And when the spirits do manifest-like one unfortunate encounter in a closet-'Ju-On: Origins' is unforgettably horrifying."
He also praised the show's "restraint" in not lingering too long on actual images of the ghosts: "What helps in this particular series is the restraint: The ghost sightings don't take up much screen time, which itself creates more suspense and a feedback loop of anxiety.
"'Ju-On: Origins' may not reach the highs of 'Haunting of Hill House,' but the series is a worthy salve for anyone looking to get spooked before 'Haunting of Bly Manor' hits Netflix later in the year," Surrey wrote. Miles Surrey of The Ringer praised "Ju-On: Origins" in his review, comparing it favorably to Netflix's 2018 horror series, "The Haunting of Hill House." Included among the show's characters are Yasuo Odajima, a paranormal writer who helps an actress named Haruka investigate supernatural occurrences in her own home, and a lonely teenage girl who's violently assaulted in the haunted house.Ĭritics have reacted positively to the series, but took issue with the dark, twisted, and brutally gory moments of the show It spans multiple timelines and focuses on several different charactersĪs with most of the other "Grudge" movies, "Ju-On: Origins" incorporates numerous characters and various time periods into its story, weaving between different storylines that are ultimately revealed to be connected. Each person that lives in or visits the haunted house is murdered or disappears.
Without spoiling too much, it's revealed early on that a brutal double murder is to blame for the evil spiritual energy surrounding the home.Īnd while "Ju-On: Origins" is primarily focused on the murders and assaults that led to the home becoming haunted, the show also weaves in real-life instances of death and violence, including the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, to make things even more chilling, according to The Ringer. Volunteer home-care worker Rika is assigned to visit a family, she is cursed and chased by two revengeful fiends: Kayako, a woman brutally murdered by her husband and her son Toshio. But the main focus of the show is exploring the origins of the franchise's notoriously haunted house - one that's led to the deaths and hauntings of numerous people throughout the series.