Will There Be A Sequel To The Grudge Reboot? Here's What We Know
It never forgives. It never forgets. No, not Film Twitter, I'm talking about "The Grudge," which stumbled back onto our screens in 2020 with a new reboot. It was 16 years after "The Grudge" first haunted American audiences, and while the reboot may have failed to make an impression, it might not be long before the long-standing horror franchise crawls back into theaters.
Starring Andrea Riseborough as the ill-fated Detective Muldoon, "The Grudge" saw the eponymous curse from the 2004 movie spread to the United States as an unsuspecting nurse dragged the evil into her family home. Soon enough, 44 Reyburn Drive in Pennsylvania becomes the new home to this terrible presence.
But a few good scares and a liberal dash of gore wasn't enough to save the movie as critics savaged the horror reboot in a mauling Kayeko would be proud of. Although "The Grudge" failed to stir up enough of a scare to satisfy horror fans, there's still plenty of room to make a sequel — as long as it's scarier than its predecessor.
With plenty of lore to dig into, it feels as though "The Grudge" remains fertile ground for more movies. But what's next for the franchise? Does the curse live on? Here's what we know about whether "The Grudge" will get a sequel.
The Ending Sets Up The Grudge 2
After possessing a new American family, "The Grudge" works its way through small-town Pennsylvania, causing the brutal and bloody murders of everyone it comes across. But while the film ends with the blood-curdling encounter between Muldoon and one of the curse's ghostly apparitions, there could still be room for a sequel.
For one thing, we don't know the fate of Muldoon, not really. She's last seen hugging her son Burke, before the real Burke is seen heading off to school down the corridor behind her. It turns out she's actually hugging the ghost of Fiona, one of the curse's victims, while fellow spirit Melinda watches on with devilish glee. Will Muldoon escape their clutches? I mean, it's "The Grudge," so it almost doesn't really matter. Either way, there's a good reason for the story to continue. If Muldoon survives, she's going to want to put a stop to the curse once and for all. If she's possessed by the curse, it'll be Muldoon's family who falls foul of the centuries-old evil. Both provide perfect sequel fodder — if there's an appetite for it.
But there are already some even more ambitious ideas in the mix.
Director Nicolas Pesce Has Some Ideas for a Sequel
Let's face it, Sony isn't exactly crying out for a sequel to "The Grudge." A miserable box office and critical panning makes it much more difficult to justify, and with sequels usually greenlit shortly after the previous film's release, it looks as though the studio may already have called time on "The Grudge." At least, for now. Still, director Nicolas Pesce has some interesting sequel ideas.
"I do, but they sorta involve spoilers," he told Bloody Disgusting. "I think the overarching thing would be to take it to more places than just Japan and America, and potentially even leave the modern era."
It sounds as though Pesce wants to get more ambitious, especially when it comes to how "The Grudge" might have spread. It's easy to see how this could work, too. After all, the recent Netflix series "Ju-On: Origins" gave us a glimpse of the curse during the '80s and '90s.
Perhaps "The Grudge" sequel could take this even further:
"This is something to me... the Grudge is not a thing that happened once, it's been happening forever. It's just a matter of revealing when and where that happened. I think that there'd be something cool in going way far back and doing something that's less contemporary and seeing what shape this sort of thing has taken the form of in other forms and other places."
That would certainly open the franchise to a whole world of possibilities. But would a time-hopping plot get "The Grudge" back on track? A more grounded story could be the way to go.
What Could The Grudge 2 Be About?
There are a few obvious plot threads left hanging in "The Grudge" which could make for an interesting sequel. Most significantly, the fate of Detective Muldoon and her son. But what about her partner, Goodman?
We find out that Goodman has seen "The Grudge" for himself after investigating 44 Reyburn Drive following the murder-suicide of Fiona, Sam, and Melinda Landers. And when Muldoon draws him back to the Reyburn house following the death of Lorna Moody, the beleaguered Detective reveals his bloody history with the curse.
Following his earlier investigation, Goodman's former partner, Wilson, was driven insane after encountering the ghost of Fiona Landers. And Wilson believes that anyone who enters their house will become victims of the curse. Thankfully, Goodman never entered the house, but having lost two partners to this persistent evil, he might be more inclined than most to find out what the hell is going on.
Then there's Peter and Nina Spencer, the real estate agents who are brutally killed by the Landers spirits after entering the home. We never really pick back up with them after they are brutally murdered. But could they too end up as trapped spirits under the influence of the Grudge?
I can't help thinking that "The Grudge" should get back to its roots. Although the recent reboot managed to rustle up some half-decent scares, there's no denying it — Kayeko is just so much scarier than any of the reboot's vengeful spirits.
If "The Grudge" does continue, the return of the Saeki family could be the way forward.