The Grudge/ Ju-on J-Horror franchise first started in 2000 as a straight-to-video movie developed by Shimizu Takashi. In the next ten years, it went on to spawn multiple blockbuster features in both Japan & Hollywood. To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the popular series, two new Japanese Ju-on films were released in 2009, White Ghost & Black Ghost (also known as Old Lady in White & Girl in Black), offering fresh takes on the grudge curse.
Directed by Miyake Ryuta, White Ghost stars gravure model & actress Minami Akina as Akane, a high school student with the sixth sense. One of Akanes childhood friends has died in the hands of her brother, who killed his entire family & then himself after failing the bar exam. He left behind a recording of a strange female voice saying "e; Go now"e;. Now Akane keeps seeing a white-clothed ghost with a yellow hat & a red bag, just like the ones she & her late friend used to have when they were kids.
Directed by Asato Mari ( Twilight Syndrome: Dead Go Round), Black Ghost stars former Morning Musume member Kago Ai ( Kung Fu Chefs) as nurse Yuko whos taking care of a young girl (Matsumoto Hana) with a cyst growing in her body. It turns out the cyst is actually the grudge of the girls unborn twin, & the curse soon spreads to everyone around her. The film also co-stars Seto Koji from Kamen Rider Kiva.