On September 19, 2006 Yahoo! Movies was the first site to release three short films directed by Toby Wilkins titled Tales from the Grudge with an introduction from one of the producers of The Grudge, Sam Raimi.  This series of shorts expands on the story of The Grudge curse.  The shorts also appeared on the film’s official site at Sony Pictures Entertainment, where fans who volunteer their mobile phone number will get surprise calls from Kayako or Toshio.  The films were also made available on other film and horror related web sites as part of a wide reaching and unique digital marketing strategy.

• Part 1, “Hotel” is the first in the series of shorts. It introduces Ross (played by Daniel Sykes) as he wakes up in a Tokyo hotel room and coughs up quantities of Kayako’s black hair. He wakes from this nightmare to the sound of the mobile phone and answers it. The caller is his girlfriend Abby (played by Stefanie Butler), who is safe at home in the US. Ross explains that his attempts to investigate the house and the woman with long black hair have led to a dead end. When the phone call ends, we stay with Ross as he takes a photo of himself with his mobile phone. He does not notice as Kayako passes by behind him at the precise moment he takes the shot. He then sends the picture to Abby. Ross then goes to brush his teeth and finds black hair in his toothbrush before being grabbed through the mirror by Kayako.

• Part 2, “School” is the second short film in which we follow the story of Abby as she ends the phone call from the first short. Abby then proceeds to call her friend, Brooke (played by Ginny Weirick), to ask about plans that evening. When the call ends, Abby receives a photo message from her boyfriend Ross (from the first short). When Abby looks closer at the image, she sees that Kayako is in the hotel room with Ross. Abby attempts to call her boyfriend and warn him, but she only hears Kayako and then it hangs up. Abby looks over at the girl that was sitting beside her to see Kayako.

• Part 3, “House” is the third short film that overlaps during the events in School. The film opens with Brooke (as introduced in the second short) receiving a phone call from Abby. As the call ends, Brooke agrees to play hide and seek with the child, Josh, whom she is babysitting and chooses a walk-in closet as her hiding place. Brooke soon finds herself trapped and is dragged violently into the underworld by Kayako. Josh then gets up and says “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” before Brooke’s cell phone begins ringing.