SCREAM AND STREAM AGAIN: THE RING (1998) ** ½

(Streamed via Asian Crush)

I’ve been on record stating the American remake of The Ring is one of the worst horror films of the 21^st century.  Because of that, I have long put off seeing Hideo Nakata’s 1998 original, the one that kickstarted the “J-Horror” trend that continues to this day.  It surprises me to say that it is better by a wide margin.  I can’t quite call it “good.  It’s not exactly “scary”.  However, I much preferred Nakata’s low-key approach to Gore Verbinski’s overly stylized bullshit.

One of the big differences between this one and the remake is that the male protagonist gets a lot more to do.  In the remake, it was the Naomi Watts show the whole way through.  I kind of liked how in this version it was a team effort between Nanako Matsushima and Hiroyuki Sanada to solve the mystery of the cursed videocassette that kills you seven days after you watch it.

This one isn’t nearly as draggy as the remake either.  The pacing is much tighter (albeit still kinda slow), and it runs a full twenty minutes shorter, which is always a plus.  Even then, there is an additional subplot or two that’s not present in the remake, which still manages to prevent the movie from really getting into gear.

I appreciated the fact that Nakata didn’t go overboard trying to scare the audience like Verbinski did.  His quieter approach, while not exactly masterful, was certainly more effective.  Take for example the contents of the videotape.  Verbinski tried way too hard to make it look like a snuff film.  Nakata’s take is a little more surreal, which works much better.  It also helps that he keeps the ghost girl Sadako offscreen for much of the movie.  The less of her you see throughout the film, the bigger impact she makes when she is finally front and center.  (Kind of like Freddy in the Nightmare on Elm Street series.) 

The moment that really showcases how much better this one is than the remake is the well sequence.  It’s a lot more subtle, and even kind of thoughtful and sad.  The scene where Matsushima tenderly pushes the hair out of Sadako’s face is creepier than anything Verbinski came up with, that’s for sure.

Again, it’s not quite a winner.  The middle section kind of dawdles, and the premise is still just as shaky as it ever was.  However, it’s like fucking Psycho compared to the remake.  I can’t quite recommend it, but it’ll be required viewing for fans of J-Horror.

Nakata went on to direct the crappy American sequel, The Ring Two.

AKA:  Ringu.