The Grudge is a 2020 reboot that has been described by director Nicolas Pesce as a “sidequel”. It is the first in the franchise to be given an R rating in the US. The first American version of The Grudge and its sequel, The Grudge 2, were rated PG-13.
This rating differs from what The Grudge 2020 received in the UK, which was a 15 rating. In the US, The Grudge is rated R by the MPAA, requiring patrons under 17 to be accompanied by an adult. The R-rating is for disturbing violence and bloody images, terror, and some language. The UK’s 15 rating means nobody under the age of 15 may see the film in a theater. The 15 rating was given by the BBFC based on injury/detail, strong gore, violence, threat, and horror.
The other films in The Grudge franchise have relied more on visual imagery, threat, and harm along with jump scares and supernatural terror. They have not been explicitly violent, and in some cases, shielded away from death scenes by fading to black entirely. An R rated version of The Grudge includes more visceral violence than its predecessors, likely to bolster the threat of the supernatural entities and attempt to make them more terrifying.
How Violent Is The Grudge 2020?
The Grudge, according to the BBFC, has scenes of strong, sometimes bloody violence. As is known based on the franchise lore, many of the deaths in the film are related to the supernatural presence associated with the curse; this presence kills people or compels people to kill themselves or others. Therefore, some of the violence is human, and others is related to the supernatural entities. There are some scenes with dead bodies, including ones that have decomposed heavily. Overall, most of the blood and violence is standard for what one might associate with the typical R rated horror film, though slightly less than a slasher or other more realistic horror, like Halloween, would have, as the primary threat is non-human.
How Scary Is The Grudge 2020?
Another aspect of The Grudge‘s R rating is the terror and scares, along with language. Given the supernatural threat and the paranormal aspect of the film, many of these scares are jump scares. This was a common factor of the franchise, and was highly utilized in its PG-13 counterparts, as these made up the majority of the terror associated with those movies. For this version, these are amplified appropriately for the rating distinction. Some of the jump scares involve direct harm from the supernatural entities to humans, and some harm is even directed toward children.
The Rest Of The Grudge’s Rating Includes Language
Language is prevalent throughout, with harsher choices being utilized infrequently, as harsh as “f*ck”. While some of the other films have been rated for sensuality, the 2020 version of The Grudge doesn’t include any sort of sexual content in its rating, and does not contain nudity.
Key Release Dates
The Grudge
Release Date:2020-01-03
