Ringu

Play trailer

Ringu

1998

1h 36m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

46 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

When her niece is found dead along with three friends after viewing a supposedly cursed videotape, reporter Reiko Asakawa (Nanako Matsushima) sets out to investigate. Along with her ex-husband, Ryuji (Hiroyuki Sanada), Reiko finds the tape, watches it -- and promptly receives a phone call informing her that she'll die in a week. Determined to get to the bottom of the curse, Reiko and Ryuji discover the video's origin and attempt to solve an old murder that could break the spell.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Ringu combines supernatural elements with anxieties about modern technology in a truly frightening and unnerving way.

Read Critics Reviews

Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

09/16/2022

Its strength is in its simplicity and its cultural purity.

Go to Full Review

Alan Stanbrook

Daily Telegraph (UK)

09/16/2022

Almost nothing terrible is shown: the real horror lies in the viewer's anticipation.

Go to Full Review

Andrew Pulver

Guardian

09/16/2022

A most artfully creepy piece of work.

Go to Full Review

David Parkinson

Radio Times

Oct 29

4/5

Artfully mixing footage formats to achieve a visual texture commensurate with both the tone of the story and Kinji Kawai's eerie score, Nakata inexorably builds the suspense right up to the chilling climax.

Go to Full Review

Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

08/25/2024

10/10

Decades on, it remains one of the great works of horror cinema.

Go to Full Review

Keri O'Shea

Warped Perspective

04/14/2023

A

On occasion, a film comes along which makes an almost immediate, indelible mark. As soon as it appears, it disrupts what came before it; it can be difficult to even remember a time before it, so quickly do its characters and archetypes take hold.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

J H

@UpstateNYThriller Jul 22

9.6/10 1998 Original Ring movie from Japan People watch cursed video and then die one week later Dubbed Japanese version One of the best horror movies of all time

See more

Nerlens Emil E

@Itzgreeny11 Jun 27

Great atmosphere, classic and iconically all round-circle ring type.

See more

Zoor M

@ZoorMoth Jun 27

Minimal dialogue. Haunting. Ethereal. Would recommend.

See more

Kalissa H.

@kali_416 Jun 21

Really good and unsettling. The well scene was suspenseful.

See more

Todor Y

@Phantom961 Apr 24

It's good but i like the remake from 2002. Way better handled history and acting.

See more

Farah R.

@Farah Feb 13

I finally got around to watching the Japanese version of The Ring, and I was surprised how different it is from its American counterpart. The film is more focused and slow, building suspense through storytelling rather than jump scares. It felt more like a crime drama than a horror movie. The actors were brilliant and I loved how the plot unfolded. It’s undoubtedly a more intelligent film than its remake.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Hideo Nakata

Director

Nanako Matsushima

Reiko Asakawa

Hiroyuki Sanada

Ryuji Takayama

Miki Nakatani

Mai Takano

Yuko Takeuchi

Tomoko Oishi

Hitomi Sato

Masami Kurahashi

New Cast Members Join Jessica Simpson’s "Blonde Ambition"

"White Noise 2" Set Visit: Shawn Williamson On Horror Remakes, "Dungeon Siege," and…Canadian Horror?

Next Asia-to-America Horror Remakes? Two Separate "Eye"s

View more photos

Synopsis

When her niece is found dead along with three friends after viewing a supposedly cursed videotape, reporter Reiko Asakawa (Nanako Matsushima) sets out to investigate. Along with her ex-husband, Ryuji (Hiroyuki Sanada), Reiko finds the tape, watches it -- and promptly receives a phone call informing her that she'll die in a week. Determined to get to the bottom of the curse, Reiko and Ryuji discover the video's origin and attempt to solve an old murder that could break the spell.

Director: Hideo Nakata
Producer: Takashige Ichise, Shinya Kawai, Takenori Sento
Screenwriter: Kôji Suzuki, Hiroshi Takahashi
Distributor: Potential Films, Golden Scene [hk], Primer Plano Film Group S.A., Califórnia, Toho Company Ltd., Anolis Entertainment, Haut et Court, Kadokawa Shoten Pblshg
Production Co: Omega Project, Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co.
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 31, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 21, 2019
Runtime: 1h 36m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings