One of the most prevalent themes in Japanese literature, television, and film is that of the brevity of life. The idea is that life is so beautiful because it is transient: films exploring this idea are usually peppered with imagery of short-lived natural phenomena – the stereotypical example is that of the sakura tree. The themes prevalent in Japanese horror can be viewed as a subversion of this popular theme. Japanese films have never shied away from depicting death onscreen, and the body count of a horror film can become especially high. But instead of viewing this as something beautiful and poetic, or simply part of a person’s life, the filmmakers create a ticking clock – especially in Ringu, when the victim is given exactly seven days to live. The idea that death is inevitable is not a new one, but instead of giving the protagonists a new appreciation for life, every measured second of the protagonist’s remaining time is transformed into a panicked struggle to prolong the unstoppable. Reiko and Ryuuji thought they could do this by resolving Sadako’s suffering, as shown by Ryuuji’s conviction that they are “saved,” but Sadako’s goal was not to avenge her murder by Dr. Ikuma.
In addition, the view of death presented is unnatural and horrifying. Sadako goes through the same cycle with each of her victims, and her grudge is never satisfied. Even Sadako’s victims are implied to be dragged into her cycle: the image of Reiko’s niece, Tomoko, who is killed at the beginning of the movie, is used to manipulate Yoichi into watching the videotape. Japanese horror films rarely rely on shock value to scare their audiences. The twisted presentation of life and death - and the idea that the dead have enough power to end lives - is what makes the films so disturbing to any audience.
These themes are not unique to Ringu. Ringu’s influences can clearly be traced back to some of the classic Japanese horror stories, often referred to as kaidan, that reached their popularity during the Edo period. One of these influences is arguably one of the most popular stories, called Yotsuya Kaidan. In Yotsuya Kaidan, the main characters are Iemon and his wife, Oiwa. Iemon is a lazy man who resents Oiwa for making him work hard to support her. When he learns that his rich neighbor’s daughter is in love with him, he decides to poison Oiwa. However, Oiwa survives the poison, though she is horribly disfigured. She dies later after learning of her husband’s betrayal. Iemon wastes no time in marrying the rich daughter, but Oiwa’s spirit appears at his wedding and manipulates Iemon into killing his bride and father-in-law. Oiwa then pursues and tortures Iemon for the rest of his short life.
The character of Oiwa is probably the most often portrayed onryou, or vengeful spirit, in Japanese popular culture. Onryou often share similar characteristics: they’re mostly women, their deaths often resulted from some betrayal, and their grudges are not just limited to the people who wronged them. Once stories like Yotsuya Kaidan were performed as Kabuki plays, visual clues were created to let the audience know the character was an onryou: the character would appear in a white burial gown, have long, disheveled hair, and white and indigo skin.
