For better or worse, the Hollywood film machine seems to be dead set on continually cranking out remakes and reboots, and when it comes to horror franchises, The Grudge is no exception. With the original Japanese movie having released all the way back in 2002, the series crossed the ocean and landed stateside in 2004, with sequels popping up in 2006 and 2009. Since then, the franchise has been lying dormant, but it’s looking to come back in a big way next year with a re-imagining/reboot simply titled The Grudge.
Interestingly, as opposed to completely scrapping the events of the first three films, this new reboot will take place concurrently alongside the 2004 original, though it won’t feature any of its cast members. Instead, Sony Pictures has brought on Andrea Riseborough, John Cho, and Demian Bichir, alongside Lin Shaye, whom horror junkies will remember from James Wan and Leigh Whannell’s Insidious series.
We still have a couple of months before it hits theaters, but after a lot of waiting, Sony Pictures has finally released a debut trailer for The Grudge. The new footage, which you can check out above, evokes the same feeling of tension and anxiety we felt all those years ago. Heck, it’s no surprise that Shaye went on record to say that this is the most terrifying movie she’s ever made.
If you’ve already been completely scared off of the idea of checking this one out on the big screen, we don’t blame you one bit. For everyone else who’s still on board though, you’ll be glad to hear that The Grudge is due out on January 3rd.
Until then, keep checking back with us for more on the pic and be sure to leave your initial impressions on it down below.