This is one of those films that will go down in history as one of the creepiest and most atmospheric genre films ever...which is loads more than you can say about the tepid American remake titled "The Ring". Director Hideo Nakata generates some very real tension and shocks without the use of elaborate special effects, and spilling nary a drop of blood! Don't let that fool you, gorehounds..."Ringu" is every bit as good (and twice as important) as you've heard.
In what will, no doubt, become one of the most imitated plot devices in genre history, "Ringu" creates its own unique mythology from the ground up in a neat little story that concerns, among other things, a cursed video tape, psychics, creepy little girls, and dark family secrets. These elements combine in such a way that, while the viewer recognizes the more obvious contrivances, he or she is still kept in pure suspense. We just know something nasty and terrifying is going to happen...we don't know how, where, or when, but when it does finally happen, it's a jolting set of images that you won't soon forget. Seriously creepy shit, I tell ya'!
Unlike many Japanese horror/sci-fi films, "Ringu" doesn't get bogged down by its own subplots...in fact, one could argue that it's downright "American" in its methodology. It sets up the plot quickly and effectively, giving us the necessary background and establishing the fact that, even if we don't yet know why, we are fully aware that this videotape is a thing to fear...and fear it we will.
There's something special about watching this film at home, in the implied "safety" of your own home, that makes it all the more chilling. The associations between the heinous TV images and doom are so strong that one feels a very palpable sense of dread and paranoia. Nakata has done an exemplary job in using imagery and simplistic plot devices to generate fear and loathing.
Dreamworks is to be congratulated on having the forethought of releasing "The Ring" and "Ringu" on the same day on DVD. While "Ringu" is by far the superior of the two films, "The Ring" has received, predictably, the better DVD release. "Ringu" is a barebones release...no real special features to speak of...but don't let that get you down. The presentation is remarkably clean and the sound and images have been treated to the very high quality treatment that they deserve.
This is a must-have DVD for fans of genuine creepy-crawly horror...and it'll fast become one of your favorites...I'm serious!
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This is one of those films that will go down in history as one of the creepiest and most atmospheric genre films ever...which is loads more than you can say about the tepid American remake titled "The Ring". Director Hideo Nakata generates some very real tension and shocks without the use of elaborate special effects, and spilling nary a drop of blood! Don't let that fool you, gorehounds..."Ringu" is every bit as good (and twice as important) as you've heard.
