Why Ju-On: Origins Doesn't Connect To The Grudge Movies
Ju-On: Origins marks the newest entry in The Grudge franchise and a pivot towards TV, but those expecting connection to the franchise may be let down.
The Ju-On and The Grudge horror films are considered to be some of the scariest movies ever made and although the franchise has a very intricate timeline, the new Netflix series, Ju-On: Origins, attempts to forge its own path.
One of the major hurdles that many horror sequels stumble over is how to find justified ways to add more to the series that doesn’t break the established continuity or go against the rules of the films. The Grudge movies are meant to be an American remake of the Ju-On films, but they impressively work together to tell one universal story about internalized pain and trauma. The people and locations may differ throughout the dozen and change films that have been made, but they all examine the dangerous repercussions of what happens when a person dies and there’s a deep rage within their soul.
Ju-On: Origins marks the horror series’ transition from film to television and the six-episode Netflix offering allows a much deeper level of dissection to take place with the idea of a powerful curse that cannot be satiated. Netflix’s Ju-On: Origins attempts to take the Ju-On series back to its roots, both figuratively and literally, with a new story that’s set in the past. The Netflix series is meant to function as an origin story of sorts for Ju-On and The Grudge, but it curiously does so in a way that refuses to lean on the franchise’s past.
Ju-On has a lot of history to pull from, but Ju-On: Origins makes a rather creative decision about the context of the series. Ju-On: Origins turns the clock back to the ‘80s and ‘90s—as well as a pivotal event that kicks things off in 1952—but this visit to the past is given a justification. Ju-On: Origins is explained to be the “true” story that would later go on to inspire the original Ju-On movies. This unique reality explains the difference in continuity and indicates that the events of the series are the truth, with the rest of the movies in The Grudge franchise being the cinematic makeover of what happened.
The Ju-On franchise has been turning out content for over 20 years and, understandably, there's a level of diminishing returns on the scares. 2015's Ju-On: The Final Curse ostensibly puts an end to the Asian horror series' continuity. 2020's The Grudge still turns to past events and characters from the franchise, like Kayako and Toshio. Due to the lukewarm reception of these efforts, it's not surprising to think that Ju-On: Origins was designed to be a clear reboot that can retain the series' essence while not having to service the old continuity. It also has the freedom to forge its own path.
At this point, it's unclear if Ju-On: Origins will have another season or lead into more curse-filled horror. However, if it does, it's given itself the luxury of simplifying the continuity and moving forward with a new version of the franchise that's not weighed down by its past baggage. There's still lots to be done with The Grudge series, but thankfully Ju-On: Origins understands that less can often be more.