True to its name, The Grudge is a cult horror franchise that refuses to relent.
Not since the release of 2009’s lacklustre The Grudge 3 have we welcomed a new entry into the supernatural series, but that’s all about to change very soon. According to Deadline, The Eyes of My Mother filmmaker Nicolas Pesce has climbed aboard to write and direct The Grudge for Ghost House Pictures, which will be based on a spec script from Midnight Meat Train writer, Jeff Buhler. Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, and Taka Ichise are all on board to produce the horror reboot, working in tandem with executive producers Roy Lee, Doug Davison, Joe Drake and Nathan Kahane.
Little is currently known about the plot, but it’s safe to assume that Ghost House Pictures’ reimagining of The Grudge will chronicle the titular entity as it moves from one grief-stricken victim to another, leaving a trail of dead bodies and nightmarish terror in its wake.
Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) starred in the English-language version, itself inspired by Takashi Shimazu’s cult Japanese thriller Ju-On. The Gellar-fronted sleeper hit, one which brought in a staggering $187 million worldwide on a budget of just $10 million, spawned two sequels that expanded on the horrific legacy with varying degrees of success.
From what we understand, Ghost House and now Nicolas Pesce are plotting a fresh start for The Grudge, though production won’t begin in earnest until Pesce wraps Piercing, a psychological thriller starring Mia Wasikowska and Christopher Abbott.
So, in a year that has already brought new developments for Saw, Jeepers Creepers, and Friday The 13th, the folks at Ghost House Pictures are ready to engineer a new version of The Grudge. But what do you make of these early plans? Indeed, do you believe Nicolas Pesce is the right director for the gig?