Ringu (1998)
Directed by Hideo Nakata
Written by Hiroshi Takahashi

Hollywood remade this as The Ring, which is itself a pretty cool movie, though I'll give the edge to the original, if only because its comparative smallness lends it an air of claustrophobia that serves it well.

The Ring is probably better made, more visually interesting, and better acted, but it also overachieves where it doesn't need to—its attempt to flesh out the plot and characters makes for some very cool, scary moments, but ultimately it tries too hard. Ringu just takes you along on a fright train to Frightsville without trying to convince you that you're scared.

Actually, neither movie is truly horrifying, but they're similarly creepy. Ringu's low budget forces it to do more with less, and though the shock value is smaller, it comes off like a good ol' campfire ghost story, as opposed to a Stephen King book. Both have their place, but personally, I like to wet my pants in titillating fright and then move on. I'd rather not hang around continuing to wet my pants and sitting in my filth. 🤷

Review by Earl Carter