Overview
A chilling investigation into a cursed video leads to terrifying revelations that threaten a family.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- eerie
- foreboding
- oppressive
- late night horror viewing
- halloween
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Ring as a highly effective and unnerving Japanese horror film that fuses supernatural folklore with anxieties about modern technology.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Reiko discovers an unlabeled videotape whose viewing initiates a time-limited paranormal threat.
The cursed videotape, telephone, television, and video duplication turn modern media into vehicles for an older supernatural hatred.
The investigation moves from family tragedy and a rural cabin to an increasingly oppressive revelation of the curse's origin.
Reiko's search begins with Tomoko's death and becomes more desperate when her son Yoichi watches the tape.
Films like Ring, and why
Ju-On: The Grudge
shared japanese horror atmosphere, vengeful supernatural entity, investigative mystery, and technological anxiety
Pulse
shared slow-burn supernatural dread, cursed media, urban legend mythology, and psychologically unsettling imagery
The Eye
shared investigative horror structure, folklore-inflected ghost story, and escalating paranormal threat
Movie Details
- Director
- Hideo Nakata
- Release Date
- 1998-01-31
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (1748)
Cast
- Nanako Matsushima
- Hiroyuki Sanada
- Rikiya Ôtaka
- Miki Nakatani
- Yuko Takeuchi
- Hitomi Sato
- Yutaka Matsushige
- Yōichi Numata
- Katsumi Muramatsu
- Masako
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Shudder Amazon Channel, AsianCrush, Shudder Apple TV channel, BFI Player Amazon Channel, ARROW
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Ring about?
- A journalist races to decode a cursed videotape before its supernatural vengeance reaches her own child.
- What is Ring like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Ring as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Ring violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Ring as mild.
- What did critics think of Ring?
- Critics broadly regard Ring as a highly effective and unnerving Japanese horror film that fuses supernatural folklore with anxieties about modern technology.
- Which films are like Ring?
- Films with a similar feel include Ju-On: The Grudge, Pulse, and The Eye.
- How long is Ring?
- Ring runs 96 minutes.
- Where can I watch Ring?
- In United States, Ring streams on Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Shudder Amazon Channel, AsianCrush, Shudder Apple TV channel, BFI Player Amazon Channel, ARROW.
