Ring 4K UHD

Director: Hideo Nakata
Writers: Hiroshi Takahashi (screenplay) Kôji Suzuki (novel)
Starring: ‎Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rikiya Otaka,
Year: 1998
Duration: 96 mins
BBFC Certification: 15

For a director who grew up idolising film makers like Fellini and Joseph Losey, it is surprising that the genre in which Hideo Nakata ended up flourishing was that of horror. In fact, flourished might be an understatement. 1998’s Ring not only helped to launch the J-horror phenomenon of the early to mid 2000s, it has gone on to become a cast iron horror classic in its own right. Blessed with the divine combination of being both terrifying and iconic, there is no doubt that Ring, a quarter of a century after it was first released, proudly stands shoulder to shoulder with the horror greats – and in Sadako, presented us with a villain who has joined Freddy, Jason, et al., in horror’s infamous rouges gallery of stars. 

Arrow paid tribute to Ring (and its sequels) in 2019 with their Ring Collection boxset. Almost four years later and Arrow are now re-releasing the first film in glorious 4K, just in time for Halloween. The only question, then, is if this new version is worth picking up (especially if you already own Arrow’s previous release?).

In regards to the film itself, there is still no doubting that Ring’s central conceit of a cursed videotape that will kill anyone who views it within seven days is as brilliant as it ever was. Simple to understand and (at the time of its release) terrifyingly relatable, it still holds up in today’s era of digital streaming. Yet simplicity isn’t just adhered to in the concept alone; the narrative itself is equally straightforward. Despite the trappings of a journalistic investigation, Ring never veers away or loses itself in confusion or obtuseness.

The film begins (after a brief, nerve jangling prologue) with journalist Reiko (Nanako Matsushima) interviewing school kids about the urban myth of a cursed VHS tape. Her investigation eventually leads her to watch the tape itself. Incredulity soon turns to terror as Reiko realises that the curse is real. With the help of ex-husband Ryûji (Hiroyuki Sanada), Reiko has just seven days to unravel the mystery behind the tape and save herself from certain death.

For a film that has gone on to become such an iconic horror landmark, it is remarkable how little actual horror Ring contains. In fact, for the vast majority of its running time, it feels more like dark detective film. Even the prologue, traditionally the moment where a horror film dramatically flexes its muscles, holds something back. We get hints of the terror to come, but the film cannily ensures that its audience are never quite sure of what, precisely, they are meant to be afraid of.

This adroit style of storytelling is upheld throughout most of Ring. The cursed video tape, when we finally get to see it, is more unsettling than terrifying. When further deaths occur, they frequently happen off-screen. It is clear that Ring is far more concerned with creating an insidious atmosphere that gets under its audience’s skin than with loud, in-your-face horror. This structure recalls the very best of classic ghost literature (especially the work of M.R. James) where terror is hinted at and gradually built up, like a vicious slow burn, right up until the final, horrifying moment.

In the hands of a lesser director, this more cautious, atmospheric approach might have resulted in a dull and leaden film, yet Nakata consistently keeps his audience on the edge of their seat by infusing the central investigation with a consistent sense of menace and dread. This investigative/mystery aspect is typically forgotten about when people start rhapsodising about Ring, yet this part of the film is one of its keys to success. Taut and gripping, there are enough twists, turns and revelations to keep ardent mystery fans happy as well as horror ones.

There are a few stumbles. The film’s simple acceptance of some characters having supernatural powers might be harder to accept by Western audiences unfamiliar with Japan’s cultural history, while the central relationship between Reiko and Ryûji feels rather bland, where they come across more like two strangers forced to work together as opposed to a couple with a shared history. Yet this is nitpicking. Where Ring succeeds, where it needs to succeed, it does so stunningly and brilliantly.

After being built up for more than ninety minutes, the film’s big, iconic scene is still horrifically unsettling. While absolutely terrifying for the film’s original 1998 audience, time and familiarity have thankfully done little to blunt its edge. It remains one of horror cinema’s iconic moments, a nightmarish terror that will both literarily and figuratively crawl out of your TV set and into your dreams.

Yet Ring ultimately stands for more than just that moment. A brilliantly paced combination of urban folk tale, mystery and ghost story, it remains as a deeply unsettling antidote to the horror films that feel the need to make their audience jump every ten minutes. Yet Ring manages to have its cake and eat it too, for when those scares do come, Nakata manages to create one of the most fearful moments in all of horror cinema. Still the crowing glory of the J-horror boom, it is clear that Ring will continue to disturb and terrify for many more years to come.

Film:

Ring is being released on 4K UHD by Arrow on the 18th September. I’ve watched Ring many times over the years, from the days of DVD onwards (never saw it on VHS unfortunately!) so Arrow’s 2019 Blu Ray was a revelation. The film had never looked so crystal clear, and the old, murky DVD picture was cleaned so much you could actually make out what was going on during the film’s final third. Now, the new UHD version of the film has been struck, as far as I’m aware, from the same 4K restoration that Arrow used on their 2019 Blu Ray…which ultimately means that, while the new 4K of Ring undeniably looks fantastic, it is not a huge upgrade compared to what was previously available. That being said, fine detail obviously gets a pleasing uplift, while the Dolby Vision grade adds some subtle HDR to the visuals. Black levels are also fantastic. Overall, Ring has never looked better than it does in 4K; it offers a subtly deeper, richer experience than the Blu Ray. Audio is likewise as pleasing, with the 5.1 track I listened to making decent use of the rear channels. An original mono track is also included.

Extras wise, and Arrow follow the course of several of their recent 4K upgrades by offering absolutely nothing new for this new edition. What we do have is decent, however. David Kalat offers a really interesting commentary that goes into the history of both Ring and J-horror. The video extras offer much of the same – there is a 20 minute interview with Kat Ellinger that explores the Ring films and how they fit in traditional as well as modern horror, a collection of interviews that looks at the original Ring films before discussing  the wider, J-horror phenomenon and the American remakes of the early 2000s. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas narrates a decent video essay on the evolution of the original Japanese Ring series, while Arrow also include Jasper Sharps video essay, Spooks, Sighs and Videotape, which originally appeared on the Ringu 0 disc in Arrow’s 2019 boxset. The new release will also come with limited edition packaging featuring two artwork options, a double-sided fold-out poster featuring two artwork options and a booklet.

Disc/Extras:

Overall then, Arrow have presented us yet again with the best ever home video presentation of a classic film. Yet, the lack of new extras and the decent but subtle visual upgrades compared to the older Blu Ray means that only die hard Ring fans might be tempted to pick this up straight away.

Where to watch Ring