‘The Grudge 2’ (Horror/Thriller: 1 hour, 42 minutes); Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Amber Tamblyn, and Edison Chen; Director: Takashi Shimizu; Rated: PG-13 (Violence, sensuality, gore, and intense scenes) Movie Review: Aubrey Davis (Tamblyn) goes to Japan to retrieve her distraught sister, Karen Davis (Geller), from the psych ward of a hospital. Upon arriving, Aubrey realizes much more is going on than her sister is revealing. Enter Eason (Chen), a journalist who has been covering victims of one of Japan’s most haunted places — a cursed house where a husband killed his wife, son, and their pets. Everyone who has been in the house has died. Even more, it seems the evil which once resided in the house has escaped, killing more than just those who have been inside. Director Shimizu, the guy who gave audiences ‘The Grudge’ (2004) and the Japanese ‘Ju-on: The Grudge’ (2003), is back at it again. The tactics used make for effective frights, yet the plot is a convoluted mess. Like many modern thrillers this film relies on shock value, but is cheap, and degrades the horror intended. The same stop-action cinematography techniques were used here as with the much better ‘The Ring.’ The entire movie is been there, done that and moving right along to something else material. When it comes to these returns of the dead motion pictures, one question comes to mind. Why can’t these dead people just die?

Grade: C- (Do not have another grudge.)

Adann-Kennn Alexxandar is a contributing writer to Valdosta-Lowndes County Preview and The Valdosta Daily Times.