Ring. Perhaps you've seen or heard of the American "The Ring" by dreamworks, which is a remake-albeit a crappy one- of the original Japanese picture, Ring, which was based on the novel of the same name by Suzuki Koji.
I was introduced to the original movie last year by my flatmates and, to say the least was instantly enthralled. The story,as the movie goes is a reporter learns of her niece's death at the same time she is investigating an urban legend of a cursed tape that kills all who watch it. The two seperate things are more linked than first impressions would lead you to believe. And out of curiosity, she tracks down this tape, and watches it, only to find out that she is cursed and in seven days will perish. From thereon its a fantastic race against time to unravel the secret of the tape and lay to rest the curse. Then there's the killer ending which is more of a twist than a thousand pretzels.
It changed my perspective on horror. You should rent it.
However, not long after I found that it originated from a book by a Japanese author but had not been released in English . . .until early July of this year. So I toddled off to the bookshop, picked up a copy, finished it within a matter of days and loved the bloody thing. Ring is the first in a trilogy of novels, which go Ring, Spiral, and Loop . . .in thier English text. Spiral is coming out next year, and loop the year after that I think. Cant wait.
Granted though, some small sections are lose thier cohesiveness through the translation, but I found it to be a minor point and didn't really interrupt my enjoyment of the novel.
For now, I'll settle for the films. As i said above, I've read the Manga version of the second book, Spiral, or Rasen in Japanese. Which is more of a good medical thriller, with another killer ending, and loop, from what I've heard is a complete mind bender of a story.
Check
this out if you need more info.
Heh, Kurasawa.
Don't watch this expecting feudal warlords and legions of samurai warriors.
