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Ring

Ring

1998
Suspense/Thriller, Horror
1h 36m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 54.58% from 2874 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(2874)
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Rated 02 Jun 2019
75
72nd
Rewatched after a long time,; definitely enjoyed it more this time around. Maybe it helped that I'd seen a lot more J-horror in the intervening period, so was more culturally attuned to this? Dunno. Anyway, it's really well put together, creepy and unsettling. If it has a flaw, there's a lot going on that we're supposed to swallow without much explanation, but it's full of imagination and fresh ideas that are delivered effectively. I need to re-assess the very commendable remake.
Rated 28 Feb 2021
75
65th
The 90s were a more tranquil time when it came to ghost tapes, you’d spend the entire week researching at the library and going to locations slowly piecing together the mystery instead of just googling it the moment your phone rang. The ex husband suddenly revealing he has psychic powers is the ultimate I need to piece this nonsense together power move.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
74
50th
Nothing at all wrong with this movie, but the American remake does almost everything better. (Blasphemy!)
Rated 24 Feb 2012
92
87th
One of the scariest movies I have ever seen. It completely eschews a lot of ghost story conventions, creating a malicious spirit that blindly punishes everyone she can reach. It really was one of the first answers to "why don't you just move out of the house?" On first view I thought the script needed tweeking, but I later realized how everything I disliked made sense on subsequent viewings and was necessary.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
75th
Ringu has a great premise, some great scenes, good atmosphere, an unforgettable climax... It could have been so much better had the stupid script not dealt with a reporter conducting an investigation into the rough childhood of that which is supposed to be scary! But minus the bad melodrama, this is one spooky movie.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
63
26th
Call me a heretic, but I much preferred the remake. To be fair, I saw the remake first, so that definitely colors my judgment. But as with many J-horror films, this relies too often on random creepy imagery without a compelling and coherent narrative driving the film.
Rated 26 Jan 2010
81
48th
A creepy, suspenseful movie. Better than the American remake (which was actually pretty good too).
Rated 17 Nov 2018
72
40th
I prefer the remake, but seeing this film on late-night TV way back then messed me up enough that I have no desire to ever watch it again and find out whether I still agree. Kind of both the beginning and the best of the late 90s/millennial Japanese horror cycle, Ringu just did the scratchy, grungy textural disturbances and shocks with an edge undulled by the refinements of latter genre films. Probably best watched on VHS during the witching hours, even if that comes with a health warning.
Rated 29 Jul 2010
72
32nd
Well made and all that but not very effective or compelling once you know what's going to happen.
Rated 29 Oct 2012
81
33rd
This is the only incarnation of The Ring that deserves to be watched.
Rated 01 Aug 2009
76
77th
Packed full of menace and a chilling atmosphere, this remains one of the finest J-Horror films. It may lack a little in the production department and may not have the shock and awe of its Hollywood remake, but it is expertly balanced for maximum chills.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
50
30th
A couple of good frights but I found it too hard to follow in order to really be scary. I believe a lot of subtility is lost in the translation as well the movie requires a decent amount of understand of Japanese culture, something I do not possess, to really enjoy.
Rated 13 Jan 2011
4
51st
I've seen both versions and neither are great horror movies as far as I'm concerned. This one has better atmosphere. It's much more restrained and therefore much creepier and more memorable than the American remake. On the other hand, it has worse writing and a number of pacing issues (not that the Americanized version was brilliant on either of those fronts). My opinion might be colored by the fact that I saw the remake first, but I honestly found this to be just as unexceptional.
Rated 14 Mar 2008
86
82nd
Before little girls with black hair standing at the foot of your bed was a tired cliche, this movie came along and scared the piss out of me in a way I've never been scared before. True, the image of the girl crawling out of the TV isn't scary anymore, but it sure as hell was back in 1998. The remake, while standing as a pretty good horror film itself, doesn't quite match the effectiveness of this original.
Rated 04 Dec 2011
76
76th
Incredibly inspiring and very interesting to see the birth of a new kind of horror. Whilst "Ringu" is probably my least favorite of the trilogy (or maybe joint second with "Ringu 2") as its convoluted story and narrative, passable writing and slow pacing weigh it down, it has an undeniable atmosphere and an unsettling vibe throughout the whole thing. Although I guess most people are just going to watch it for the final Sadako scene.
Rated 30 Sep 2008
85
91st
I'd pass on the remakes
Rated 01 Oct 2012
80
49th
Expects its audience to be a little more intelligent than its inferior American remake. More character development and lower production values make this film more relate-able, which makes the scares scarier. Interesting to note, though, is that this movie feels more like a mystery than horror.
Rated 20 Jul 2008
81
66th
Way better than that horrible remake! One of the best J-Horror movies ever!
Rated 24 Oct 2019
60
32nd
Shame the story behind this is so underwritten because the atmosphere surrounding it is engrossing. A horror movie filmed like a slice-of-life drama. Even with the looming countdown timer of death there are some beautiful scenes interspersed that really express the urgency of the mystery.
Rated 25 Nov 2020
89
81st
Sparse, low-key horror film does a great job of building (and maintaining) a sense of queasy unease, even while dealing with a premise that lends itself to silliness. Tighter and far more austere and oppressively atmospheric than the U.S. remake; Nakata does a great job of grounding the other-worldly concept in a mundane, every day environment, making the supernatural elements more unnerving once they start occurring.
Rated 11 Apr 2020
75
64th
VHS is the last film medium where this could have been scary. Can you imagine getting a spooky 4K disc? No. No one can.
Rated 10 Jun 2017
100
68th
My favourite horror film of all times. (Why is there a Chinese poster on this page...?)
Rated 23 Jul 2009
35
33rd
way inferior than the remake. wooooo scary girl with hair on her face!
Rated 14 Aug 2007
50
26th
Meh. J-horror.
Rated 18 Mar 2007
80
70th
Kept me up till some stupid hour of the night, excellent movie.
Rated 18 Oct 2010
40
25th
I get the feeling the premise for this movie was taken from one of those "send this email to five friends or you'll die!" spam messages. I just have a hard time taking that seriously, is all.
Rated 07 Oct 2015
45
15th
I saw the remake at 13 and was terrified, so I held off on seeing the original for years. I finally made the jump and... that's it? There really is no tension throughout the film. Days go by like they're nothing during a supposed race against time. The scene that everyone talks about is good, yes, but it's followed up with a sorta non-conclusion. The author (screenwriter?) also felt the need to delve into the backstory of the tape which was wholly unnecessary. Do we need backstory for this? No.
Rated 23 Sep 2007
2
33rd
Surprisingly, I actually prefer the remake. There just wasn't as much tension built up in this one.
Rated 07 Aug 2007
70
37th
The remake is just better. Period.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
60
11th
One scary monster scene, preceded by a whole lot of boring talking.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
57th
Scary Japanese original, but its impact has dulled with the recent spate of copycat films
Rated 07 Sep 2013
77
75th
I wish I hadn't seen so many parodies and references to this movie before seeing the real thing. I knew pretty much all the twists that were going to happen, and what all the scary scenes would be like... But it's still a really good movie, even if pop culture spoiled all the surprise for me.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
74
55th
Better than the American remake, but still not that great.
Rated 14 Oct 2008
93
82nd
loved this. stupid scream remade this.
Rated 01 Jun 2010
80
80th
My first meeting with the J-horror genre, which I found to be a soothingly cruel, deliciously low-key and effectively frightening. One mean little girl, that.
Rated 29 May 2009
50
15th
Blah blah blah blah mysterious psychic powers blah blah
Rated 16 Oct 2008
40
14th
Not so scary at all.
Rated 24 Feb 2013
63
19th
Way to slow of a movie. Also was it really necessary for the main characters to have some bullshit physic powers?
Rated 02 Aug 2010
57
51st
Failed to scare or impress me. Somehow intimate yet distant cinematography is what captured my attention. Hollywood never manages to get this right. Nice score by Kenji Kawai too. Maybe I would appreciate the whole premise more, if not for the endless sequels remakes and clones success of this movie spawned.
Rated 19 Sep 2010
50
43rd
Moderately effective horror with some good ideas, ideas that were then developed further in the superior American remake (rare though that may be, and I guess I should acknowledge I saw the remake first).
Rated 01 Jun 2012
72
54th
orijinal halka
Rated 10 Feb 2008
100
93rd
great
Rated 28 Oct 2012
88
76th
A great movie that combines horror with mystery, Ring is a great story that keeps you intrigued from start to finish, and it has some very scary parts in it. Many Japanese horror films were inspired by Ring, but this remains the best of them.
Rated 07 Aug 2007
80
75th
The original "creepy girl with long black hair and white clothes" Japanese horror movie. Could not watch TV at night for days after watching this movie.
Rated 23 Dec 2015
3
27th
Cheesy, but successfully unsettling. This movie doesn't seem to exist for any other reason than to tell a mystery story. It has no overarching message. The acting is mediocre and it seems that the characters don't need to communicate with words in order to understand each other. They say very little, so they don't appear as fully fleshed out characters. Overall, I just don't know what anybody is supposed to get from it. Don't send chain letters?
Rated 16 Jun 2011
65
25th
We basically follow a investigation into the origin of the tape and find out about the events surrounding said tape.I found this film to be slow and not all that scary, though it did have a overall creepy vibe to it.
Rated 29 Nov 2007
70
48th
Pretty creepy.
Rated 04 Mar 2009
50
56th
My Japanese rommate introduced me to the even spookier original.
Rated 04 Sep 2013
60
20th
Top badass moment? Oh I don't know, I just can't think of one. I was at a party on Saturday. I had too much to drink. It's all too complicated. Don't give me grief! No cats, chainsaws or decapitations.
Rated 08 Nov 2013
50
23rd
I seem to really dislike japanese-type horror... Seriously, these stories make absolutely no sense. American teen splatters may be boring and stupid, but at least they're not totally brainless.
Rated 28 Jul 2008
75
17th
The movie that really started the J-Horror craze. A good horror film, especially if you know nothing about it. The remake is actually quite good, if not better, as well.
Rated 02 Feb 2014
8
78th
Beautifully directed and incredibly chilling.
Rated 23 Mar 2014
85
83rd
85.000
Rated 05 Jan 2009
60
50th
Overrated, though the infamous scene late in the film is, admittedly, rather awesome.
Rated 21 Sep 2008
30
11th
Boring film. Not scary at all. The remake is way better.
Rated 26 Jan 2009
65
30th
Amusing
Rated 14 Aug 2007
60
62nd
A great horror with some chilling scenes.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
99
97th
SADAKOOOO
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
65th
This was the film that started the new wave of Asian horror, and the best of the bunch.
Rated 11 Apr 2017
61
44th
Tech Scores: Directing 8 Screenplay 7 Cinematography 7 Editing 6 Acting 6 Sound Design & Music Score 8 Other Techs 6 Overall Scores: Whole Movie 7 Myself 6 WoW 0
Rated 29 Jun 2012
40
19th
Not too scary, but the plot was acceptable.
Rated 01 Jan 2009
2
0th
I didn't like it.
Rated 26 Feb 2007
79
52nd
This > The ring.
Rated 06 Nov 2008
37
8th
The remake is better.
Rated 23 Aug 2007
94
97th
Excellent
Rated 02 Apr 2007
72
34th
Good, but I liked the remake better. Blasphemous, I know.
Rated 27 Jun 2008
81
91st
Nice
Rated 30 May 2009
100
95th
I've never looked at my TV in the same way. Great film!
Rated 28 Feb 2018
80
55th
Effective supernatural thriller. Cinematography definitely gives it more of a drama feel than straight horror. Sound design is a highlight.
Rated 19 Feb 2024
60
39th
Yep, pretty damn creepy in parts. I'm not much accustomed to mainstream horror and I guess I like the idea of their departing from the real world a bit more, because the way the narrative plays out feels too grounded/notactuallysupernatural. That's a personal gripe with the genre more than the film. Great soundtrack.
Rated 22 Dec 2013
97
92nd
Ringu combines supernatural elements with anxieties about modern technology in a truly frightening and unnerving way.
Rated 02 Jun 2008
71
69th
Freaky-deaky fear fest. Perhaps, too scary.
Rated 04 Dec 2006
87
59th
the best horor ever
Rated 23 Mar 2009
68
64th
Heh, I absolutely do not understand what this was about.
Rated 20 Feb 2010
85
80th
84.875
Rated 14 Aug 2007
5
57th
Has some cool bits, but it started us down the path of horrible, interchangeable Japanese horror films and their horribler American remakes.
Rated 23 Jul 2009
70
59th
That girl is really creepy.
Rated 20 Dec 2008
26
30th
I know it's supposed to be scary but the horse scene cracks me up every time.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
40th
Good, but I actually liked the American version better.
Rated 06 Oct 2013
79
37th
The creepy sound design is the highlight for me.
Rated 31 Jul 2009
80
55th
HOLY S*IT-- some scary
Rated 01 Dec 2018
40
11th
More than ten years ago, when I was telling friends I wasn't into horror, they told me that that was only because I hadn't seen the ring yet. Ever since then, it had occupied a place in my mind as the movie that one day would change my attitude towards horror movies. I watched it today. I'm not into horror.
Rated 10 Jan 2020
65
45th
Responsible for a huge boom in J-horror throughout the 2000's, its legacy & reputation precede it in every possible way & have made it one of the most famous horror films of all time. It features strong performances from Matsushima & Sanada, fun effects & tells an interesting story with an unexpected family dynamic at its core. It's well-shot, well-scored, & very unsettling at times. There are some notable flaws, & a few odd narrative choices- still, it's a genre classic & should be seen.
Rated 06 Feb 2020
89
62nd
Not really as terrifying as I had been let on, but the movie does a great job setting up tension. Twist is great.
Rated 10 Feb 2020
95
82nd
A perfect exercise in subtly and nuance. Ringu is not the fastest moving or even the scariest horror movie. Its a slow build and the horror comes from the deeply unsettling mystery at the heart of the film.
Rated 24 Aug 2020
89
89th
On-balance, less atmospheric than the remake...but in a movie where very little scary actually happens, it works. Why the high score? Well, the thing is, it's a really good investigative horror flick. Sure, not much happens, just some eerie shit here and there, but the onion peeling that goes on is top notch. Oh, and this dude is really good at directing non-scary domestic scenes, which actually helps build his worlds as organic spaces rather than park rides
Rated 30 Sep 2020
77
58th
Em honra de Yûko Takeuchi. Eu estava há vinte anos enrolando pra ver esse filme, é um bom exemplar do horror japonês dos anos 90, mas eu teria gostado mais se tivesse visto naquela época porque ele mexe mesmo com o medo irracional do espectador, especialmente com o lance do "VHS amaldiçoado" e as lendas do horror japonês transmutadas para a era tecnológica, hoje nossos medos são outros envolvendo tais elementos, então perde um pouco do seu impacto. BlurayRip VXT.
Rated 01 Nov 2020
92
76th
Really creepy although it shines the brightest in the final act.
Rated 01 Oct 2021
79
94th
The psychic twist and the well emptying made me frown and kind of took some credibility away, but otherwise a classic. The pace and low horror content makes it more like a supernatural movie than full horror, in my book at least
Rated 17 Oct 2021
26
0th
Оценка - 15 Общая - 36 Нарратив - 4 Сценарий - 4 Постановка - 4 Целостность - 5 Монтаж - 5 Выполнение своей цели - 2 Флоу - 1 Жанр - 2 Культовость - 1 Твисты - 3 Сцены - 1 Личное - 3 Атмосфера - 5 Эмоции - 3 Саундтрек - 5 Синематографи - 3 Визуал - 5 Звук - 4 Продакшн дизайн - 5 Костюмы - 5 Развлечение - 3
Rated 05 Jun 2022
70
56th
ring ring ring... mushi mushi!
Rated 18 Dec 2023
50
23rd
On the bright side, it's an easy watch thanks to the brief runtime, mystery premise, decent acting and some cool effects and setpieces. However, it's not scary at all and misses a lot of opportunities for deeper character work or subtext. Moreover, the dialogues just relay information, and the backstory isn't very original or exciting - and has the life-threatening capacity of a mediocre chain email. Also, I don't recall my grandma telling me that to get water out of a well you must jump in it.
Rated 11 Sep 2022
63
50th
Shockingly chill for most of its running time; I always assumed it'd be as skincrawlingly unwatchable as Ju-On. The highlight(?) has to be when suddenly, in the middle of dinner, it throws out one of the weirdest, flattest, least-important-yet-almost-genre-changing plot twists I've seen. Really bizarre. Cool to see Fuyutsuki-sensei in a leading role, although things seems a bit stressful for her under these circumstances.
Rated 15 Mar 2023
60
45th
It achieves being creepy.
Rated 07 Aug 2023
66
88th
Classic.
Rated 07 Oct 2023
90
78th
Talk to Me (2023) has higher reviews on this site than the original Ring (1998), a movie whose cultural impact has resulted in 10+ sequels in Japan alone. This is not counting the remakes/copy-cats from other countries. Why bother with “PSI” or percentiles when the site’s demographic might as well use thumbs up/down or emojis with a happy/frowny face. If you can read this, please report this unhelpful review so I can have my account deleted from this cesspool. White people gonna white

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