Ringu
Tags: psychological, cruelty, murder, realism, paranormal, cult, violence, atmospheric, flashback, good versus evil, psychedelic, suspenseful, sadist

Plot synopsis:
High school students Katie and Becca discuss an urban legend about a cursed videotape which kills anyone who watches it seven days later. Katie admits that she watched the tape with her boyfriend and two friends the previous week. That night, Katie is killed by an unseen force.
At Katie's funeral, her aunt Rachel, a Seattle journalist, is asked by Katie's mother, Ruth, to investigate her death. Rachel discovers that Katie's boyfriend and two other teenagers mysteriously died on the same night as Katie. After learning that they watched the cursed videotape at Shelter Mountain Inn, Rachel travels there and watches the tape, which contains disturbing and surreal imagery. Afterwards, she receives a phone call from an unknown caller who utters "seven days".
Rachel recruits the help of Noah, the estranged father of her son, Aidan. He watches it and has Rachel make him a copy to study. Rachel discovers hidden footage of a lighthouse on the tape. Her research leads her to identify a woman on the tape: a horse breeder, Anna Morgan, who committed suicide after her horses were involved in a mass suicide in Moesko Island. Rachel discovers Aidan watching the videotape and informs Noah.
Leaving Aidan in Ruth's care, Rachel heads for Moesko Island to speak to Anna's widower, Richard. At the same time, Noah travels to Eola Psychiatric Hospital to view Anna's medical files, which contains missing footage. On the ferry to the island, Rachel spooks a racehorse and it leaps off the ferry to its death. On the island, she discovers Anna had an adopted daughter, Samara, but Richard denies it.
Rachel speaks with the island doctor, who explains that Anna could not conceive and so adopted Samara. Samara possessed an uncontrolled ability to psychically etch images onto objects and into the minds of her parents and their horses, tormenting them. Noah also learns of Samara's existence and heads for the island.
Rachel sneaks into the Morgan house and watches the missing footage of Samara explaining her powers during a psychotherapy session. Richard discovers her and strikes her. Realizing that Samara's evil is still at large, he electrocutes himself in the bathtub. Noah arrives and he and Rachel enter the barn. In a loft converted to Samara's bedroom to isolate her from her mother, they find an image of a tree behind the wallpaper; Rachel realizes it is the image of a tree at the Shelter Mountain Inn.
In Cabin 12, Rachel and Noah discover a stone water well beneath the floorboards. They remove the lid but Rachel is pushed inside. A hand grabs her, and Rachel experiences a vision of Anna pushing Samara into the well, where she survived for seven days. Samara's corpse surfaces in the well and Rachel tries to appease her spirit by giving her a proper burial. Afterwards, Noah informs Rachel that seven days have passed since she watched the cursed videotape, leading them to believe that the curse is broken.
Aidan warns Rachel that the curse is not over. Rachel realizes that Noah is next and rushes to save him, but the vengeful ghost of Samara crawls out of his television and kills him. Rachel finds his corpse and returns home to destroy the tape. She realizes that she was spared because she made a copy and showed it to Noah. Rachel helps Aidan make his own copy and plans to show it to someone else.

Review: **CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS**Ringu is an unassuming little movie that my boyfriend and I rented from the local DVD store knowing little about it other than it had inspired a recent Hollywood remake.The first thing which accosts you when watching this film, is it's lo-fi documentary-style reality.
Ringu has the look and feel production wise of a TV movie, but this only adds to the objective of it, to terrify.The story unfolds of an everyday Japanese single mother, the backdrop is nothing unusual but this is required as the bizarre begins to unravel before the eyes of the watcher.
You will not be able to stop watching, but be wishing that you could rip out your eyes simultaneously!This movie is a quiet and unpretentious if imaginative little piece from Japan, which displays something that Hollywood has lacked in the horror genre in many years.
This film is very Japanese, and I cannot imagine it doing well when converted to Hollywood form.Ringu is a movie made to be watched on your TV at home, exactly the way I did renting the DVD from your local store.
One such victim is a seventeen year old girl, and it is up to her aunt, hotshot newspaper reporter Reiko, to solve the mystery of the strange video.Like the American remake "The Ring," Ringu is not a perfect film.
But for fans of good, spooky, old fashioned ghost stories, "Ringu" has a lot to recommend it.One of the things I appreciated the most about this movie is the complete and utter lack of gore.
Fans of urban legend type horror will take delight in this offering from director Nakata Hideo and whilst the film does lack substance somewhat, it makes up in suspense and mystery.
Now that I've seen both I would have to say that 'Ringu' is the better film (marginally).The Hollywood version was quite an unsettling experience in it's own right and having seen it first I rather expected 'Ringu' would be a 'ruined' experience as I was already familiar with the overall story and, of course, THE scene.
I hadn't been truly frightened by a scene from a horror movie for a very long time so I was unequivocally impressed.So when I got around to watching 'Ringu' my expectation was low.
When her son watches the tape Reiko and Ryuji race against time to discover the meaning behind the curse to be able to lift it.I came to this only knowing the hype and the barest bits of the story.
Like many Japanese movies, I simply could not accept that the character would really do what they were doing; it just didn't make sense to me that these people would go running around Japan trying to discover the mystery of the 'video' based on some people dying.
Perhaps its a testament to Japanese work ethic or American laziness but I just thought there wasn't enough to back up the characters actions.I realize it might somehow be hip to say that you enjoy foreign films more than their domestic counterparts and insult the Hollywood 'money machine' and decry the end of american cinema but I simply can't do it with this movie.
You are uneased by the surreal imagery on the infamous video tape and the atmosphere produced by the film getting your nerves ready for the final insomnia inducing final scene.Other Recommendations: Dark Water, Ring 2..
This was partially because of how much I loved it, and mostly because I couldn't have slept anyway!Watch this along with 'Ring 2' and 'Ring 0' before seeing the crappy american version, as the remake contains elements (and scenes) from those two films as well.I also feel that anyone who likes the american remake more than the japanese original should not be allowed to have opinions about anything.
While "The Excorsist" was entertaining and nice, and "the Shining" was both hilarious (Jack Nicholsson) and effective, no horror movie I've ever seen has been as unsettling as Ringu.Nothing much happens compared to a western horror piece, where the director often spends a lot of time explaining and making things dumber for the broad audience, and squeezing in as much scary stuff as he can within the time frame.
The actors where good even though I cannot really compare since I don't watch a lot of Japanese movies.The movie is worth seeing, but not if you've seen "the Ring" first.
For those who haven't seen either Ringu or the Hollywood remake The Ring, it would be a travesty to reveal the cause of death to the hapless victims, but suffice to say that Ringu's sustained feeling of spine tingling unease builds and builds to a truly horrible catharsis that marks it as the most frightening horror film I have seen, bar none.
The concept is nice, it goes on exactly where you think it's over, some nice scenes too and an overall good atmosphere (you get the feeling of some good 70's horror films), but I think the plot -especially in the beginning- has some gaps and is going on somewhat fast.
To this day, after viewing the film several times, Ringu still gets under my skin, with it's bizarre imagery, slow burn pacing, and ultimately the most terrifying force ever seen in a horror film: Sadako Yamamura.The plot revolves around a mysterious urban legend too silly to be true.
Now, with the help of her ex husband Ryuji Takayama(Hiroyuki Sanada), who has also viewed the tape, Reiko has only seven days to save herself from an inevitable death, and protect all that she loves from a powerful evil.Where Ringu strikes its audience the hardest is not with a gratuitous amount of quick cuts, ample jump scenes, or gory images It is all in the slow pace, the feeling of inevitable doom drawing near, for with each passing day, the characters are closer and closer to their final breath.
Watching Ringu is comparable to digging a pit, looking for answers, with no where to go but down, knowing full well that time is running out, and that giving up may be for the best.Director Hideo Nakata films Ringu is quite a simplistic, low key way, focusing on the mystery of the video and our protagonists quest more so than fancy visuals and cool images.
That I am not so sure, as the Americans, as usual, felt like they *had* to spoil another amazing movie with some fast-food remake.'Ringu' is rich and complete when it comes to the horror element.
But when she learns three other teens died on the same night and at the same time, and that they all watched a "cursed video" a week earlier, she realizes that there is a mystery behind it all...This is the premise for Hideo Nakata's masterpiece of modern psychological horror, Ring (a.k.a.Ringu).
In either event, you should follow this film with either Rasen (aka Spiral, 1998), which was the original "Ring 2" (and which more closely follows the second novel), or with the "official" Ringu 2 (1999).---------------------------------------At the same time that some teens are turning up dead, a rumor is going around that the deaths are correlated to a mysterious piece of video, sometimes seen on videotape, but rumored to also be broadcast.
Two, Nakata is good at building subtle atmosphere.The success of the story is easy to discern from the legions of films that have been influenced by the Ring in some way, including FearDotCom (2002) and Ju-On (2000)--and these within only a few years.
What was also good was that I saw the US Ring about a year ago and thought that less of it was that I couldn't really remember the film except from the beginning when the two teen girls are talking about seeing the video but when scenes came I did begin to recollect them.I am pleased to have finally seen the original as I really enjoyed it more and now I am going to role onto Ring 2 and Ring O and hopefully will come out watching the best horror trilogy since never..
As well, most of the world trend to be a lot better at making horror films compared to the Americans, which is too reliance on slasher films.The premise of the Ring is there is a videotape which when another watches it they will receive a phone call telling them they only have a week to live, and guess what: after a week they die.
The US version is OK and indeed better than most modern horror films, but Ringu is superior and of course the impact of the famous ending is lessened slightly.
Yeah,I have watched ringu and all rings.I think they are great,especially because the grotesque thing comes out of the television.Sadako is true main killer in thing movie.A journalist Reiko Asakawa,divorced,with a six years old son named Yoichi.Reiko's niece had died in a terrible death of sudden heart failure.Her friend Masami witnesses her death.Now Reiko watches the tape and she has seven days left.With her ex-husband's help,Ryuji Takayama.Now it's a great mystery,but is she willing to take every risk..well yes.And putting her son in danger when he watches it...like I said..it's a great mystery.Great movie I say..
Now, she has just seven days to live, and with the help of her ex-husband, Ryuji (Hiroyuki Sanada), Reiko must delve deep into the mysterious origins of the tape, before it threatens to destroy her.Originally published in 1991, Kôji Suzuki novel 'Ring' has been adapted once before, in the form of a television movie from 1995 ('Ring: The Complete Edition').
Nakata has now proved himself as a maestro of horror movies (or at least this one), but I'm tempted to hate him for it; 'Ring' got under my skin so much that I almost wanted the film to just stop.Nakata hardly relies on star Nanako Matsushima for 'Ring''s quality control, but her performance is nevertheless worthy of note.
I don't mean to overly praise it, but 'Ring' is more of an intense experience than an actual film, and the horror becomes amplified by the unexpected twist ending, which paves the way for an immediate follow-up.
Make no mistake that this is the one that started it all...one beast of a horror movie oozing not only bucket loads of originality, but some of best acting capabilities that Japan has to offer.The story revolves around Reiko Asakawa, a news reporter who has recently found out about a group of people (one of whom is her niece) who have died in unexplained circumstances.
Enduldge all of your senses into this remarkable film...and let your nerves do the talking!Entertainment: 9/10Scares: 10/10 (Depending on how you watch a horror film)Finger Nails: BrokenMy Pillow: A Life-saver...Performances: 10/10Direction: 10/10 (Wonderous atmospheric Nakataness)Sadako: OMFG!!!/10Final Rating: 10/10.
The only really scary moments were spoiled for me because I had already seen them before on things like "The 100 Scariest Movie Moments" on TV or something, and the notes by a critic inside the DVD box also spoiled it.Sound design was one part of this film that struck me - quite good at doing what it was supposed to, sometimes unsettling.
Told with simplicity and economy, Ringu is superior to the American remake -- in itself still a good thriller but one short on subtlety -- a textbook example of Japanese horror at its most inventive and frightening..
This is also one of the few only horror movies I'd call an utter good movie, and not just a scary one.I've seen my share of Asian movies, so this wasn't something entirely new to me, but since this one is a fairly a-typical Asian picture, I think people from Europe and America can enjoy it as well.I love the way of implying rather than showing(like the Asakawa - Ryuji relationship).
`RING' is a Japanese horror film and stars Nanako MatsushimaOne day, four young people die at the same time on the same day.
It runs almost like a detective story rather than a traditional horror film as the main character works her way closer to finding the facts behind the mysterious video tape.
The original movie that the Hollywood-based hit The Ring is based on, Ringu is tons creepier and scarier, with better acting, better production, better script, and better everything.Reiko (Nanako Matsushima) is a newspaper reporter who is learning about a cursed videotape: after viewing an odd video, a phone rings, and the person on the other end says, `You have one week to live.' After her niece dies from, presumably, the tape, she decides to investigate, so she gets a hold of the video and watches it.
She, along with her husband/boyfriend Ryuji (Hiroyuki Sanada), dissects the tape frame by frame and tries to figure out the mystery.This is the only movie that kept me up at night and had me terrified at night, which is odd because the American remake is basically the same, except that Ringu is in every way better.
Rather, the horror is achieved through images from the haunted video, *very* spooky sounds, startling glimpses inside the characters' minds, the passage of time, and an absolutely terrifying scene at the end.If you can find this movie (I am not aware of an English-language version), watch it, and you'll be scared of your TV for at least a week.
The plot is quite common, it's a very "Japanese" style horror movie (curses, ghost of a young girl, but no gore...), nevertheless what strikes from the very beginning is the excellence of the directing.
One of the most effective horror films of the past 20 years, Hideo Nakata's "Ringu" (or "Ring") is a terrifying and very human ghost-story that will chill you to the bone..
And I do believe that Hideo Nakata's "Ringu" (or "Ring"), a 1998 Japanese horror film inspired by the novels of Koji Suzuki, belongs on a list with those classics.
This cult Japanese horror follows the investigative journalism of a young Reiko Aswaka, who in the course of duty watches a cursed video tape, in which the viewer is killed by a mysterious force exactly seven days after viewing.
In her last week alive she tries to get to the truth behind the video (and it's apparent power) in order to save her life, and also the lives of her son and ex-husband who end up watching the tape.Chances are you've heard of this film, or at least its American remake.
Unlike most of its fellow genre inmates, even with the horror stripped away, there is enough narrative to make the film work and the detective side of the story (although fairly underwhelming at times due to the easy accessibility of what they are looking for) makes it far more worthwhile than the typical slasher flicks that have plagued the horror films recently.The dark undertones (murky lighting, and slow panning shots) certainly create an atmosphere suitable on first viewing, but on second time round, without the shock value, they are a little bit too obvious, as if the plot is stuck in a linear rut in terms of style.The film is superior to its American cousin in my view due to the strong cast, and the horrifying first viewing (if you haven't seen this film I would advice you watch it with someone, with the lights on), and whilst directed very tastefully and artistically (and far better than any American horror of the last 10 or so years) lacks the brutal or horrific punch an effective horror film should have..
Japanese horror films are really good productions to watch, moreover these films make you feel badI can guarantee you that Ringu is better than The Ring(the Hollywood version of this film).
I recommend this film to everyone, you should watch this movie before watching the American version which I did not like at all.
Then the phone rings, and the film becomes a race against time as Reiko tries to exorcise' the curse, which soon extends to her surly ex-husband Ryuji (Sanada) and their young son, Yoichi (Nakatani) as they also view the tape.
However, it is still a good movie, and if you liked The Ring very much, I can you advise this masterpiece of horror.
I was so glad I did, this is the scarest film I have ever seen, I serious I still cant look at an off TV with out thinking about Sadako!FOrget the crapy American re make which so many people seem to like, I've watched and it sucks.
This is why its so scary because you have to visualise it, all the way throught I was wondering what she looked liked.That sticks with, the ending is the best I have ever seen in any horror film ever.
I'd heard about this on the film circuit for a few years and when it was finally released on DVD in the UK I went and bought a copy.It's story is simple  if you watch a certain videotape, then the phone will ring and seven days later you will die (in a shocking manner).
She watches the tape, the phone rings, horrible screeching and then she has seven days to break the curse.To say anything more would ruin the various surprises in the film (and there are many).
There is a film in horror movie folklore like no other.
If you want a good scare I advise you to watch this one.Also, the cursed video in the Japanese version is much scarier than the one in the remake version.
One thing that you must understand here is the film is not trying to scare you in an overacting way or frighten you in a gross blood bath (if that the term of horror movies by you!), but to make you realize that living is full of circle and your life is like a ring.
As a foreign film, The Ring is a great movie all by itself.
(EDWARD SCISSORHANDS and ELIZABETH were the other two).So, about RINGU...I found the beginning of the film to be much, much, much better than the American version of THE RING.