Should I get the Japanese Ring film or the American remake?

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After looking around, I'm getting confusing messages. I want the best one, and the other one can go hang. Which one is the best and will make more more scared and is better?

And don't give me none of that "Oh, well they're both good in different ways" crap either.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 09:17 (twenty-one years ago)

They're both interesting in different ways.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 09:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Wait for them to be released as a double DVD pack like Shaolin Soccer.

― ___ (___), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 09:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I've only watched the American one twice, whereas I've seen the Japanese one over a dozen times and it never gets boring. (That said, I also have Ring 2, Ring 0, the Korean 'sequel' Ring Virus, Rasen/Spiral, and Ring:The Final Chapter. I've just got two TV movies to track down for the full set.)

It's hard to advise without knowing which type of film you prefer. Despite the presence of Naomi Watts, I don't rate the American one that highly.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 09:38 (twenty-one years ago)

The American one seemed to have more gratuitous gore than the Japanese.

― caitlin (still at her new job and still not fired), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 11:01 (twenty-one years ago)

It has the grebt horse resquence in it though.

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 11:04 (twenty-one years ago)

(well, I didn't like that bit)

― caitlin (still at her new job and still not fired), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 11:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought the whole horse motif in the American one was a bit crap, actually.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 11:10 (twenty-one years ago)

I haven't seen the American one. But the Japanese one scared the crap out of me and I couldn't be alone in a dark room for several days afterwards. If that's what you're looking for, I'd advise the Japanese one.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 11:38 (twenty-one years ago)

i fell asleep watching the American one but have always heard that the Jap one is amazing / wowish

― Vic (Vic), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 11:39 (twenty-one years ago)

its just that iono how curious i myself would be to seei t though after plodding thru the american one. but naomi is still interesting to look at

― Vic (Vic), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 11:40 (twenty-one years ago)

the japanese one had one really scary bit in it. but apart from that wasn't really that scary.. good though.

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 12:06 (twenty-one years ago)

My other half loathes this film with a passionate intensity because of how much it scraed her. This kind of makes me want to watch it more, but I know she'll have to be out of the country or soemthing before the video is allowed in the house.

Oh, she is.

But what if I get scared? I don't want to be on my own!!

Perhaps we could have a watching party, Ken, like we did with that, um, other film.

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 12:17 (twenty-one years ago)

sounds great mark!

i'll tell you when to open your eyes again when the scary bits have finished.

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 12:23 (twenty-one years ago)

jap one, is what I hear, although i have seen neither

― lukey (Lukey G), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 12:23 (twenty-one years ago)

The Japanese version is better for the sound design alone. It's also better because they put mysticism to much better use, which I'm always a sucker for.

― TOMBOT, Tuesday, 7 September 2004 12:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Japanese, though when C4 screened the original last year, I was too exhausted to stay awake, thereby missing half my second viewing. I did like the US remake.

― B.A.R.M.S. (Barima), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 12:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I haven't seen the US version. But I had to stop the Japanese one before the end as I got too scared. That may be a recommendation.

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 12:31 (twenty-one years ago)

I want to be SUPER SCARED - I'm oh so de-sensitized to stuff at the moment, so something that's 2 MUCH 2 WATCH sounds like a good call to me.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 12:48 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd like a recommendation for films scarier than Ringu, please.

― B.A.R.M.S. (Barima), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 12:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought the American one was GREBT. I haven't seen the Japanese one yet.

― Dan Perry '08 (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 13:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I just found the American one horrid, and sort of sickening, really.

People tell me the Japanese one is better. Whether that simply means it will be even more horrid, I don't know. Tell me, if you see it.

― hobart paving (hobart paving), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 13:04 (twenty-one years ago)

The Japanese version is much scarier to me than the American one. Freaked me the fuck out.

― TOMBOT, Tuesday, 7 September 2004 13:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, the American one isn't SCARY per se outside of the opening scene and the scene where you actually see her in action (which was ruined for me anyway by someone's offahand comment about a Joe Budden video, BOO).

I saw the creepy little boy in the Disney TV movie of "A Wrinkle In Time" later on and remember thinking, "Wow, between the little serial killer in training and Alfre's star turn as a fucking annoying douchebag, this is making me want to fly to Hollywood and start pulling scrotums over their owners' heads".

― Dan Perry '08 (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 13:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually "freaked me the fuck out" is probably not the best way to say it but it gets the point across. I was impressed, I'll say that.

― TOMBOT, Tuesday, 7 September 2004 13:26 (twenty-one years ago)

This thread has stuck the song "Video" by Fat Larry's Band in my head again and for that you are all fired.

A vid-e-o, in your home!!
I think I'm goin' video!!
Oooohh, VIDEO!!

― TOMBOT, Tuesday, 7 September 2004 13:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I've got that Joe Budden song in my head. You can all work for me but I can't pay you.

― Dan Perry '08 (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 13:29 (twenty-one years ago)

get either one but do try and watch both if you can.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 13:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I found the horse on the boat scene the scariest part of the American version, but horses kind of freak me out in general.

― n/a (Nick A.), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 14:09 (twenty-one years ago)

The American vers. has Naomi Watts. The Japanese doesn't. Case closed.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 14:28 (twenty-one years ago)

But Naomi dates Heath "Giurini Hair' Ledger. Case closed.

― B.A.R.M.S. (Barima), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 14:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm in the minority here but the Japanese version was just irritating to me -- the lead actress did all of this screeching and whining and deferring to the male characters. I wanted a big scary monster to arrive and bite her head off.

― Leon Czolgosz (Nicole), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 14:49 (twenty-one years ago)

"MASAMI! MASAMI!!!!"

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 15:44 (twenty-one years ago)

I remember Ringu came out around the same time as Blair Witch Project and I got both on VHS. Also, JFK Jr. died the same weekend that I watched these.

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 15:45 (twenty-one years ago)

The japanese version! No contest.

― Paul Kelly (kelly), Wednesday, 8 September 2004 03:29 (twenty-one years ago)

i watched both back to back this weekend. the japanese music is so fucking scary and loud. when you watch the american one right afterwards, it's like this little droney hum rather than bombastic screechy strings.

make sure to watch it with a bunch of people. that always makes the horror quotient greater.

― JaXoN (JasonD), Wednesday, 8 September 2004 04:29 (twenty-one years ago)

IN THE DARK

A friend of mine says that after he watched the Japanese one, he would be terrified that he'd get up in the night for a glass of water from the kitchen, and as he walked past the living room door the TV would suddenly switch on...

So, of course, I wanted to rig up his TV so that someone could hide in his spare bedroom (which was off the living room) and put the TV on to a "snow" channel when people walked past. Sadly, I never did.

― caitlin (at work), Wednesday, 8 September 2004 10:22 (twenty-one years ago)

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