Ringu (Ring) - Lisa's Review

*** CONTAINS SPOILERS ***

This weeks movie leaves me with no confusion or confliction when writing the review.  This movie was my introduction to the wonderful world of Japanese horror.  A colleague told me about the movie as he knew I liked my horror.  He lent me a copy and so it began!

We start the movie with talk of an urban legend of sorts surrounding a strange movie on a VHS tape.  Apparently anyone who watches the movie is supposed to die within 7 days.  Of course anyone who hears the story does the usual poo-pooing and insists on watching it.  This is the case for 4 teenage girls.  Sadly they find out there is more than an element of truth to this legend.

The movie gets properly underway with the introduction of Reiko Asakawa, a young reporter who is investigating the stories about the creepy video.    She discovers there have been unexplained deaths of several teenage girls, who it is claimed watched the video.

I won't go into any further detail about the rest of the story, but what this movie achieves (and in fact is true of most Japanese movies) is managing to scare the bejezus out of you with no need for loads of effects and obviousness.  The movie manages to hold a disturbing, creepy air for the duration.  I can honestly say I was hooked and genuinely scared from 5 minutes in.  This is from someone who had, before the first time I watched Ringu, never watched a Japanese movie.  The movie also included a scene that honestly had me almost shitting my pants!  Seriously frightening!

Following watching this movie, I watched any Japanese horrors I could get my hands on and discovered a wealth of wonderful new movies.  There are a lot of American remakes of these movies, including this one.  I would strongly recommend you watched the Japanese version, rather than the remade American version.  They just don't manage to get under your skin like the originals.

If you didn't already guess, I thoroughly recommend this movie if you haven't seen it.  Even if you've seen the American remake, watch the original, it's a world apart.  Sticking a big, fat 'Recommended' on this one.