Last night I was sitting at my computer reading some email, when I was suddenly overcome by a wave of unease, and found myself looking behind my back to make sure there was nothing threatening lurching across the living room floor towards me. I was very uncomfortable for the next few minutes until I managed to force my brain towards thoughts other than those of vengeful spirits appearing from nowhere to steal my life away. This, alone, is not remarkable, as I often have such thoughts. What is remarkable is that I was put into this state by a movie. Even more remarkable is that it had been several days since I had watched it, and it was still actively creeping me out. I am not a person who is easily moved to fear by horror movies. What wonderful, awful creation could do this to me? The answer, quite simply, can be expressed in one bizarre word: Ringu.

If you have seen the recent American movie The Ring, you will be familiar with the basic plot of the Japanese film Ringu, the 1998 adaptation of Suzuki Koji's horror novel of the same name. Ringu, in its movie form, was a smash success in Japan, and has spawned numerous offshoots, which I have not yet had the ability to watch. Up until this month, it has been difficult to get a copy of Ringu in the states, as the English version has only been available in Europe. Recently, however, Dreamworks has released Ringu on DVD to go along with its release of The Ring. It is now possible for those of us in the US to see this wonderful movie without having to deal with Region 2 DVDs or struggling to find pirated copies of the video.

Ringu, in a nutshell, follows the story of Asakawa Reiko, a divorced mother with a young son, Yoichi. As the story starts, Reiko, who works as a reporter, is working on a story focused on an urban legend concerning a video tape that kills its viewers a week after they watch it. Soon, however, Reiko's teenaged niece dies a mysterious death, and Reiko discovers that it seems to be tied to an actual case of the killer video. Her research leads her to a rental cabin on the Izu peninsula, where she manages to find and watch what appears to be the mysterious video, and realizes that she, herself, is about to become a victim. The next week goes by in an agonizing blur as she enlists the help of her ex-husband, Takayama Ryuji, to help her discover the story behind the video and save her life — and, eventually, his life and that of their son.

While Ringu and The Ring follow the same basic plot, they differ fairly dramatically in their presentation. The Ring is a relatively fast-paced affair with something always happening and a soundtrack that keeps you awake. In comparison, Ringu is alot more reserved, with events progressing seemingly very slowly at times. It is also a very quiet film, with a subdued soundtrack to match the slow-burn pace. Even the moments of drama are fairly subtly presented, with little but an increase in odd sounds and discordant notes to herald them. The pace and the tone combine to give Ringu an almost meditative feel, which suits the thoughtful, quietly eerie nature of the story well.