Alex and Andrea watch a cursed tape. Well, two cursed tapes. Well, a movie about a cursed tape and a remake of that movie. In this episode we’re talking about Hideo Nakata’s Ring (1998) and the Gore Verbinski The Ring (2002) and how changes big and small illuminate dark secrets in different parts of the world.
REQUIRED READING
Ringu. Dir. Hideo Nakata. 1998. [DVD]
The Ring. Dir. Gore Verbinski. 2013. [DVD]
EXTRA CREDIT
The Remake Man by Tad Friend, originally appeared in The New Yorker. A piece about the enigmatic figure of Roy Lee the man who helped launch the J-Horror remake trend and raise it to dizzying heights.
LISTEN
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Mentioning Let the Right One In (my favorite film ever) during a podcast about The Ring (another favorite horror film)? Is this real life? I’m so giddy! Now I’m curious to hear your thoughts on other foreign-to-US horror remakes, such as Funny Games and Martyrs. How much foreign horror was remade in the US before the explosion of Japanese-to-US remakes in the 2000s?
I’ve never looked into Ringu, so thank-you for your in-depth commentary and comparing and contrasting! I feel a double feature on the way soon.