Welcome to Japan, land of the rising sun, karaoke lovers, and Ju-On.  I’m not sure if the Japanese really love their grudge curses or if they simply can’t stop making these movies, but this marks the seventh installment in the series.  Considering that Ju-On: The Grudge (the third in the series) was my first introduction to the Eastern style of ghost stories, I couldn’t help but give it a view.

As you’ve probably guess, Ju-On: The Beginning of the End is a prequel of sorts.  I say of sorts based on the fact that this has one of the most confusing timelines I’ve seen in a while.  Like the previous Ju-On films that I’ve seen, we follow several different protagonist in a non-linear fashion.  At the end, you’ll piece together what story went where, but up until then you might as well throw your hands in the air and say “fuck it”.

Now if you’re wondering about the plot, I’ll ask if you’ve seen Ju-On: The Grudge?  If the answer is yes, then you know exactly what’s going to happen here.  I still can’t understand why Toshio and Kayako are so pissed off.  Seeking vengeance is one thing, but the body count is so high at this point that I can’t help but feel that the ghostly duo are just being assholes.

And there’s my biggest gripe about Ju-On: The Beginning of the End.  I don’t care about any of the characters.  I don’t feel bad for anyone getting murdered, and I certainly don’t have any remorse for Toshio or Kayako.  It has some moments, but they all felt so familiar that any tension was immediately diffused.  The good news is that if you’ve somehow never seen any of the Ju-On series, you can jump in at this point and probably enjoy the experience.  It’s filmed well, the acting is decent, and the scares would probably be alright if I hadn’t seen them all before.  You can definitely watch worse this weekend, but you can also watch something a lot better.