Ringu

Starring: Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani, Hiroyuki Sanada, Yuko Takeuchi, Hitomi Sato

Directed by: Hideo Nakata

RS: 4of 4 Stars

1998 Drama

As good as The Ring is, it can't top the original for sheer, shivering terror. The 1998 film from director Hideo Nakata broke box-office records in Japan. For years you had to have a black-market connection to get a copy of the video in America. Now Ringu is here, on a DVD that gives this low-budget cult shocker the class-A treatment it deserves. You don't need extras with this goodie. It's not so much the gore that interests Nakata as the reporter (Nanako Matsushima) digs into the case, it's the subtle dread that keeps you up at night in a cold, clammy sweat.

PETER TRAVERS
(March 20, 2003)