The Ring Virus (1999)

The Ring Virus (1999)

Dir. Kim Dong-bin

TRV is (to date) one of four 'film' versions of Japanese author Koji Suzuki's Ring (1991) novel. It's South Korea's attempt at capturing the horrors, although Wikipedia mentions that's it's a 'joint project' with Japan - but what that means specifically, I don't know.*

I'll go quickly over the story again in case some folks aren't familiar with it. A journalist (Shin Eun-kyung) investigates, for reasons both personal and professional, the mystery of a cursed video tape that supposedly heralds the death one week later of anyone who watches it. The hunt for the truth puts her onto paths that lead to supernatural happenings and alleged psychic phenomenon.

Like in Hideo Nakata's version of the story, the protagonist is changed to female, but otherwise TRV more closely follows the plot of the novel. The 'virus' part of the title is alluded to directly, and there's references to cloning, identity, and gender early on.

Perhaps unwisely, it also also recreates (i.e. steals, sometimes almost verbatim) some of the other film's more recognisable original scenes, which blurs the line between it being a new adaptation of the novel or a semi-deferential remake, ultimately lessening its distinctiveness.

- Hong Sun-joo is a journalist with a serious deadline. -

Suzuki's Sadako character got a name change, adopting the more Korean-friendly Park Eun-Suh (which is played by Bae Doona in her first onscreen role), but her function and focus is similar to what was established in the previous works. It reinstates some of the more interesting elements that were absent from Nakata's film, but the engaging slow-burn of the same isn't matched.

Don't be expecting the piss-your-pants scares of Ring, either. It's more of a drama than a horror. Think of it as a companion piece to the others and you may enjoy it more. I'd still recommend it over Verbinski's US remake The Ring (2002), which I didn't like much at all.

*What I mean by 'film' is feature-length versions. Japan also made a 13 episode TV series.

NOTE: the box-art image used above isn't the one on the cover of the Region 2 DVD that I own. I chose not to use the UK one because it's spoilery.