So you thought THE RING was scary? Well, I saw it and I was like…*tumbleweed*
I’m not gonna tear the movie apart. It’s not its fault that I saw the Japanese version first. And it’s not its fault that producers took a lot of liberty changing much of the plot. I mean, yes, it was in an American setting, ergo,…DUH??? Still, there would have been better ways to do it. I don’t understand why producers buy the rights to movies only to make them worse…
Anyhoo, RINGU 1 (there’s a RINGU 0, by the way, a prequel to explain the why of the whole story) was the first-ever Japanese horror flick I got to see, the first-ever Asian horror flick I’ve seen other than the stuff we make here. I think it kind of scarred me for life, he he.
For months, Sadako, the Japanese Samara, haunted my mind, I kept thinking she’d appear while I was in the bathroom. If you’re thinking there’s a bathroom scene, there’s none, but that was my almost-illogical worry. Her coming out of the TV screen was the scariest part, because what was horrific was it was like watching helplessly while one was about be murdered and all you could say was “Run! Run, Forrest, run!!!” Okay, totally different movie line, but you get the drift. For some reason, however, the idea of her coming out of our TV never enters my over-imaginative mind.
Copyrights belong to the producers
It wasn’t just the story. Not just her look that “worked” for me–I mean, compared to other horrific characters, she really looked rather tamed wearing a long, white dress and with her long hair simply covering her face. You’d think they were on a super-tight budget. She seemed like the typical White Lady with a twist, or let’s say like a literally twisted White Lady. But the eye, though! Even when it’s the only thing you could see. Less could indeed be more…Oh, well, it was based on a novel that I haven’t read, anyway, so the Sadako-look idea maybe from there.
***A bit of book spoiler alert!*** The movie differs a lot from the book. Therefore, I will look at them differently and not hold a grudge against the filmmakers. Having read the synopsis, the book does seem interesting, especially with Sadako being supposed to be “intersex” (previously referred to as “hermaphrodite”). Doubly interesting is her and her mother’s characters were inspired by real people who apparently did exhibit such unnatural abilities.
What worked for me was the whole treatment of the movie, and especially because it was different from the usual Hollywood treatment. There was a creepy mystery, the shots were simple, there was no totally-like-Hollywood gore or surprise sound effects to jolt you from your seat even when there wasn’t anything really relevant going on, the setting,…Probably the same magic elements that got similarly-treated Asian horror flicks Hollywood-glammed. Frankly, only after a few years did I dare watch those others, and only when I chanced upon them on TV. After a while, though, the magic got old on me. One Sadako, for me, was enough.
You might find these worthy reads: The Allure of the Female Ghost in ‘Ringu’ , Sadako’s Secrets: Explaining “Ringu” at the Asian Art Museum. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, so you do the judging whether you like the Japanese version better or not. I urge you to click on the above vid’s play button. After watching, do let me know how it went 😉
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I told you I was continuing with #FreakyFriday. Next time, watch out for some stories of real and surreal encounters!
If you have real stories as well, please give us links. Thanks!!!
The End Justifies the Journey 