JuOn

Juon, sometimes romanized as Ju-on, is a Japanese horror franchise created by filmmaker Takashi Shimizu. The title’s meaning in Japanese is the lingering sense of a curse, and the series centers on a supernatural curse that arises when someone dies in a state of extreme anger or hatred. The curse clings to places and to people who encounter it, spreading through successive encounters and causing a chain of deaths.

Premise and style: The curse is typically associated with a haunted location, often a house, and manifests as vengeful spirits who attack those who enter its orbit. The storytelling is notable for its non-linear, vignette-based structure, weaving together separate episodes that gradually reveal the origin and impact of the curse. Central spectral figures in the franchise include Kayako Saeki and her son Toshio, who recur across installments as the main agents of the haunting.

Origin and development: Juon began with a 1998 short film, Katasumi, and the feature film Ju-on (2000). It expanded into a series with Ju-on: The Grudge (2002) and Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (2003). The franchise was adapted for English-speaking audiences with The Grudge (2004), followed by The Grudge 2 (2006). Additional entries include Ju-on: The Final Curse (2009) and cross-media connections such as Sadako vs. Kayako (2011), which linking the Ju-on universe with the Ring franchise. The Ju-on brand has been influential in the J-horror wave of the late 1990s and early 2000s, contributing to global interest in atmospheric, suspense-driven horror.