In this week’s new releases, we get the Ringu series courtesy of Shudder. Of course, this is the original Japanese movie series that inspired the popular Naomi Watts-led The Ring. I haven’t personally watched these, so they’re definitely getting added to my streaming list.
This week’s top pick is The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob summer special, which will surely include some great horror flicks. If you have some spare time Friday night, be sure to tune into Shudder and watch along.
Aug. 10
Ringu (Shudder)
About: After the death of her cousin Tomoko, reporter Reiko hears stories of a videotape that kills everyone who sees it exactly one week after viewing. At first she discounts the rumors, but when she learns that Tomoko’s friend (who watched the video with her) died at exactly the same time, she begins to investigate. After viewing the tape herself, strange things start happening, and so she teams up with her ex-husband to try to stop the death clock that has once again begun ticking.
Original release date: Jan. 31, 1998 (Japan)
Runtime: 96 minutes
Director: Hideo Nakata
Cast: Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani, Yûko Takeuchi
Tomatometer: 97%
Ringu 2 (Shudder)
About: In this sequel to the popular Japanese thriller Ringu, Mai (Miki Nakatani), who assisted Ryuchi in his search for clues about the mysterious videotape in the first film, sets out to resolve the unanswered questions from the original story. While it did not enjoy the positive critical notice the first film received, Ringu 2 proved to be even more popular at the box office in its native Japan, where Miki Nakatani is a well-known pop music star.
Original release date: Aug 23, 2005
Runtime: 92 minutes
Director: Hideo Nakata
Cast: Miki Nakatani, Hitomi Satô, Kyoko Fukada
Tomatometer: 51% (audience score)
Ringu 0 (Shudder)
About: The prequel to the horror film Ringu, this movie provides the background story of how Sadako later became the vengeful murdering spirit. The story starts with her as a shy, somewhat withdrawn, college student who nonetheless gets involved in a drama club. The director thinks she has talent, but some of the other performers start to get jealous of the attention he gives her. Meanwhile, a reporter investigating Sadako’s spiritualist mother thinks there’s something very suspicious about the young woman, and arrives on campus to confront Sadako just as a series of strange deaths start sweeping through the drama club.
Original release date: Aug 23, 2005
Runtime: 99 minutes
Director: Norio Tsuruta
Cast: Yukie Nakama, Seiichi Tanabe, Kumiko Asô
Tomatometer: 63% (audience score)
Aug. 14
The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs (Shudder)
About: Proving once again that “the drive-in will never die,” iconic horror host and exploitation movie aficionado Joe Bob Briggs is back with an all-new Shudder Original series, hosting weekly Friday night double features streaming live exclusively on Shudder. Every week, The Last Drive-In series offers an eclectic pairing of films, with selections ranging across five decades and running the gamut from horror classics to obscurities and foreign cult favorites. And from time to time, special surprise guests will drop in on Joe Bob and Darcy the Mail Girl.
Original release date: Aug. 14, 2020
Director: NA
Cast: NA
Tomatometer: NA
Aug. 16
Behind You (Hulu)
About: Two young sisters find that all the mirrors in their estranged aunt’s house are covered or hidden. When one of them happens upon a mirror in the basement, she unknowingly releases a malicious demon.
Original release date: Apr 17, 2020
Runtime: 86 minutes
Director: Matthew Whedon, Andrew Mecham
Cast: Addy Miller, Elizabeth Birkner, Jan Broberg
Tomatometer: 7%
