The Grudge reboot is out for blood in three brand-new first-look images. Nicolas Pesce's remake of the original 2004 horror movie is all set to hit theaters early next year and a trailer release is imminent. Along with the new images, we have also learned when the movie takes place. The reboot stars John Cho, Demian Bichir, and Andrea Riseborough. Sam Raimi, original producer of the first two installments of the U.S. versions of the horror trilogy, is producing with Rob Taper. The movie was co-written by Pesce and Jeff Buhler.
Obviously, The Grudge reboot images are taken out of context, so it's hard to figure out what's going on, except for some madness and a lot of blood. All three of the pictures are unsettling and tease something that most horror fans will probably look forward to seeing. These pictures follow up the very first look we received from the horror reboot back in November of last year, which was just a woman's silhouette being pressed up against a glass door.
The Grudge reboot takes place at the very same time as the 2004 installment. Director Nicolas Pesce says the movie is not a sequel and not a remake. Instead, it takes place when "Sarah Michelle Gellar is doing her thing in Japan, and this is what's happening in America at that same time," says Pesce. It's taking The Grudge mythos and expanding upon it to give fans a new story that takes place at the same time as the originals. Pesce also revealed that his project will also work for horror fans who may have never seen a Grudge movie before.
As for how the new version of The Grudge will look, Nicolas Pesce is bringing things back full circle. "Aesthetically, it's a lot closer to the original Japanese films than the American ones, which made it a bit slicker," states the director. With that being said, the movie does not take place in Japan. It takes place in "a small town in suburban America." All of these changes were done on purpose, along with taking some of the Japanese folklore elements from previous installments that may have been lost on viewers and accommodating them for today's North American moviegoers.
The Grudge reboot hits theaters on January 3rd, 2020. While the world of remakes and reboots can be difficult to navigate, it seems like Nicolas Pesce knew what he wanted to do right from the start and believes horror fans will be on board with his new direction. However, there are some fans who are still fiercely loyal to the original Japanese installments, who might not be into what Pesce has done. In the end, we'll just have to wait and see. While we wait for the trailer, you can check out the images below, thanks to the The Grudge Twitter account.