Ju-on
Ju-on (Japanese: 呪怨 Juon, literally 'curse-grudge'), translated as The Grudge, is a series of Japanese horror films directed by Takashi Shimizu (清水 崇 Shimizu Takashi). The plot centres around a curse born of someone dying in the grip of powerful anger, which follows anyone coming into contact with it. The film series is a well-known example of J-Horror (Jホラー J Horaa), i.e. Japanese horror films.
Shimizu produced the first two films, Juon (呪怨) and Juon 2 (呪怨2), in 2000 as low-budget straight-to-video releases, with the second film partly a remix of the original and partly a continuation of the story. These are sometimes also known as Juon: The Curse and Juon: The Curse 2. Shimizu eventually helmed a bigger-budget production partly as a further instalments and partly as a remake, Ju-on: The Grudge (2003). This spawned a sequel, Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (呪怨2) that year and later an American remake, The Grudge (2004), starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. A sequel to The Grudge partly remade material from the first Japanese Ju-on, but otherwise stood as a separate story, The Grudge 2 (2006). Unusually since most remakes involve a change of production crew, Shimizu directed the American remakes as well. Some of the original Japanese cast reprised their roles as their characters as featured in the original films, while others were replaced by American actors portraying foreigners living in Tokyo. One character, Kayako (伽椰子), appears in every one of the Japanese and American films, played each time by the actress and contortionist Takako Fuji (藤 貴子 Fuji Takako).
The two straight-to-video versions are sometimes known as Juon: The Curse and Juon: The Curse 2. A second American sequel, The Grudge 3' (2008), has been produced but not directed by Shimizu. This will be released direct to DVD and is partly of a continuation of The Grudge 2 and partly a remake of elements of Ju-on 2.