The Grudge

The tiresome horror clichés that drive this forgettable reboot were already outmoded in the first American remake of the 2002 Japanese sensation. There is nothing to be gained by a third retelling. As before, the central conceit is that dying in the grip of rage results in a horrible curse. Here, the curse has commuted to America and infects a grieving detective (Andrea Riseborough) with nightmare visions after she crosses the threshold of a house haunted by past violent murders. Demonstrating none of the flair that he brought to The Eyes of My Mother or Piercing, director Nicolas Pesce employs a succession of unimaginative scares - creepy little girls, bloody bathtubs, asylum inmates and unreliable CCTV footage - all to minimal effect. The overqualified cast, which includes veteran "scream queen" Lin Shaye, tries its best with the second-hand shocks, but there's absolutely nothing here that hasn't been seen umpteen times before.