Face-Off: Ringu vs. Ju-on

When Reiko Asakawa’s teenage niece and the friends she recently stayed in a remote cabin with all turn up dead around the same time, rumors begin to swirl about a cursed videotape that causes your death seven days after you watch it. Going to the cabin, Reiko finds an unlabeled tape, watches it, and now she’s marked for death as well. With the clock counting down toward her demise, Reiko enlists the aid of her ex-husband Ryūji (who also watches the tape) in getting to the bottom of this mystery – and the need to find answers gets even more desperate when their young son gets his hands on the tape… Reiko is a decent heroine and easy enough to side with, and the fact that her companion in this endeavor is her ex-husband is an interesting and unique twist on the usual lead character dynamics.

Shizuko Yamamura was a woman who gained fame after predicting a volcanic eruption, and soon after a doctor had her doing public demonstrations of her psychic abilities. When an audience accused the pair of being frauds, Shizuko’s daughter Sadako used her greater mental powers to kill the loudest skeptic. Shizuko went on to kill herself by jumping into that volcano, while Sadako was murdered by the doctor and dumped down a well. From beyond the grave, Sadako has used her powers to create the cursed videotape – but why? And who was Sadako’s father? The doctor? Or a supernatural force from the sea? The story has some gaps, but what is there is intriguing, and the talk of Shizuko having some kind of connection to the sea adds an extra level of creepiness, even if it doesn’t add up to much.

Everyone knows the image of the ghostly Sadako, the girl in a dress with long black hair hanging over her face who climbs out of the television set to attack her victims. Her look may be memorable, but she’s also not a figure who should get too much screentime, and in this film the wise decision was made to hold off on showing Sadako in action until a climactic moment. It makes that moment much more effective and keeps the audience from deciding they’re not so unnerved by the sight of a girl with long hair.

The mystery is the driving force of RINGU, as we watch Reiko and Ryūji piece together every clue they come across while Reiko’s “seven days” deadline creeps up on them. That ticking clock element makes the mystery even more involving, as you want to see the characters get the answers that will end the curse. They’re not only trying to solve a mystery, they’re trying to save their own lives.

There’s a darkness that hangs over RINGU for the duration of the film; a feeling of dread, of impending doom, that’s enhanced by the inclement weather scenes were shot in. Things never get very bright in here, and it’s frequently raining, windy, or overcast. The characters’ worlds are falling apart, and that definitely comes across in the film. There’s a sense that terrible things are coming.