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Return of the Ring - but this one's no diamond

By Jay Speiden
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, Mar 23, 2000, Page 11

Anyone who witnessed the startlingly freakish, herky-jerky video sequences featured in the 1998 horror film Ring knows exactly why the film was the most successful Japanese export in Taiwan cinema history. It scared people silly.

And in doing so it raked in millions of Taiwan dollars and secured a place as the top grossing Japanese film of all time in Taiwan. When Ring 2 came out an impossibly short time later, people saw that, too. And now Ring O, the third film in the terrifyingly popular series, is set to open across the country Saturday. If local reaction to the first two films is any indicator, box offices will be in for another killing.

The success of the first two Ring pictures in Taiwan is largely due to the love of Japanese pop culture, the pull of Japanese stars and the fact that "young people in Taiwan love ghost stories," says Gene Liao, a professor of film at National Taiwan University's College of Art. "If, on top of all this, the film is actually good and creates a buzz, it can't help but be a runaway success. Nobody wants to miss it and be left out."

Saying the original Ring was good would be an understatement. In telling the story of a female TV director who investigates the deaths of several high school students killed after viewing a videotape, the film embarks on a journey of terror rarely equalled in modern cinema. It has a chilling feel about it from the beginning, and this grows as the story unfolds.

Filmed in a serene, gently-paced fashion, it has a way of lulling viewers into a false sense of security and then striking out with moments of icy terror. The success of this on-again, off-again style could be heard in the form of terrified shrieks and gasps in theaters throughout Taiwan. And don't forget the eerie video sequences that produced some of the most uncomfortable imagery ever put to celluloid.

Perhaps even more remarkable is that the original Ring achieved this horrific effect without shedding a single drop of blood. There are no slashings or mutilations to speak of. Rather, the fear stems from the perceived horrors and the hints of terror dropped with precision throughout the film. The evil refuses to fully reveal itself, leaving you instead to squirm in agonized apprehension.

Ring 2 has the lethal videotape escalating its reign of terror. But unlike many sequels in the genre, Ring 2 is not a mere rehashing of the original's story. It is more like a continuation of the saga. While Ring is frightening and satisfying on its own, Ring 2 answers many of the questions raised in the original Ring.

But as is common with number threes, Ring O just doesn't measure up to the original. While the original was taunt and well conceived, creating terror from the slightest gesture, Ring O seems to try too hard and, in doing so, falls flat.

There are still moments where director Nakata Hideo shows that he can still turn what would ordinarily be banal scenes, such as the combing of a woman's hair, into moments of heart-stopping terror. But the overall feeling of menace and terror is lacking -- sacrificed to the need to make sense of what becomes a complex, fragmented plot line.

RING O 貞相大白 * Taiwan release: March 25 * Rated R * Starring: Nakama Yuki (仲間由紀惠), Tanabe Seiichi (田邊誠一) * Directed by Nakata Hideo (鶴田法男)

But, according to Liao, it really doesn't matter. A good buzz dies hard. Because of this and despite its inferiority, Liao believes Ring O is as certain to do well in Taiwan as, say, a "Blair Witch Project II" would in America.

"The draw is too strong," he says. "Japanese pop culture, sexy stars and ghosts are a potent formula on the youth of Taiwan. Even if it's not as good, people will still go to see it."

Liao points to the Blair Witch Project as an example to back up his point. "That was a great movie and it did extremely well in America," he says. "But in Asia it didn't do very well at all."

This is despite, as Liao points out, definite similarities in the styles of the two films. The Japanese film, Liao says, did better because the youth of Taiwan not only relate better and are more familiar with Japanese culture, but also they want to make it a part of their daily lives.

"Seeing these Ring films, talking about them with friends, is a way of achieving this goal of assimilation," Liao says.

So prepare for another wave of Ring fever starting this weekend. Expect to hear people talking about the film, suggesting the film, even screaming about the film.

Get ready for a tidal wave of ticket sales, posters and commercials featuring that ghostly, white clad woman, Sadako, as she jerks and lurches her way along, hair obscuring her face, out of the silver screen and back into the pop culture consciousness of Taiwan.
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