Ringu 0: Basudei

Plot:

After members of their theater troupe begin dying mysteriously, a small group of actors begin researching the past of their new member; a mysterious young woman named Sadako.

Comments:

Gee, it's almost as if there was a downside to making DOORS out of PAPER! Though often called a prequel to the other ‘Ringu’ films, ‘Basudei’ does not truly fit in with the Nakata series in either plot or tone. (It might have some precedent in Suzuki’s original novels, but I have no way of knowing.) Casual viewers will be confused as hell to find a fully grown and much kinder Sadako as the main character. Trying desperately to fit in with normal people, she joins a theater group in order to try and make some human connection. (Interestingly enough to horror fans, the play is a production of Franju's ‘Eyes Without a Face’.) The outsiders immediately grow suspicious of the unpopular lass, and the poor thing is met only with scorn.  Things get worse when the ghostly figure of the evil Sadako appears to “avenge” the slights visited upon her good self. If this doesn’t make much sense to you, you’re in good company. I’m not going to ruin the resolution for you (mostly because it’s nonsensical and kinda lame) but if you think of ‘The Dunwich Horror’, you’d be close.

I'd like to live in a country where even the undead demons were cute.Since it’s not Nakata doing the directing, the visual element of the film is rather flat when compared to the rest of the series. Decidedly, the best scenes in the movie come near the end, when the child Sadako proper makes her appearance. Up until then, the film is not so much horror as it is a tragic tale of rejection and cruelty. (The story seems to have been greatly influenced by ‘Carrie’.)

For hard core fans of the Ringu series, this film is worth a look. It won’t make a bit of sense to most viewers, but I’d still give it a slight recommendation. Like, say, Dracula in the west, the character of Sadako is not so much a franchised figure as she is an archetype open to various interpretations. (The banal American Samara would be the least of these.) If you choose to give this one a go, just be sure to keep an open mind.

 

6.0

 

 

| Home | Reviews | Faqs | BogBlog | Links | Misc. |