Not knowing where exactly this Kayako-less entry into the "Ju-on" saga fit into the series' timeline of events but seeing an inviting one-hour runtime, I decided to give "White Curse" a go. Fortunately, it's a largely self-contained and easy to follow portrait of a family coming under the influence of the murderous curse viewers of the series (or its stateside remakes) will already by familiar with. Another pleasant surprise is the amount of suspense, aided by a foreboding score, director Ryuta Miyake injects into the episodic proceedings, although I have to admit that a lot of the good work he and a game little cast do is undone by practical effects work (and a side of CGI) that reflect the movie's limited budget. It's also a bit unfortunate that movie's best sequence is its slyly humorous opening, which sets a standard the remainder of the movie never quite matches. Still, it's better than you might expect it to be and even then it's only going to take up an hour of your time, so I'd recommend giving it a shot.
