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There are a few rules they teach you when you become a realtor: 1) Always check for signs of water damage in bathrooms and the kitchen. 2) Flush the toilets how quickly they refill. 3) Check the attic for dead desiccated bodies before you move in. 4) Find out if any crazy person committed murders in the house. 5) Contact the local priest to find out about exorcisms if any of the above applies. I'm surprised that more first time home buyers don't know about these rules. It's not like their a secret or something. ***

Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as Karen Davis a nurse living in Japan who provides care for those an assisted living program. This spooky ghost story scared up a hefty profit when it opened. It appears that grudges pay off for director Takashi Shimizu as this is his third or fourth remake of the same film. Luckily, the American remake refines the scares that made the Japanese theatrical hit such a big draw both overseas and even inthe US. Keep in mind this is a suspenseful ghost story not a gore fest so don’t expect a lot of blood and guts because that’s not what this is all about (although it does have its moments). This special edition of the film essentially keeps the original presentation intact adding roughly 7 minutes of extended material. It makes the film a tad bit gorier but doesn’t alter the film’s impact.

“The Grudge House: An Inside’s Tour” is exactly what its title states; a camcorder walks the empty sets intercutting scenes from the movie as we walk through it. It’s a complete waste of time. “Sights and Sounds” contrasts clips and the storyboards used throughout the movie by the director and production crew. In some instances we hear the film’s soundtrack for the sequence set against the storyboards. Again, it’s a waste of time and doesn’t justify the much better original featurettes. My guess is that these were prepared for the movie with the idea of a two disc set and, when the film sold well, Columbia-Tristar elected to recycle the featurettes that weren’t used. “Production Designer’s Notebook” is a much more solid featurette that focuses on the original drawings for the sets set against music from the soundtrack. Many of the sketches have a creepy elegance to them. Again, is it worth buying this again? Frankly it isn’t. The video diaries by Sarah Michelle Gellar and Kadee Strickland are amusing with its informal glimpses at the production between scenes and informal interviews with production crew. Strickland’s video diary is the better of the two as she takes viewers on an informal tour of Tokyo. It’s like having your friend show you their vacation footage only it’s a bit more professionally shot. Again, neither one of these justify purchasing this again on DVD. ---