Sadako 3D (2012)

"Sadako 3D" is another chapter in the "Ringu" Japanese saga, this time focusing on a cursed video clip that makes the viewer commit suicide after hearing the words "You're not the one". The film has it's scary moments and tries to return to the powerful chilling level that "Ringu" first brought to audiences around the globe. This is outright horror film and doesn't try to be anything but that. The story is an interesting take on the "Ringu" saga and freshens up the Sadako mythology. The film was shot in 3D and the scenes are beautiful to watch on a non-3D screen. The acting is solid and the CGI effects are not nearly distracting as they can be in other films. I'm excited to see the sequel, "Sadako 3D 2" that was filmed and released last year.


Everybody is talking about the hot new "cursed video" that is out. Rumor has it that if you find it and watch it, you'll end up killing yourself immediately afterwards after hearing the words "You're not the one". No one really believes this and the thrill of seeing it is too much for some, including s high school student. The student's teacher, Akane, finds out that the student had looked for the cursed video on her phone earlier that day. When another student begins watching the video, after she found an Error 404 message, the video pops up once she's alone. She watches as a man is killed by a woman with long crazy hair, but when the ghost's arm reaches out of the video screen, Akane saves the student in the nick of time. The ghost grabs Akane and says that "You are the one". Meanwhile, two police detectives are working on the series of suicides, with the younger one believing that the cursed video is the reason behind it all, going so far to prove his point by watching the video and falling prey to it's curse. The older detective then tracks down the creator of the film, Kashiwada. Kashiwada's home looks like a movie set but the detective discovers that Kashiwada was trying to resurrect Sadako Yamamura by throwing women with long black hair down the well. By doing so, he only created imperfect versions. To find the perfect host for Sadako's spirit, he created the cursed video. Now Akane and the police detective must put a stop to Kashiwada's twisted plan before Sadako becomes flesh and blood once more!

Ringu 0: Birthday (2000)

"Ringu 0: Birthday" is a prequel to the original "Ringu" and takes place before 30 years before the mysterious video tape is ever found. In this movie, Sadako Yamaura is the protagonist rather than the antagonist, showing how she tried to contain her powers and her evil "alter ego"and the eventual attack by her father and becoming trapped at the bottom of the well. The film doesn't go into detail how her powers are associated with the video tape or why the person dies within seven days after viewing the video clip (unlike the American version that stated that Samara lived for seven days before dying inside the well). What we do see in "Ringu 0: Birthday" is how she tried to live a normal life as a young adult by seeing a therapist for her powers and joining a theater troupe. As soon as she joins, the other troupe members begin having bad dreams about the well and realize that it has something to do with Sadako. The director of the play realizes Sadako's connection to the ESP demonstration that her mother was involved with and plans to use her talents for his own means. Only the sound tech, Toyama, doesn't have any ill or negative feelings or ideas about Sadako. Sadako loses control of her alter ego after being exposed by a reporter whose fiancee had been killed in the original ESP demonstration. In the end, Sadako becomes one with her alter ego and her adoptive father is forced to end her rampage the only way he knows how.

Ringu (1998)

"Ringu" is the movie that started it all, the massive influx and popularity of Japanese horror to American audiences. It was also the highest grossing horror film in Japan when it was released. The original Japanese version and the American remake tell the same story but it two very different styles. The two films follow each other almost exactly up to the point where the father figure, Ryuji (Japanese) / Noah (American) is introduced. Once he watches the video, the two versions take their own path in telling the mystery of Sadako/Samara. In "Ringu", Ryuji has the ability of ESP and plays a more prominent role it helping his ex-wife solve the mystery. Together they go to the island where Sadako's mother, Shizuko, lived. Shizuko was considered a seer on her small island and attracted the attention of a scientist from the city. Shizuko had an affair with him and concieved Sadako. After a public demonstration go astray, Sadako is taken away by her father and never seen again. He is the one responsible for pushing her into the well and leaving her to die alone. Sadako's power is so strong that she curses all who see the video tape; the phone call also only happens at the site of her tomb rather than anywhere as it does in the American version. In order to enjoy and understand the Japanese version of "Ringu", the viewer needs to understand, or at least accept the fact that mental powers such as ESP are readily accepted in their movies.