“The Grudge,” a successful horror film franchise, is getting a prequel series on Netflix.
Called “Ju-On: Origins,” the six-episode series begins streaming today. (The long-running “Ju-On” franchise is also known as “The Grudge.”)
Netflix describes it as: “A paranormal researcher searches obsessively for a cursed home where something terrible happened to a mother and her child long ago.”
Set in Tokyo, the series exposes the dark, brutal forces in humanity, while including supernatural elements.
The “Ju-On” cast stars Yoshiyoshi Arakawa, Yuina Kuroshima and Kana Kurashina; it is written by Hiroshi Takahashi and Takashige Ichise.
Sho Miyake (“And Your Bird Can Sing”) directs the violent, suspenseful prequel, which follows various characters via multiple timelines. They are all connected by the cursed house.
The franchise totals 13 films — nine are Japanese and four are American. The first Hollywood movie, “The Grudge,” was directed by Sam Raimi. The brand has also inspired several novels, comics and video games.
Per Netflix: “The J-horror classic franchise ‘Ju-On’ was actually based on real events that occurred over four decades — and the truth is even more terrifying. Can the people haunted by this house escape from its curse? And what kind of grim incident occurred in this cursed house in the past?”
Other Japanese dramas released by the streamer include the “Followers” and “The Forest of Love: Deep Cut.”
Correction: This post originally called the horror franchise “The Grunge.” It has been corrected to “The Grudge.”