IFWT #68 - Ringu (1998) *Halloween Special*

With October drawing to a close, we’re rapidly approaching the most exciting time of the year for gore hounds, exploitation enthusiasts and jump scare junkies: Halloween. Last year we looked at Tim Buton’s quirky black comedy Beetlejuice. This year, we’re going a little darker. We’re taking a trip to Japan to deep dive the film that helped to usher in the New Asian Cinema Movement, as well as bringing J-Horror to international attention. Ring was released way back in 1998, but it’s timeless themes and universal concepts have given it a timeless quality, and its central storyline and implications have been analysed and dissected by many great minds over the years. Now, it’s our turn. So fire up that dusty old VHS player and join us as we discuss our history with J-Horror, the state of horror films at the time of Ring’s release, and break down the film itself, examining its relevance in not only the contemporary world, but also the modern one.