becomes clear that Jake’s terrifying stories of an ever-growing rage were true.

News of the deaths in Chicago reaches Kayako’s mysterious sister Naoko (Emi Ikehata) in Japan. Naoko believes that she knows the secret that could end the grudge once and for all… but will she be able to stop Kayako and Toshio, or will she become yet another victim of the monstrous spirits?

CAST

Hiroki Suzuki … Fumiya Hagimoto (segment “Fumiya”)
Ichirôta Miyakawa … Hajime Kashiwagi (segment “Kashiwagi”)
Natsuki Kasa … Shôgakusei no Akane (segment “Kashiwagi”)
Akina Minami … Akane Kashiwagi (segment “Akane”)
Marika Fukunaga … Yuka Kanehara (segment “Akane”)
Chie Amemiya … Mayumi Yoshikawa (segment “Akane”)
Aimi Nakamura … Junko Isobe (segment “Isobe”)
Akiko Hoshino … Haru (segment “Isobe”)
Eiichi Ôkubo … Kentarô Isobe (segment “Isobe”)
Sumire Arai … Miho Isobe (segment “Isobe”)
Yasuo Gotô … Shûichi Hirata (segment “Isobe”)
Mihiro … Chiho Tanemura (segment “Chiho”)
Chinami Iwamoto … Mirai Isobe (segment “Mirai”)
Shûsei Uto … Toshio Saeki (segment “Mirai”)
Takuji Suzuki … Hideki Yasukawa (segment “Yasukawa”)

TRAILER