Ring [DVD]

A chilling and atmospheric film delving into the devastating effects of human curiosity. Journalist Reiko Ashakawa (Nanako Matsushima) is investigating the credibility of claims that a “video curse” is linked to the gruesome deaths of groups of teenagers. An urban myth circulating among teenagers recounts tales of people dying exactly a week after viewing a videotape featuring a bizarre sequence of images. Reiko is drawn deeper into this mystery after her cousin Tomoko dies under sinister circumstances. When she learns that both Tomoko and Tomoko’s friend, who watched the eerie video together, died at exactly the same time, she begins to take the matter more seriously. Tracking down a copy of the tape, she suddenly finds that she has become the next victim of the “video curse”. Joining forces with her psychic ex-husband, Ryugi Takayama (Hiroyuki Sanada), Reiko is caught in a frantic race against time to save both herself and her son Yoichi (Rikiya Itaka), from the unseen evil that reaches out to them from beyond the grave. Based on a series of best-selling novels by Koji Suzuki, “Ring” signifies a shift toward a more sophisticated type of horror film which openly acknowledges the influence of Hollywood horror while taking it in an entirely different and unexpected direction.