Takashi Shimizu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Takashi Shimizu 清水 崇
Born	(1972-07-27) 27 July 1972 (age 53) Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
Alma mater	Nihon University
Occupation	Director producer screenwriter
Years active	1994-present

Takashi Shimizu (born July 27, 1972) is a famous Japanese film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for creating the spooky Ju-On movie series. He directed four of these scary films in both Japan and the United States.

Many film experts say Shimizu is a special kind of horror director. Instead of showing a lot of scary action on screen, he is good at creating a feeling of suspense and fear, letting the audience imagine what might happen next.

Early Life and School

Takashi Shimizu was born in the city of Maebashi, Japan. As a kid, he went to Wakamiya Elementary School and Maebashi City Fourth Junior High School.

After high school, he went to Nihon University. There, he studied filmmaking and met Takashige Ichise, who would later help him produce his famous movies. Together, they started developing the ideas that would become the Ju-On films.

Career in Filmmaking

After finishing his studies, Shimizu worked as an assistant director. One of his teachers, the director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, was impressed by a short, three-minute film Shimizu had made. This gave Shimizu the chance to direct two short horror stories for a TV show. These short films were early versions of the ideas he would use in his later Ju-On movies.

Creating the Ju-On Series

In 2000, Shimizu directed his first full movies, Ju-On: The Curse and its sequel, Ju-On: The Curse 2. These movies were not shown in theaters at first but were released directly on video. Even so, they became very popular with critics who loved how scary and original they were.

Because the first two films were so successful, Shimizu got to remake them for movie theaters. This led to Ju-On: The Grudge (2002) and Ju-On: The Grudge 2 (2003). These movies were big hits in Japan and helped make Japanese horror, or "J-Horror," famous around the world.

American Remakes: The Grudge

The success of the Ju-On films caught the attention of Hollywood. Shimizu was asked to direct an American version of his movie, which was called The Grudge (2004). He also directed the sequel, The Grudge 2 (2006).

These American movies made a lot of money, but not all critics liked them as much as the Japanese originals. When it was time to make a third movie, The Grudge 3, Shimizu decided to be a producer instead of the director. After this, he returned to Japan to continue making films there.

Famous Movies

Shimizu has worked on many films as a director, writer, or producer. Here are some of his most well-known works:

• Ju-on: The Curse (2000)
• Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)
• Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (2003)
• The Grudge (2004)
• Marebito (2004)
• Reincarnation (2005)
• The Grudge 2 (2006)
• The Shock Labyrinth 3D (2009)
• Kiki's Delivery Service (2014)
• Resident Evil: Vendetta (2017)
• Howling Village (2019)
• ... Forest Village (2021)
• Homunculus (2021)
• Immersion (2023)

Awards

• 2022 – Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award at the 21st New York Asian Film Festival.

See also

In Spanish: Takashi Shimizu para niños