Simply one of the finest horror movies of our time, the Ring is the story of a curse become urban legend-- a videotape that kills all who watch it within a week

STORY

Reporter Asakawa Reiko (played by actress Matsushima Nanako) is in the midst of investigating the latest urban myth-- a videotape that kills whomever watches it-- when her own niece dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances. Asakawa's quest to uncover the details behind her niece's death leads her straight to the videotape itself, which is as real as its awesome lethality. Now with only a week left before her life runs out, Asakawa must solve the riddle of the videotape and break its deadly curse... a curse made real by the destructive power of a girl named "Sadako."

What sets Ring apart is its ability to make even the most mundane of scenes-- a darkened room, a woman brushing her long hair-- seem sinister and unfamiliar. This level of tension builds as slowly the origin of the videotape and the true nature of the mysterious Sadako come to light, finally climaxing in one of the most terrifying conclusions ever filmed.

It is worth noting that the Ring is able to succeed as brilliantly as it does by playing on the viewers' pychological fears, relying on not a single drop of blood.

Ring, which began life as the first book of a trilogy by Japanese horror author Suzuki Koji, was originally adapted for the small screen in the lackluster Fuji TV Ring: Kanzen-ban ("The Complete Edition") in 1995. It has since spawned two sequels, a prequel, and two television series presenting an alternate version of Ring and Rasen. Sadly, none of these are quite in the same league as the 1998 release.

U.S. rights have apparently been acquired by Dreamworks (after a Fine Line deal failed to materialize) to the tune of 1 million dollars. Word is work will begin on the project come 2002. In related news, the prequel Ring 0: Birthday finally made a U.S. appearance at the 2001 Seattle Film Festival.

Meanwhile, UK-based Tartan released their own subtitled DVD version of Ring in March and Ring 2 in July of 2001 (See here). The anamorphic quality of the DVD, however, will compromise even players capable of switching between NTSC and European PAL electrical standards, leaving Stateside Ring fans no choice but to watch a DVD of lowered quality, the Japanese video sans subtitles, or the Malaysian VCD version subtitled in pidgin English (Thanks to Kieron for info on the VCD/UK DVD releases).

VCD ("Video Compact Disc") is an inexpensive format popular in Singapore, Hong Kong, and other parts of Asia. You may find a link here to a VCD vendor offering the Ring for just $7.50 USD, but please note I make no claims about the integrity of the vendor (having never dealt with them) nor the VCD itself (which I have never seen, but understand is lacking in both transfer and subtitle quality.)

Exclusive! Get the entire Ring screenplay in English for free here

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