Ringu (1998)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Ringu (1998) – H. Nakata

The harbinger of the J-Horror wave seems to have lost a little bit of its punch, seeing it again 20 years later.  I guess it is difficult to put yourself back in the same thunderstruck frame of mind, trying to grasp the bizarre plot as it unfolds with very few clues and only weird facts (such as the urban legend that watching a certain videotape could lead to your own mysterious death 7 days later).  I forgot just how much the movie holds back, saving its shocks for very late in the running time.  Instead, we follow erstwhile reporter Reiko Asakawa (played by Nanako Matsushima) as she investigates the links between the videotape and a series of simultaneous teen deaths.  Creepiness builds up, particularly when she calls on her clairvoyant ex-husband (played by Hiroyuki Sanada) to assist and they travel to distant Oshima Island, which seems to be the setting for some of the scenes in the spooky video.  Of course, they learn about Sadako and her mother Shizuko, both now deceased, and their sad fates.  Will putting their spirits to rest end the curse of the videotape?  Probably not.  I saw this as a double feature with Ringu 2 back in the day and recall the sequel as being weirder (and perhaps more confusing) but also scary.  Indeed, the whole J-Horror genre seems to be predicated on a lack of logic that American remakes just can’t seem to replicate – it’s all about the sensation of horror, the images and situations, rather than any rational storyline that matters.  That said, Ringu manages to maintain coherence pretty far into the piece; if only one could return to that naïve state and watch it again as if for the first time.