Ringu

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Ringu

1998

1h 36m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

46 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

When her niece is found dead along with three friends after viewing a supposedly cursed videotape, reporter Reiko Asakawa (Nanako Matsushima) sets out to investigate. Along with her ex-husband, Ryuji (Hiroyuki Sanada), Reiko finds the tape, watches it -- and promptly receives a phone call informing her that she'll die in a week. Determined to get to the bottom of the curse, Reiko and Ryuji discover the video's origin and attempt to solve an old murder that could break the spell.

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Critics Consensus

Ringu combines supernatural elements with anxieties about modern technology in a truly frightening and unnerving way.

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

09/16/2022

Its strength is in its simplicity and its cultural purity.

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Alan Stanbrook

Daily Telegraph (UK)

09/16/2022

Almost nothing terrible is shown: the real horror lies in the viewer's anticipation.

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Andrew Pulver

Guardian

09/16/2022

A most artfully creepy piece of work.

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David Parkinson

Radio Times

Oct 29

4/5

Artfully mixing footage formats to achieve a visual texture commensurate with both the tone of the story and Kinji Kawai's eerie score, Nakata inexorably builds the suspense right up to the chilling climax.

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

08/25/2024

10/10

Decades on, it remains one of the great works of horror cinema.

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Keri O'Shea

Warped Perspective

04/14/2023

A

On occasion, a film comes along which makes an almost immediate, indelible mark. As soon as it appears, it disrupts what came before it; it can be difficult to even remember a time before it, so quickly do its characters and archetypes take hold.

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J H

@UpstateNYThriller Jul 22

9.6/10 1998 Original Ring movie from Japan People watch cursed video and then die one week later Dubbed Japanese version One of the best horror movies of all time

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Nerlens Emil E

@Itzgreeny11 Jun 27

Great atmosphere, classic and iconically all round-circle ring type.

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Zoor M

@ZoorMoth Jun 27

Minimal dialogue. Haunting. Ethereal. Would recommend.

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Kalissa H.

@kali_416 Jun 21

Really good and unsettling. The well scene was suspenseful.

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Todor Y

@Phantom961 Apr 24

It's good but i like the remake from 2002. Way better handled history and acting.

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Farah R.

@Farah Feb 13

I finally got around to watching the Japanese version of The Ring, and I was surprised how different it is from its American counterpart. The film is more focused and slow, building suspense through storytelling rather than jump scares. It felt more like a crime drama than a horror movie. The actors were brilliant and I loved how the plot unfolded. It’s undoubtedly a more intelligent film than its remake.

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Hideo Nakata

Director

Nanako Matsushima

Reiko Asakawa

Hiroyuki Sanada

Ryuji Takayama

Miki Nakatani

Mai Takano

Yuko Takeuchi

Tomoko Oishi

Hitomi Sato

Masami Kurahashi

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Synopsis

When her niece is found dead along with three friends after viewing a supposedly cursed videotape, reporter Reiko Asakawa (Nanako Matsushima) sets out to investigate. Along with her ex-husband, Ryuji (Hiroyuki Sanada), Reiko finds the tape, watches it -- and promptly receives a phone call informing her that she'll die in a week. Determined to get to the bottom of the curse, Reiko and Ryuji discover the video's origin and attempt to solve an old murder that could break the spell.

Director: Hideo Nakata
Producer: Takashige Ichise, Shinya Kawai, Takenori Sento
Screenwriter: Kôji Suzuki, Hiroshi Takahashi
Distributor: Golden Scene [hk], Potential Films, Califórnia, Primer Plano Film Group S.A., Anolis Entertainment, Toho Company Ltd., Kadokawa Shoten Pblshg, Haut et Court
Production Co: Omega Project, Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co.
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 31, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 21, 2019
Runtime: 1h 36m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)