Crossovers and cinematic universes are almost par for the course in the world of movies at this point. They're fun, add hype, and keep people engaged. One of the most iconic crossovers in the world of horror had to be Freddy vs Jason. The film was released in 2003 and showcased the meeting of two big horror icons of the 1980s: A Nightmare on Elm Street's Freddy Krueger and Friday the 13th's Jason Voorhees. The film is not all that good quality, but it's incredibly fun to watch the two bad guys fight.
In 2016, two different horror greats met on the big screen again, but for some reason, it never gets talked about. The film is Kōji Shiraishi's Sadako vs. Kayako. Though English-speaking audiences might not recognize how cool this is from the title alone, most would surely be aware of the two franchises involved. Sadako vs. Kayako is The Ring vs. The Grudge. Though they are horror icons around the world, these franchises and the characters involved are especially huge in Japan.
Both The Ring and The Grudge franchises have a ton of installments as well as remakes in other countries that have spawned their own sequels, and their primary villains have kind of become cultural icons. Between them, there are 25 films related to these stories. The general premise of the Ring franchise revolves around the ghost of a psychic child named Sadako. She was murdered by her father, and thrown down a well. After her death, she haunts people through a cursed videotape that kills people a week after they view its contents. The plotline of The Grudge series follows a cursed house in Tokyo, where a woman named Kayako as well as her son were murdered by her husband. She now haunts the home and curses not only people who enter her space, but those who come in contact with the cursed.
The closest thing that comes to mind when comparing this film to another, is the aforementioned Freddy vs Jason. Despite being very different movies, their plots aren't too different and their structure is similar in a way too. The teens awaken the spirit of Sadako by watching the cursed video. Unfortunately, instead of having the full week to beat the curse as in the other Ring films, this means they have two days to live. They learn that to beat Sadako, they need to pit her against another vengeful spirit, and that's where Kayako comes into play. Overall it definitely feels more like a Ring film than a The Grudge film, but both of the characters definitely make their presence known.
Though it might seem like a 100% chance that this film would be only over the top, silly, and maybe even stupid, think again. A lot of this film is actually incredibly understated, to the point of it almost being too subtle. The beginning has a really fun vibe, very reminiscent of 2000's teen scream horror, and the last 20 minutes or so are a wild ride. The last 20 minutes are actually when the Sadako and Kayako are on screen together for the first time. For the hour or so between that, the plot is just kind of unraveling. There is some violence, some scares, but it's not just full of over-the-top indulgence in the premise. Some might say it could have even been a benefit to the movie to take it a bit further.
Both the Ring and The Grudge franchises have a pretty large reach, even to people who aren't big horror fans, so it's interesting that this film isn't talked about more worldwide. It is currently on horror streaming service Shudder, but it seems very much like something that would be internet famous. This could be because it's not in English, but that hasn't stopped Asian horror from succeeding in the worldwide market before. No matter what, it likely comes down to people just not knowing about it. These franchises are so big, and the way they were released can seem kind of complicated, so they're kind of intimidating to get into.
It's not that there has been no hype for this film, it's just that there hasn't been nearly enough. It was actually announced at first as an April Fools joke, before being confirmed as true. That alone says how fun the idea of this even happening is. This is a big deal to any horror fan who is really into these franchises. And though it may not be a master of filmmaking, it's definitely competent and the premise alone makes it watchable. Seeing Sadako and Kayako interact, even though including more of it in the movie would have been better, is undeniably cool. They're both so creepy, and the final scenes between them and the film's main characters are the best in the movie. It's kind of shocking that Sadako vs. Kayako hasn't become a meme already, but hopefully, its time to shine will come soon enough.