[yasr_overall_rating]
The vengeful spirits of “The Ring” and “The Grudge” series face off.
When “Freddy vs. Jason” was released in 2003, fans could hardly contain their excitement. I know because I was one of them. Growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, both the “Friday the 13th” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street” franchises were the two biggest names around and for the longest time, there were rumors that both Freddy and Jason would square off against each other in an epic battle. Sadly, while “Freddy vs. Jason” had some fun moments, overall, it was a huge letdown. Director Ronny Yu admitted that he had never seen a movie from either series and when he did, he said he was not particularly a fan so why New Line hired him to direct the film, is beyond me. But for everything that “Freddy vs. Jason” got wrong, “Sadako vs. Kayako” gets it right. For those not familiar with the character names, you might be more familiar with the movies from which they are from. Sadako Yamamura is the central character in “The Ring” films, and after having been thrown into a well for possessing supernatural abilities, she comes back from the dead via a cursed video tape and once someone has watched it, she will appear two days later and kill them. Kayako Saeki is the vengeful spirit from “The Grudge” movies who possesses a terrifying death rattle and who was killed by her husband in an intense, jealous rage. Because those feelings linger at the place of death, anybody who comes into its proximity will be killed by her.
As the story begins, we are introduced to two young college students, Yuri Kurahashi (Mizuki Yamamoto) and Natsumi Ueno (Aimi Satsukawa). Both are sitting in class listening to their teacher, Morishige (Masahiro Komoto), talk about Japanese urban legends. During his lecture, he speaks about a supposed ‘cursed’ video tape that should you watch it, you will die two days later. The class laughs it off but he reiterates that should any of them ever come across it, he would pay handsomely for it as he has already written a book about it. When Natsumi asks Yuri to help her burn a VHS tape of her parents’ wedding onto DVD, for their upcoming anniversary, she informs her that she does not own a tape deck so the duo head to the local flea market in search of one. There, they come across an old, cheap VHS player but once they get home, they realize that there is already a tape inside and curiously, they play it. As it begins, Yuri receives a text from a friend so Natsumi ends up watching it herself. She quickly comprehends that it is the cursed video tape their professor spoke about earlier in class. Terrified, they reach out to Morishige and tell him that they have the tape. Elated, he meets them and watches it himself as he desperately wants to meet Sadako but once he realizes that it is no joke, and that both he and Natsumi are cursed and only have days to live, he reaches out to an old friend of his, a priestess who brings them to her temple where she tries to exorcise Sadako. Suffice to say, things do not go well. Both she and Morishige are killed by Sadako’s spirit but in her dying breath, she tells the girls about Keizo Tokiwa (Masanobu Ando), a man who has psychic abilities and with the help of his associate, a young blind psychic girl named Tamao (Mai Kikuchi), they have broken many curses and spells around the country.
While waiting for Keizo to turn up, Natsumi reaches her breaking point and blames Yuri for everything. Out of sheer desperation, Yuri watches the tape, hoping it will avert the curse from Natsumi but it does not work, and Natsumi is visited by the spirit of Sadako and dies. At the same time all of this is going on, another young high school student, Suzuka Takagi (Tina Tamashiro), has just moved into a new house but unbeknownst to her, the house next door embodies the spirit of Kayako. She later discovers that since Kayako’s death there many years ago, anybody who has stepped foot inside the house, has died. She constantly feels the house calling out to her and finally makes her way over. After a brief encounter with Toshio (Rintaro Shibamoto), the spirit of Kayako’s dead son, she manages to escape but cannot shake the constant feeling of dread. In order to break the curse on Yuri, Keizo tells her that he has an idea that might just work. He explains that if he were to pit the spirits of Sadako and Kayako against each other, the result might end with them both being obliterated. He and Tamao both sense Suzuka and her recent encounter at Kayako’s house and he surmises that because she is already cursed by Kayako, and Yuri by Sadako, if they were to both to enter Kayako’s house, Yuri would immediately bring Kayako’s curse on her and if Suzuka were to watch the video tape, she would become cursed by Sadako. But since only one spirit can claim one soul, both entities would have to fight each other in order to take possession of the girls. And so the ultimate battle between evil and evil commences.
From beginning to end, “Sadako vs. Kayako” is filled with constant fear and apprehension, aspects that are sorely missing from most other movies of its ilk. Director Kōji Shiraishi successfully infuses elements from both franchises and does so commendably. Once that video tape begins, and we hear the howling wind and ominous deep thuds, we know that Sadako is not far away, and when we enter that house and hear Kayako’s terrifying death rattle, it is enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. The movie is most definitely a slow-burner, taking its time as it builds to its exciting but somewhat formulaic finale. Naturally, the ending is left wide open for a continuation but with “Rings,” a new remake of “The Ring,” right around the corner, it’s hard to tell where we will go from here. What is certain though, is that director Kōji Shiraishi has auspiciously blended two of horror’s scariest franchises, and succeeds because he keeps the overall tone more serious than lighthearted. Where “Freddy vs. Jason” failed, was in its inability to keep the horror scary, and Freddy’s wisecracks to a minimum, otherwise, it could have become an instant classic. “Sadako vs. Kayako” hits all the right notes and makes for a legitimately scary good time.
“Sadako vs. Kayako” premieres on Shudder Thursday, January 26th
