Ling

The problem with modern horror is that instead of genuinely scaring the viewer, Hollywood seems to have decided that fog and gore is enough. Well this effort from Japan (Which was made in 1998 btw) shows how utterly magnificent and scary a movie can be with the most minimalist budget. It's based on the idea of a disturbing video, which seems to be having strange effects on those who view it. Indeed, 4 of those who watch it die a week later. Coincidence?

To be honest, I really don't want to give any more plot away as this is the sort of story, like Sixth Sense, that frankly one should see knowing as little about as possible.

It is genuinely chilling throughout, and uses suggestion and psychological manipulation to achieve the terror. A known trick with moviemakers and games makers (To a lesser extent) is that it is not what the viewer sees that terrifies them, it's what they can't see. It's what they imagine and believe is happening which can so effectively scare them.

And this movie does that outstandingly well.

A word of warning; just when you think it's over and the chills have stopped, think again. The ending is the epitome of fear, and if you're not tempted to cover your eyes you're a braver man than I.

Damn, Koreans can make great films, just like their Japanese, Chinese and Taiwanese counterparts. "Ring Virus" has to be one of the greatest Korean horror films besides "The Whispering Corridor" series.

Sure it may be somewhat simple in the Special Effects department, but that usually does work the best when working with supernatural horror films. This one, as well as many Japanese horror films and an earlier Korean techno-horror film called "Screen Sairen", "Ring Virus" as well as "Ringu" has quite an original plot. An accursed video tape is being spread around and people who don't copy it and share it or live a lonely life, will die.And Unlike the US version of "The Ring", the video shown in this movie is not a typical rip-off of a Marilyn Manson music video. Instead, it seems to start off with being rather kind and innocent, yet abstract looking, which makes things much more terrifying.

The settings of the film are quite excellent. The scenes filmed on the Cheju Island, is quite lush looking and beautiful, I started to wish I was on the Korean islands.Heck, I just wanna go over to South Korea, PERIOD!

If you can find this film, please get it. I know it is hard to find, but it is worth it, much more than the US version.

PS, Du-na Bae, the young adult actress who plays Eun-suh, is quite creppy looking, as well as gorgeous!

The most important thing you need to know is this is a film called 'The Ring Virus' not 'Ring'. This is a Korean remake but with new material which focuses more on Koji Suzuki's original Novel 'Ring'.

A mysterious video tape causes the death of 4 teenagers all at the same time on the same day. One of the victims aunt decided to investigate and soon finds herself in a race against time to find the source of the video tape.

This film chose a more plot driven story than the suspense of the other versions. However the scenes change fast and characters seem to just appear at new locations sometimes leaving you wondering why they have gone there. I have read the book so I found the film easier to follow. Another nice addition to this version of the story is a deeper background about the character Sadako (or in this film Eun-Suh). Without giving too much away I felt it was nice to see the inclusion of her 'secret', that was left out of both the American and Japanese adaptations of the novel.

The camera work is average and also very repetitive of the Japanese film (sometimes using identical shots) but there are moments that work better in this film and some moments that fall flat.

I would only recommend this film to people who are fans of the ring series and would like to see the novel brought to screen more accurately or would simply like to see another adaptation of the story. This film should not be viewed as an introduction to the ring series but more as a supplement.

Overall, I enjoyed this film but couldn't help feeling it could have been better. But don't let people tell you its rubbish or that the 'new' plot themes ruin the original story because they don't and the new story lines are from the original novel and the true version of the story anyway.

After the mysterious death of her niece and three other teenagers on the same hour and with the symptoms of heart attack, the journalist Sun-ju (Eun-Kyung Shin) decides to investigate their last moments. She discloses that the four friends had just watched a videotape exactly one week before their death in a resort. She travels to the place and finds the deadly video and after watching the weird footage, her telephone rings. When she takes a picture of herself, she sees her image blurred the same way that happened with the teenagers. She makes a copy of the cursed tape to her acquaintance, the skeptical coroner Choi Yeol (Jin-Yeong Jeong). Together they seek for a hint, and find that it was taped thorough telekinesis by Eun-suh (Du-na Bae), a psychic girl that had disappeared years ago. When Sun-ju's little daughter watches the movie, Sun-ju has a stronger reason to unravel the mystery to save her daughter and her own lives.

"The Ring Virus" is the South-Korean remake of the excellent 1998 "Ringu". This version is not bad, but why the remake? The story is exactly the same of the original Japanese film and in spite of the good acting, there is nothing new in this remake. I was curious to see this version and in the end I found it in the same level of the American "Ring". But in the end, better off watch again the original masterpiece, which is darker and scarier. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

I have viewed all versions of Ring and it seems my very unpopular opinion is that this version is the best choice. Why? The story unfold at a much better pace and relies less on 'mysterious insight' and the random exposition that sometimes clutters the Japanese 'psychic horror/mystery' films...you know the kind of scenes: two characters walk up to a piece of string and one looks at it and starts telling the other (and the viewer) the events leading up to the string's appearance. And no, I don't dislike that style completely, it does save a lot of time (and money for the crew) and advances the story rather quickly...it's just that I found slower building story of the Korean version to be far more interesting - and as far as my investigations have found, truer to the novel these films are based on. A good example is the omission of the distorted photographs (which are in both the US and Japanese versions) - I am told that was not in the book.

The scary, more straight horror aspect of the Japanese (and even more so with the gore injected U.S. version) have been toned down to an almost non-existent state...one of the reasons why most people probably don't like this version. The video itself is a definite improvement. The fact that it doesn't 'cut off' abruptly but rather, taped over before the solution could be given - that is brilliant! Especially in light of current urban legend interest.

Simple version: See Ring Virus if you want a more detailed, story-driven version (some say 'boring') - more of a creepy drama. The Japanese version if you want a mysterious psychic-powered ghost film. The US version if you want a hyperactive, steroid injected retelling of the Japanese version, in English.

In the end, it just depends which method you like best.