Ringu (1998)

This is the Japanese film, which the American film “The Ring” was based on. Asakawa is a tv reporter and single mom who has started to hear reports of this mysterious film which kills people who watch it within a week. Once a family member dies as a result of this film, Asakawa gets involved and soon watches the film nd starts to believe the terrible rumors. She gets her ex-husband involved to help her get down to the mystery but every second it takes them to find out, is a second closer to death. The truth is fairly disturbing but the outcome is even scarier!           Overall: The film is definitely creepy at times and the scene where the ex-hubby watches the video at the end is definitely one of the freakiest scenes of all time. But the film is slow at parts and acts more as a drama with a few scares than an out-right scary film. There were two sequels to this, which remind me of the current “Blair Witch Trilogy” and the basic storylines of those sequels. I figured the film was over at the 1 hr 20 min mark but then noticed the cover of the film said 1 hr 40 min – basically after I finished watching it I preferred the ending with the final 20 minutes cut out – the last 20 minutes: the true way to defeat the girl & it’s effects ended up cheesier than what I felt the ending should have been.           Comparison: Stir of Echoes meets Videodrome

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