Ju-on: The Grudge is not the kind of horror film that American audiences are used to. The films most of us are used to are either plot driven or character driven. Plot is really only a minor consideration in Ju-on, and we are given only a few bits and pieces of any of the characters. It is really more about the ambiance of fear. It accomplishes this ambiance not by showing lots of gore, but by building tension and by throwing in little visual surprises that do far more to give us a sense of terror than lots of blood.

Ju-on is indeed creepy. The story takes place in a house in which a murder/suicide happened years before. Now the ghosts are seeking to hurt anyone that they come in contact with. These are not nice ghosts. They are not looking for some release so they can move on to another world. They aren't looking to tie up loose ends of some issue that is holding them here. They are downright malevolent: they want to kill people. One of the most disturbing images is the ghost of a child. He doesn't really seem to do anything himself, but he is always the harbinger of evil about to strike.

The story is told in a series of episodes, not necessarily even in chronological order, each based on a particular character. Some of the episodes are several years apart. But in each, there is some sort of contact with the house, then someone ends up dead, attacked by one of the ghosts.

I'm not really a fan of ghost films because so often the ghosts are just like us, only dead. Eventually in ghost films, things are straightened out and problems are resolved so everyone can get on with life (or death). Ju-on doesn't fall into that trap. The violence that took place in the house has set in motion even more violence, now being carried out by the victims. There is never any reason given. Nor is there any resolution reached. This might be a problem for some viewers who want things neatly tied up, but Ju-on isn't interested in solving anything -- just in creating that sense of dread and fear.

The violence that sets this off really functions almost like a virus. It just keeps spreading as more and more people come into the setting. There is never enough blood to satisfy the lust for vengeance that is being worked out by the ghosts. The people killed have nothing to do with the events that have taken place in the house; they are innocents. But revenge doesn't seem to care who gets hurt -- or how many. It just keeps spreading, drawing more and more people into the darkness of the violence.

I wonder what we really need to fear in this film: the atmosphere and mood that is so spooky? the ghosts? or is it maybe the understanding that violence and vengeance so easily grow out of control? That last is something we all can -- and perhaps should -- fear.