No Spoilers

The Ring continues to be one of my favorite horror movies. The concept, the screenplay, the cast of characters and plot all came together for what I thought was an engrossing and scary movie.

It’s different than the American version in many ways. I think a lot is lost in translation as well. But it’s still easy to pick up the story it’s trying to tell. Because some of the main points differ so drastically from what they were in the Americanized version of the movie it however is still coherent enough to almost describe a whole different movie with all the appeal of the good things in both.

There’s a jump scare that comes early in the movie that those who’ve only seen the American version will instantly recognize. I just think the timing of that scare in the Japanese version was done a lot better. It’s definitely not forecasted. The well scene was a little weird (to my American eyes) in the Japanese version. You’ll get the thing about the weird kid too. I think the American version some might describe as more exciting but the Japanese version answers SO many questions left out of the American version that through watching both you’ll get the complete story. Which makes it all the more scarier.

I think if you want to get the whole experience of the ring watch the Japanese version. I have been doing J-Horror for a short time but it’s always been in my mind. Those of you who have seen the excellent 2013 biography/drama ‘The Railway Man’ will instantly recognize the young Japanese male lead. Somehow Mike Tyson made it in to the movie as well. See if you can spot him.

EDIT 2021.01.12: Didn’t realize how just how many Ring movies there were in at least two countries.