Starring Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Miki Nakatani. This is the original Japanese version from which Hollywood made the remake starring Naomi Watts titled
The Ring. It is based on the book
Ring authored by Koji Suzuki. Exactly one week after staying at a remote cabin, a group of Japanese teenagers all meet sudden inexplicable deaths. A cousin of one of the victims, reporter Reiko Asakawa (Nanako Matsushima), begins an investigation that leads to the discovery of a videotape containing hauntingly bizarre footage. Upon viewing the tape, Reiko receives a phone call stating that she, too, will die in one week. As the clock ticks away, Reiko enlists the help of her estranged husband, Ryuji (Hiroyuki Sanada), who possesses limited psychic abilities. Together they attempt to discover the meaning behind the cryptic film and break the supernatural curse. Hideo Nakata's Ringu, based on a novel by Koji Suzuki, was such a hit in Japan that it spawned both a sequel and prequel, along with a huge cult following. Like a horrific version of an X-Files episode, the dark, moody film makes the most out of the mysterious and the unknown. As any viewer will admit, the surreal, death-inducing video presented within the movie is extremely effective. And as Ringu's tension builds, so does its sense of mounting doom. One of the creepiest motion pictures ever made, Ringu culminates in an unbelievably chilling finale.
