coincidentally, someone on a forum i regularly visit has just posted about the greatness of these Ju-On films. Looks like i'm gonna have ta get me a piece o' this action.

Jadester, definately! Go for it! It can be quite confusing digging them out, since it seems to be four films with the same damn name. Ju-On The Curse 1 & 2 are the original TV movies. 1 is a masterpiece, 2 i havent seen yet, but hear its failry poor. Then there's Ju-on : The Grudge 1& 2 which are the big-budget theatrical remakes. Again, these are both impeccable. Don't know as to the availability of them on outside of japan (i got mine on region 3 off ebay), chances are they'll probably wait until around the time that the remake is released in the US, either that or they'll bury the originals altogether, so as we don't go thinking they're running out of ideas or anything.

Interesting stuff El Senor Duke.

I have read that the Three Men and A Baby ghost is an urban legend, and that in fact the boy in the window is a potted plant or some such nonsense. A fun ghost story never-the-less. We should put together a post on urban legends related to movies/songs - two which come to mind:

1. The screaming at the beginning of the song "Love Rollercoaster" by The Ohio Players is the screaming of a lady actually killed in the studio by an angry ex-lover.

2. There's a scene in Wizard of Oz where a crewman can be seen in the background (evidently on the yellow brick road to Oz) hanging from a tree. He had evidently committed suicide and was accidently filmed.....Those wacky old days of Hollywood!

...and I am sure there are more.....

Chris, yes, the urban legend post could be fun. A joint assignment? I think the 3 men thing was indeed revealed to be a cut-out of ted danson (he played an acotr in the movie if you remember - bit of a stretch if you ask me, but anyway - and the cut-out was a promotional item), but it still worked wonders on my young mind. Hadn't heard the screaming one. that's interesting for sure. There is of course the famous case of Snuff, otherwise known as shitty manson-cash in with tacked on "real killing2 at the end. Of course, the fact that it was blatantly fake didn't do any harm to it's box-office.

What's the story behind Snuff? I have read about that before and some mullet was telling me about it one time online. It was supposed to be an actual murder but turns out it was fake, right?....Some way to promote the film in advance? Moviemakers claimed it was banned in every country except Idaho?

Chris, my memory's a wee bit rusty, but from what i can recall, snuff was released in 74. It was originally a very very poor film by the name of slaughter, made to cash in on the manson murders. what happened was it languished in the vaults until producing husband-and-wife team Robert and Robert Findlay bought the rights and re-edited it. What they did was, where the film would have at one time ran to credits and such and such, these enterprising types hacked off the last couple minutes and added the following sequence - basically, the camera pulls back and reveals the director yacking about how hot that last scene got him. He goes over to the actress, says how great this whole slaughter carry on is, and next thing you know, the director ties her down and cuts her in pieces, whilst the camera lingers on and so on. There are a very give-aways to the ahem dubious nature of the authenticity claims. Like the acting for one thing. And the effects. Oh well, they marketed the hell out of it. As this was the birth of the snuff film craze, especially heightened in New York. this was released with the uber-tagline - "the film that could only be made in south america - where life is cheap!" It's certainly an incredibly interesting tale, and i'm not quite sure what it says about the cinema going public who were queing around the bloke to pay to see a woman being killed. the fact that it was obviously fake doesnt really matter at this point. These folks, for all they knew, were going to see an actual murder.
Anyway, it fell to an arse and dissapeared when word go out that not only was the killing fake, but also tied to 90-odd minutes of cack. I don't know about the legal situation (although as far as i know it is still denied a certificate here in the UK, and thus banned, but im guessing that will change), but i believe Anchor Bay or Blue Underground or one of those types have released it on DVD in america, complete with brown-paper-bag esque packaging and bootleg style disc complete with no menus or extras. Nice bit of inventive packaging.

sorry, thats robert and ROBERTA lol

Neither of us saw it, and both of us hated it.

That said, I'll probably check out the Buffy, Slayer of the Vampyres version when it comes out on DVD, as long as it isn't the version that horrid woman left on the video shelf in the deleted scene in the remake of Ringu.

Yeah, Jim. i hear that video had something to do with paris hilton and tommy lee or some such. Much as i'd like to sell such a thing on the web-net, i guess i'd have to actually watch it.

Yeah, that's the film. It's supposed to be absolutely awful (as in crummy bad, rather than repulsive bad).......Ironically the guy I was talking to was an expert on films based on/inspired by the Manson murders. He had a list of about 10-20 all released after those crimes/trials.....including "Snuff." He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the worst shit imaginable.....which means I enjoyed talking with him immensely......Haven't talked to the crony in almost a year, but he had a great website....I'll track it down.

chris, please do! maybe i can include it on my next Best Web-Sites Ever piece lol. I was gonna buy a book the other day about Manson movies. Charlies Family i think it was called. ended up spending too much on DVD's tho.

No, dude, it's all about video taping yourself having sex, then having a friend switch the tape before you return it to the shop, and a week later you die, because you killed yourself.

At least that's how it happens in the Japanese version of "Trainspotting" -- "Irawawinewelshizabiggit"

man, that japanese version of trainspotting. what a ride that was. especially liked the scene (scndalously deleted in other territories) where renton climbs down the toilet and has a fight with some big motherfucking anime turds. Man. and then the bit where they beat the tourist up in the toilet, and he opens his fly and a fucking robotic penis comes out and eats their faces. Sweet holy hell. I thought the scene where Renton suffered water torture in a bid to escape The Smack was a bit much.

You forgot about the Begbie anime sequence which was so horrific they had to not only destroy all the film and original work, plus exterminate the animators and their families with Godzilla.

ah, the begbie anime sequence, inspired by the work of Brecht i believe. especially the bit where begbie says "speed fuckin racer ya cunt" and throws a penknife at some tamagotchi

Well, at least things turned out well for Begbie, since he got the lead role as the title character in "Tarantino Bukkake" which I understand is quite popular in Japan.

this right here is off topic, but what the hell is the topic anyway? Anime trainspotting faeces fighting seems to be the way things have gone. (thanks jim. we really shouldn't encourage one another), but what The Duke is doing right now is watching that episode from American Idol, the movie special with tarantino as guest judge. Obviously, that's why i wanted to see it, but something interesting is happening, being that The Duke is really enjoying it. Now, anyone close to me knows that my love of pop idol knows no bounds, but i always thought the American version seemed a tad flat. maybe because there was no Ant or indeed Dec. Who the hell knows is the conclusion im getting at. But this right here, this episode is damn good. Really good. and i like tarnatino more again. Who'd a thunk it? i never disliked him, tho, but just think he's a nice fella again, instead of that bloke what takes the takashi miike and the goddard and adds a few fucks and john travoltas. Good work, americans, even though it was a damn shame nobody picked Cannibal Holocaust as their favourite movie. I mean come on, two of these individuals at least had disney flicks as their fave, and not Return To Oz (although one indivdual chose The Wiz), or anything cool like that, but Lilo and motherfucking Stitch. What the hell gives, man. And who in the holy fuck would admit to Sister Act 2 being their fave film, on the most popular show what is on the telly, no less. I wanted to hear these Pepsi-fodder yacking about how I Spit On Your Grave made them follow your dreams. "It was the cutting the cock off that made me wanna follow my dreams and be a singer."

holy shit, man, are disney sponsoring american idol or some shit? that can be the only explanation. fave movies of these warblers - finding nemo X2, aladdin, lilo and stitch, plus dead poets society (released by touchstone, division of guess who) and sister act 2 (ditto) holy fuck, man. I knew there had to be a reason no one picked Vamyros Lesbos.

I've never seen "... anything Idol", and it has been a long time since I've watched "I Spit On Your Grave" (wasn't there something with massacre by motorboat outboard engine?)

However, if some pop tart on one of these contests said how they were inspired by the scene in Harry Crews' "All We Need Of Hell" where the main character forces the guy who is screwing his wife to stand on his office desk, and while he squeezes his balls to crow like a rooster, that would be teevee worth watching. Or better yet, reinacted it.