Suppose there were a video recording of something so horrible that just watching would kill you – or at least put a curse on you that would kill you exactly one week later. Living in the skeptical modern world, would you laugh at the idea of a curse, and watch the tape anyway? Pretty young reporter Asakawa (Matsushima Nanako) and her ex-husband Takayama (Sanada Hiroyuki) investigate an urban legend about just such a videotape – her niece has just died mysteriously, with rumors of such a mysterious object being the cause. They investigate, and of course, they manage to get their hands on a copy of the tape and watch it – as does their young son. Aware of the one-week curse, they set out to solve the mystery of the tape, its curse, and whether its supernatural power can be disspelled.

I can’t give away much more of the plot or the ending (Please do not reveal the incredible secret of Ringu!), because at least half of the fun of this film is watching the entire mystery unravel, as the investigators begin to find clues and piece everything together. The other half lies in being really creeped out during certain parts. This film, without a huge budget but with all of the other correct elements (i.e., actors, director, cinematography, music) manages to scare the shit out of you the good old-fashioned way. And with very little BOO!-type startles – the idiot’s way of scaring you in a horror film.

Ringu was a really big hit in Japan, scoring big box-office dough and even creating a bit of a resurgence in the creepy-horror genre. It was even remade in Hollywood, with Naomi Watts in the lead – but I haven’t seen the American version so I can’t really compare the two. Also, I was surprised to find out, Ringu started out as a television series; and after this initial film, there have been at least three sequels released. Not that any of these are necessary to enjoy the story – this first film stands alone just fine.

Still, there are a lot of unanswered questions, a lot of mysteries yet to be uncovered, and I admit I’m curious to see what kind of explanations are offered in the sequels. So I’ll probably try to rent or buy them fairly soon. Will we get to see the main ‘booger’ (as my dad would call it) again? Will we ever find anything more about her or her origin? I hope so.

I watched this film earlier in broad daylight, and it still creeped me quite a bit. It’s almost my bedtime now, and soon I will turn out the lights and sleep. I just hope I can keep a certain lidless eye from invading my dreams.