This week on Oh, the Horror!, it's Ringu versus The Ring: Sadako versus Samara, Japan versus Seattle, and two journalists who desperately need to learn that some media is better left unconsumed.
RINGU
Theatrical Release: January 31, 1998 — Japan
Budget: $1.2 million
THE RING
Theatrical Release: October 18, 2002 — United States
Budget: $48 million
Ringu (1998) and its American remake The Ring (2002) have the same wonderfully creepy setup: watch a mysterious videotape and seven days later, you die. Hideo Nakata's Ringu stars Nanako Matsushima as reporter Reiko Asakawa, who investigates the curse with her ex-husband, played by Hiroyuki Sanada. Written by Hiroshi Takahashi from Koji Suzuki's novel, produced by Takashige Ichise, Shinya Kawai, and Takenori Sento, with music by Kenji Kawai, the movie introduced the world to Sadako.
Gore Verbinski's The Ring moves the story to Seattle, with Naomi Watts as journalist Rachel Keller. She and her ex, played by Martin Henderson, try to uncover the story behind the tape and the very creepy Samara (Daveigh Chase) before their seven days are up. Ehren Kruger wrote the adaptation, Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald produced, and Hans Zimmer provided the gloomy score.
Ringu was filmed around Japan, including Okutama outside Tokyo, while The Ring used Washington and Oregon to create its rainy Pacific Northwest world. Locations included Seattle, Whidbey Island, and Oregon's Yaquina Head Lighthouse.
Same cursed tape, same seven-day deadline, but two very different flavors of horror. Ringu keeps things quiet and deeply unsettling, while The Ring goes bigger, wetter, and blue-green-er—and together they made long-haired ghost girls absolutely terrifying.
Sources: IMDb, Wikipedia
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