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Trivia
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* ActorAllusion: Brian Cox plays Richard Morgan, [[spoiler:whose wife killed herself because their (adopted) child's uncontrollable psychic powers burned horrific images into her mind]]. One year later, in ''Film/X2XMenUnited'', Brian Cox plays William Stryker, [[spoiler:whose wife killed herself because their (mutant) child's uncontrollable psychic powers burned horrific images into her mind]].
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** In the novel ''Spiral'', it's revealed at the end that Sadako could affect people who ''read'' about her story if the journals left behind by the affected characters were turned into a novel... ''oh crap.''
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* TheFarmerAndTheViper: Rachel thinks that giving Samara's corpse a proper burial will let her pass on. It doesn't, and Samara starts searching for her.
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* HauntedTechnology
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* HauntedTechnologyHauntedTechnology: The cursed tape.
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* OminousVisualGlitch: After someone watches the videotape and is marked for death by Samara, any attempt to take their picture results in their face appearing distorted.
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* OminousVisualGlitch: After someone watches the videotape and is marked for death by Samara, Sadako/Samara, any attempt to take their picture results in their face appearing distorted.
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* ParentalAbandonment: Sadako's mother threw herself into a volcano after a public manifestation of Sadako's powers. Samara's mother threw herself off a cliff some indeterminate time after killing Samara. In the Japanese movie, [[spoiler:Asakawa decides that the best way to save her son is to show the Cursed Video to her own, willing parents, and then [[SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome she dies in the sequel]] so her son carries on for her (novel-version Asakawa chooses his wife's parents instead, but [[SenselessSacrifice they all die in a crash anyway]].)]]
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* ParentalAbandonment: Sadako's mother threw herself into a volcano after a public manifestation of Sadako's powers. Samara's mother threw herself off a cliff some indeterminate time after killing Samara. In the Japanese movie, [[spoiler:Asakawa decides that the best way to save her son is to show the Cursed Video to her own, willing parents, father, and then [[SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome she dies in the sequel]] so her son carries on for her (novel-version Asakawa chooses his wife's parents instead, but [[SenselessSacrifice they all die in a crash anyway]].)]]
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* HeyYou: In the US version, Aiden only ever calls Rachel by her first name. This becomes a plot point in the sequel.
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The novel may have been inspired by two M. R. James ghost stories, notably 'The Mezzotint' and another one, 'Martin's Close', about a murdered girl in a lake who returns to wreak vengeance from beyond the grave. Physical appearance of the baleful spirit closely resembles an [[StringyHairedGhostGirl onryo]], a traditional Japanese type of ghost on which Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} has more [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onryo here]].
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The novel may have been inspired by two M. [[Creator/MontagueRhodesJames M.R. James James]] ghost stories, notably 'The Mezzotint' and another one, 'Martin's Close', about a murdered girl in a lake who returns to wreak vengeance from beyond the grave. Physical appearance of the baleful spirit closely resembles an [[StringyHairedGhostGirl onryo]], a traditional Japanese type of ghost on which Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} has more [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onryo here]].
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* ''S'', in which Sadako 3D is based
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* ''S'', in on which Sadako 3D is based
* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: In Japan, the release of ''Sadako 3D 2'' came with a tie-in smartphone app that allowed Sadako to escape through the phone and attack the audience at various points throughout the movie.
* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: The third novel is not often talked about (hardly mentioned on this page even) likely because it moves away from the Sadako curse horror story and extends into science fiction. In great detail [[spoiler: it practically retcons the events of the first two novels as being part of a virtual world experiment. The Ring Virus in the virtual world is seen as an equivalent to a new form of cancer in the real world, and the protagonist has to utilize this to save his wife.]]
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* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: The third novel is not often talked about (hardly mentioned on this page even) likely because it moves away from the Sadako curse horror story and extends into science fiction. In great detail [[spoiler: it practically retcons the events of the first two novels as being part of a virtual world experiment. The Ring Virus in the virtual world is seen as a equivalent to a new form of cancer in the real world, and the protagonist has to utilize this to save his wife.]]
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* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: In Japan, the release of ''Sadako 3D 2'' came with a tie-in smartphone app that allowed Sadako to escape through the phone and attack the audience at various points throughout the movie.
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* UnsettlingGenderReveal: Nagao Jotaro, the doctor who tries to rape Sadako in the novels gets this when he learns [[spoiler: Sadako has Testicular Feminization Syndrome.]]
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* UnsettlingGenderReveal: Nagao Jotaro, the doctor who tries to rape Sadako in the novels novels, gets this when he learns [[spoiler: Sadako has Testicular Feminization Syndrome.]]is intersex.
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* AdultFear: The protagonist is fairly collected at first in the face of imminent death. It's the imminent death of her ''son'' that panics her, and ultimately drives her to [[WhatTheHellHero desperate measures]]. This theme is inverted in the Japanese sequel ''Rasen'': Andou has already lost his son, and he ends up making an extreme moral compromise because [[spoiler:Sadako can bring him back]].
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Strange Girl is a disambiguation now, so it\'s not a trope anymore.
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* ''MysteriousGirlfriendX'' (The female lead is based on Sadako, but is more [[StrangeGirl strange]] than scary.)
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* ''MysteriousGirlfriendX'' (The female lead is based on Sadako, but is more [[StrangeGirl strange]] strange than scary.)
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** And now smart phones as of ''Sadako 3D 2''...
* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: The release of ''Sadako 3D 2'' came with a tie-in smartphone app that allowed Sadako to escape through the phone and attack the audience at various points throughout the movie.
* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: The release of ''Sadako 3D 2'' came with a tie-in smartphone app that allowed Sadako to escape through the phone and attack the audience at various points throughout the movie.
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** And now smart phones smartphones as of ''Sadako 3D 2''...
* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou:The In Japan, the release of ''Sadako 3D 2'' came with a tie-in smartphone app that allowed Sadako to escape through the phone and attack the audience at various points throughout the movie.
* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou:
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* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: The release of ''Sadako 3D 2'' came with a tie-in smartphone app that allowed Sadako to escape through the phone and attack the audience at various point throughout the movie.
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* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: The release of ''Sadako 3D 2'' came with a tie-in smartphone app that allowed Sadako to escape through the phone and attack the audience at various point points throughout the movie.
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** And now smart phones as of ''Sadako 3D 2''...
* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: The release of ''Sadako 3D 2'' came with a tie-in smartphone app that allowed Sadako to escape through the phone and attack the audience at various point throughout the movie.
* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: The release of ''Sadako 3D 2'' came with a tie-in smartphone app that allowed Sadako to escape through the phone and attack the audience at various point throughout the movie.
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** The cursed video itself is a shout out to Buñuel's UnChienAndalou
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** The cursed video itself is a shout out to Buñuel's UnChienAndalou''Film/UnChienAndalou''.
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* ''Sadako 3D 2'' (a 2013 release)
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* DaylightHorror: Many of the scarier scenes in the origial films happen during the daytime. Also, in the US remake, only the first scene was set at night.
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* DaylightHorror: Many of the scarier scenes in the origial original films happen during the daytime. Also, in the US remake, only the first scene was set at night.
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Also, some books on psychic phenomena mention a Japanese woman (first name Shizuko) who perfomed 'spirit photography' on stage in the early 20th century.
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Also, some books on psychic phenomena mention a Japanese woman (first name Shizuko) who perfomed performed 'spirit photography' on stage in the early 20th century.
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The novel may have been inspired by two M. R. James ghost stories, notably 'The Mezzotint' and another one, 'Martin's Close', about a murdered girl in a lake who returns to wreak vengeance from beyond the grave. Physical appearance of the baleful spirit closely resembles an [[StringyHairedGhostGirl onryo]], a traditional Japanese type of ghost on which TheOtherWiki has more [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onryo here]].
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The novel may have been inspired by two M. R. James ghost stories, notably 'The Mezzotint' and another one, 'Martin's Close', about a murdered girl in a lake who returns to wreak vengeance from beyond the grave. Physical appearance of the baleful spirit closely resembles an [[StringyHairedGhostGirl onryo]], a traditional Japanese type of ghost on which TheOtherWiki Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} has more [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onryo here]].
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* CreatorCameo: Koji Suzuki, the books' author, appeared in ''Rasen''.
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* NaomiWatts: Star of the American remake, and appeared in the sequel due to her contract. She'll be sitting the third film, which (by all accounts) will be a prequel, out.
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* MythologyGag: A couple in ''Sadako 3D''.
** Ayane's boyfriend is called Takanori Ando; a name shared with the son of Mitsuo Ando's son in ''Spiral''.
** Seiji Kashiwada's landlady comments that "everything in this world is fake", referencing the plot twist for the third book ''Loop''.
* NaomiWatts: Star of the American remake, and appeared in the sequel due to her contract. She'll be sitting the third film, which (by all accounts) will be a prequel, out.
** Ayane's boyfriend is called Takanori Ando; a name shared with the son of Mitsuo Ando's son in ''Spiral''.
** Seiji Kashiwada's landlady comments that "everything in this world is fake", referencing the plot twist for the third book ''Loop''.
* NaomiWatts: Star of the American remake, and appeared in the sequel due to her contract.
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Foot Focus was turned into a redirect to These Tropes Are Made For Walking, and is no longer a trope. Performing wick cleanup.
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* FootFocus: Both Sadako (especially in ''Ring 0'') and Samara.
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** At the end of the sequel, Rachel [[spoiler: exorcizes Samara from her son and reseals her in the well... and just when she's starting to relax he calls her "[[OutOfCharacterAlert Mommy]]".]]
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Ominous Visual Glitch cross-wicked
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* OminousVisualGlitch: After someone watches the videotape and is marked for death by Samara, any attempt to take their picture results in their face appearing distorted.
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-->''Everyone will suffer.''
[[quoteright:304:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_ring.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:304:When they said DonnieDarko's sister was going to come out of my TV, this isn't [[MaggieGyllenhaal what I had in mind]].]]
[[quoteright:304:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_ring.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:304:When they said DonnieDarko's sister was going to come out of my TV, this isn't [[MaggieGyllenhaal what I had in mind]].]]
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[[quoteright:304:http://static.
%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.
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[[quoteright:299:http://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:304:When they said DonnieDarko's sister was going to come out of my TV, this isn't [[MaggieGyllenhaal what I had in mind]].]]
->''Everyone will suffer.''
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The novel may have been inspired by two M. R. James ghost stories; notably 'The Mezzotint' and another one, 'Martin's Close', about a murdered girl in a lake who returns to wreak vengeance from beyond the grave. Physical appearance of the baleful spirit closely resembles an [[StringyHairedGhostGirl onryo]], a traditional Japanese type of ghost on which TheOtherWiki has more [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onryo here]].
to:
The novel may have been inspired by two M. R. James ghost stories; stories, notably 'The Mezzotint' and another one, 'Martin's Close', about a murdered girl in a lake who returns to wreak vengeance from beyond the grave. Physical appearance of the baleful spirit closely resembles an [[StringyHairedGhostGirl onryo]], a traditional Japanese type of ghost on which TheOtherWiki has more [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onryo here]].
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!!This [[strike: curse]] film and novel series provides examples of:
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!!This [[strike: curse]] film and novel series provides examples of:of:
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* YankTheDogsChain: Sadako is pushed down the well by Dr. Ikuma but awakens to find herself in bed with Toyama watching over her. [[spoiler: Just as she goes to reach him, it is revealed that it was a dream and she can only scream as she is sealed in the well.]]
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* YankTheDogsChain: YankTheDogsChain:
** Sadako is pushed down the well by Dr. Ikuma but awakens to find herself in bed with Toyama watching over her. [[spoiler: Just as she goes to reach him, it is revealed that it was a dream and she can only scream as she is sealed in the well.]]
** Sadako is pushed down the well by Dr. Ikuma but awakens to find herself in bed with Toyama watching over her. [[spoiler: Just as she goes to reach him, it is revealed that it was a dream and she can only scream as she is sealed in the well.]]
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More sensitive wording.
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* {{Hermaphrodite}}: Sadako, in the novel (not the movies), has Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. Basically, she is genetically male (and has external testicles), but looks and identifies as female.
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* {{Hermaphrodite}}: Sadako, in the novel (not the movies), has [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Androgen_insensitive Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. Basically, she is genetically male (and has external testicles), insensitivity syndrome]], an intersex condition that causes the woman affected to be born with a vagina, but looks with XY chromosomes, no uterus, and identifies as female.internal testes where the ovaries would typically be.
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* AchillesHeel: The video tape counts as Sadako's and Samara's. If a cursed victim watches the tape, but does not show it to someone else before they die then the curse cannot be continued.
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* AchillesHeel: The video tape counts as Sadako's and Samara's. If a cursed victim watches the tape, but does not show it to someone else before they die then the curse cannot be continued.continued...unless they leave their copy where someone else can happen across it.
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** Further reinforced by [[spoiler: the montage near the end showing Samara's victims, with the repeat of Richard Morgan's line: "You take one person's tragedy and force the world to experience it... spread it like sickness."]]
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* DownerEnding: ''Ring 0: Birthday''. Yes, we all knew it was coming, what with it being a prequel and all, but it doesn't make it any less [[{{Tearjerker}} heartbreaking]].
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* ''The Ring: Terror's Realm'' (Released for the SegaDreamcast; officially has no place in any canon continuity.)
* ''Ring Infinity'' - A visual novel/point-and-click for the WonderSwan
* ''Ring Infinity'' - A visual novel/point-and-click for the WonderSwan
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* ''The Ring: Terror's Realm'' (Released - A SurvivalHorror game for the SegaDreamcast; officially has no place in any canon continuity.)
SegaDreamcast
* ''Ring Infinity'' - Avisual novel/point-and-click VisualNovel PointAndClickGame for the WonderSwan
* ''Ring Infinity'' - A
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* PlatonicCave: [[spoiler:''Terror's Realm''. What Meg perceives as the [RING] program is actually the real world; the mundane world with no monsters is humanity-wide projection brought on by Sadako.]]
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* DroppedABridgetOnHim: Nagao Jotaro, the doctor who tries to rape Sadako in the novels gets this when he learns [[spoiler: Sadako has Testicular Feminization Syndrome.]]
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* UnsettlingGenderReveal: Nagao Jotaro, the doctor who tries to rape Sadako in the novels gets this when he learns [[spoiler: Sadako has Testicular Feminization Syndrome.]]
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Introduction is completely unnecessary and unfit.
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See? This is why most evil beings avoid wiki death curses. Someone just deletes them and wham, you can't kill anybody.
Death {{curse}}s on videotapes are tougher, though. People don't usually ''delete'' videotapes; they tape over them, which is not likely to wipe out any death curses. And when the time delay between watching the tape and being affected by the curse is longer than the typical rental period for videotapes, you have to be a perceptive, determined, or paranoid person to even realize that you have watched a cursed videotape with an active curse. Or that someone you love has watched one.
Death {{curse}}s on videotapes are tougher, though. People don't usually ''delete'' videotapes; they tape over them, which is not likely to wipe out any death curses. And when the time delay between watching the tape and being affected by the curse is longer than the typical rental period for videotapes, you have to be a perceptive, determined, or paranoid person to even realize that you have watched a cursed videotape with an active curse. Or that someone you love has watched one.
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Death {{curse}}s on videotapes are tougher, though. People don't usually ''delete'' videotapes; they tape over them, which is not likely to wipe out any death curses. And when the time delay between watching the tape and being affected by the curse is longer than the typical rental period for videotapes, you have to be a perceptive, determined, or paranoid person to even realize that you have watched a cursed videotape with an active curse. Or that someone you love has watched one.
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* PrecisionFStrike: [[spoiler: "I'm not your ''fucking'' mother!"]]
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* PrecisionFStrike: [[spoiler: "I'm not your ''fucking'' mother!"]]mommy!"]]
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-->''Everyone will suffer.''
[[quoteright:304:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_ring.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:304:When they said DonnieDarko's sister was going to come out of my TV, this isn't [[MaggieGyllenhaal what I had in mind]].]]
See? This is why most evil beings avoid wiki death curses. Someone just deletes them and wham, you can't kill anybody.
Death {{curse}}s on videotapes are tougher, though. People don't usually ''delete'' videotapes; they tape over them, which is not likely to wipe out any death curses. And when the time delay between watching the tape and being affected by the curse is longer than the typical rental period for videotapes, you have to be a perceptive, determined, or paranoid person to even realize that you have watched a cursed videotape with an active curse. Or that someone you love has watched one.
''Ring'' is a novel by Koji Suzuki about a [[HauntedTechnology cursed videotape]] that [[BrownNote kills anyone who watches it]] in seven days. Kazuyuki Asakawa, a journalist at a major Tokyo newspaper, discovers the cursed videotape when his niece and three of her friends fall victim to it, and he traces the origin back to a resort cabin they shared, there he finds and watches the tape, and suddenly has a seven day deadline to figure out how to survive its deadly curse.
The novel may have been inspired by two M. R. James ghost stories; notably 'The Mezzotint' and another one, 'Martin's Close', about a murdered girl in a lake who returns to wreak vengeance from beyond the grave. Physical appearance of the baleful spirit closely resembles an [[StringyHairedGhostGirl onryo]], a traditional Japanese type of ghost on which TheOtherWiki has more [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onryo here]].
Also, some books on psychic phenomena mention a Japanese woman (first name Shizuko) who perfomed 'spirit photography' on stage in the early 20th century.
The novel has been adapted to film three times in Japan, America, and Korea (In all three film adaptations the main character is changed from a man to a woman) with varying levels of success. The Korean film is the closest to the book. There was also a TV series, a radio drama, and a video game.
Sequels and prequels to both the novel and movies exist, and follow wildly divergent continuities from one another.
'''The novels:'''
* ''Ring''
* ''Spiral''
* ''Loop''
* ''Birthday'' (Short story collection; including a prequel to Ring, a POVSequel to Spiral and a sequel to Loop)
* ''S'', in which Sadako 3D is based
'''The Japanese movies:'''
* ''Ring''
* ''Ring 2''
* ''Ring 0: Birthday'' (A prequel to the previous movies)
* ''Rasen'' (aka ''Spiral'', not to be confused with ''Manga/{{Uzumaki}}'') (The series' "forgotten" sequel, [[ContinuityReboot rendered]] [[CanonDiscontinuity non-canon]] by ''Ring 2'')
* ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1844025/ Sadako 3D]]'' (released May 2012)
'''The American movies:'''
* ''The Ring''
* ''The Ring Two''
* ''Rings'' (A short film)
'''The Korean movie:'''
* ''The Ring Virus''
'''The video games:'''
* ''The Ring: Terror's Realm'' (Released for the SegaDreamcast; officially has no place in any canon continuity.)
* ''Ring Infinity'' - A visual novel/point-and-click for the WonderSwan
'''Related works:'''
* ''KimiNiTodoke'' (The female lead is supposed to be an {{Expy}} of the scary girl.)
* ''MysteriousGirlfriendX'' (The female lead is based on Sadako, but is more [[StrangeGirl strange]] than scary.)
* ''Ringu: Jiko ka! Henshi ka! Yottsu no inochi o ubau shôjo no onnen'' (A TV adaptation made by Fuji Network 3 years before the more well-known film. Notable for keeping Asakawa male, and for casting a softcore porn actress as Sadako and having her frequently get naked.)
----
!!This [[strike: curse]] film and novel series provides examples of:
* AbusiveParents: In the American remake, where [[spoiler:Samara's uncontrollable power ostracized her to her own parents (who eventually killed her because of them.)]]
** Averted in the Japanese films - the first two films would have you believe that Dr. Ikuma threw Sadako down the well out of malice. In fact, ''Ring 0'' reveals that [[spoiler:he did it as a last, desperate resort to stop her evil powers. He is extremely reluctant to do it, and he immediately breaks down sobbing after he pushes her in]].
* AchillesHeel: The video tape counts as Sadako's and Samara's. If a cursed victim watches the tape, but does not show it to someone else before they die then the curse cannot be continued.
* ActorAllusion: Brian Cox plays Richard Morgan, [[spoiler:whose wife killed herself because their (adopted) child's uncontrollable psychic powers burned horrific images into her mind]]. One year later, in ''Film/X2XMenUnited'', Brian Cox plays William Stryker, [[spoiler:whose wife killed herself because their (mutant) child's uncontrollable psychic powers burned horrific images into her mind]].
* AdaptationDistillation: The short film ''rings'', which shows how the Cursed Video would affect an ordinary teenager.
* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:Sadako was sealed inside the well when she was a young adult, however ''Ring 2'' reveals that she was in her 40s when she died. There are many theories as to why she took that long to die (including the use of a HealingFactor, ThePowerOfHate, etc.), but the fact remains that she ''was trapped down there, in the dark, for 30 years''. Ouch.]]
* AnimalsHateHim: Rachel, apparently contaminated by the cursed tape, terrifies a horse on a boat so much that it breaks out of its stall and leaps overboard to its death.
* AnyoneCanDie: Very few characters survive the series, in fact only around [[spoiler: four characters survive the films, excluding ''Rasen'' since characters are resurrected.]]
* ArcWords: From the first American remake: "I'm sorry. It won't stop."
* ArtifactOfDeath: The Tape
* AscendedExtra: Mai Takano.
* AssholeVictim: Dr. Emma Temple in ''The Ring Two''. True what happens might be a bit harsh, but she is easily the least sympathetic victim in the American films.
** Aiko Hazuki, the first on-screen victim in ''Ring 0'', is a stuck-up, arrogant and downright mean actress who regards Sadako as little more than dirt. As with Dr. Temple, she doesn't exactly deserve what happens to her, but she is a very unsympathetic character.
** Jake from the American "Rings" mockumentary is this as well. Yes, he's still sympathetic as he plagued by the supernatural but he coldly attempts a nice girl who had a crush on him to pass the curse onto her. To make it even worse when he's talking to his so-called friend, he refers to her as "some stupid chick." JerkAssWoobie indeed.
* AuthorAppeal: One of the driving forces behind Asakawa's character in the novel is his relationship with his daughter. The author is a leading advocate of stronger father/daughter relationships in Japanese society.
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler: Sadako and Ryuji are resurrected in ''Spiral''.]]
* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: In ''Ring 0'', [[spoiler:Akiko shoots both Etsuko and herself in the head]], rather than have Sadako kill them.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Sadako herself, when she was alive - well, [[spoiler:[[SuperpoweredEvilSide her good side]]]], anyway.
** Even though he [[CreepyChild has his creepy moments]], Yoichi is generally a helpful and sweet little kid... until the events with the cursed tape, not to mention the fact that [[spoiler:Sadako's influence gives him similar powers to hers]]. In ''Ring 2'', when [[spoiler:his mother dies]], he is understandably ''pissed''.
* BigNo: Rachel, when she discovers Aiden watching the tape.
* BlessedWithSuck: Sadako's miraculous psychic abilities brought her, and everyone around her, more grief than they were worth.
* BreakTheCutie: Sadako in both the novels and the films. Not to mention Yoichi, and poor Etsuko from ''Ring 0''.
** Heck, several of Sadako and Samara's victims earn this status.
* BrownNote: The video tape kills anyone who watches it within seven days. Extended in the novels where [[spoiler: a journal on the tape becomes a carrier for the curse.]]
* CameBackWrong: Well, sort of. It is heavily implied that those killed by Sadako become malevolent spirits under her control, as the first movie demonstrates when [[spoiler:Tomoko's spirit tells Yoichi to watch the tape. Ryuji later expresses his belief that "she isn't Tomoko any more"]].
* CatapultNightmare: Rachel in the first American movie.
* ChairReveal: [[spoiler:Noah's corpse]] in the first American movie.
* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler:The protagonist's copy of the tape.]]
* ContinuityReboot / CanonDiscontinuity: After the first movie was made, it was immediately followed up with a "forgotten" sequel, ''Rasen'' (aka ''Spiral''), that was very badly received (though it is recognised as being a [[TruerToTheText lot more faithful to the book]], it didn't work as a sequel to the movie due to having a very, very different feel). It was quickly discounted from the series' canon. Eventually, ''Ring 2'' was made, and is considered to be the official sequel.
* {{Cool Horse}}s: The Morgans had famous racing horses, until [[spoiler: the horses killed themselves]], making them even more famous.
* CreepyChild: The young Sadako, and Samara and Aiden in the American remake.
** Yoichi could also count - especially in the second movie.
* CryForTheDevil: Sadako and Samara. ''Ring 0'' is an exercise in this for the former.
* DaylightHorror: Many of the scarier scenes in the origial films happen during the daytime. Also, in the US remake, only the first scene was set at night.
* DeathSeeker: [[spoiler: Takashi Yamamura, Sadako's uncle, seeks death after the actions he caused in the past.]]
* DeliberatelyMonochrome: The American remake is saturated with blue.
* DoomedByCanon: Anyone watching ''Ring 0'' with prior knowledge to Sadako's fate (which, of course, is the idea) knows she'll end up down the well by the ending.
* DrivenToSuicide: In the Japanese version, Shizuko killed herself by throwing herself into a volcano after she went crazy, prior to the events of the movie. In the US version, Anna threw herself off the edge of a cliff, again, prior to the events of the movie. Unlike Shizuko's death, which is offscreen, Anna's death is shown in Samara's tape.
** Also, in ''Ring 0: Birthday'', [[spoiler:Akiko shoots the crying and hysterical Etsuko, and then herself, both through the head, [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled rather than die at Sadako's hands]]]].
** [[spoiler:Richard Morgan]] in the US version.
** [[spoiler: Dr. Kawajiri in ''Ring 2'', and Takashi Yamamura to an extent.]]
* DroppedABridgetOnHim: Nagao Jotaro, the doctor who tries to rape Sadako in the novels gets this when he learns [[spoiler: Sadako has Testicular Feminization Syndrome.]]
* ElectrifiedBathtub: Used in the US remake when [[spoiler:Richard]] utilises this method to kill himself.
* [[spoiler: TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt]]: The outcome of the second novel.
* EnfanteTerrible: Sadako and Samara, naturally.
* EpisodeZeroTheBeginning: ''Birthday''
* EurekaMoment: Reiko has one in the first film, when she realises that [[spoiler: the phone only rings at the cabin.]]
* TheFaceless: Sadako - in the first movie, even as a child, her face is always either completely or partially obscured by her long hair, and only her eye is seen peering through the curtain of her hair at the first film's climax. It isn't until the second movie that [[spoiler:her wrinkly, rotted features are seen for the first time]]. In the US remake, Samara's face is shown throughout most of the first movie, but is obscured during [[spoiler:the ending scene with Noah]].
** The mysterious EnigmaticMinion referred to as the Towel Man never shows his face, nor is his identity ever revealed. It has been guessed he is either [[spoiler: Ryuji Takayama or Hiroshi Toyama (or possibly even ''both'')]], or a symbolic reference to the unknown identity of Sadako's father in the films.
* FacialHorror: Sadako and Samara's victims - their faces are frozen in grotesque, silent screams (and, in the case of Samara's victims, their faces are distorted and look like they've been rotting for some time). In addition, there's the rotted face of Sadako herself as seen during the climax of ''Ring 2'', and Samara's rotting face as a ghost.
* AFateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler:Okazaki's]] fate, as of the end of ''Ring 2'': [[spoiler:Being haunted for the rest of his life by Kanae, whom he allowed to die by not copying and passing on the tape.]]
* {{Fingore}}: Sadako and Samara's fingers are lacking nails, due to repeated (failed) attempts to climb out of the well. In particular, Sadako's nail-less fingers are shown in [[{{Squick}} extreme closeup]] in the first movie. In the first American movie, Samara's cursed tape features images of twitching severed fingers in a box, and a finger being impaled on a tack so that the whole nail is pushed loose.
* FootFocus: Both Sadako (especially in ''Ring 0'') and Samara.
* FreakOut: [[spoiler:Etsuko]] in ''Ring 0''. It lasts until her death.
* FreezeFrameBonus: In both the first Japanese and US versions. Just watch carefully during subsequent re-runs of the tape, when they are being studied. [[spoiler:For the briefest of moments, Sadako/Samara's hand can be seen coming from the well, which definitely was ''not'' there when Reiko/Rachel first viewed the tape. Later, when Yoichi/Aidan watches the tape, it goes even further, showing a brief glimpse of Sadako/Samara's head (note that this seems to be due to Reiko/Rachel coming in and viewing the tape's end - these moments imply that those who watch the tape more than once get a little bit more each time).]]
** In the first US movie, a [[SinisterSilhouettes silhouette]] of Samara [[spoiler:can be seen on the TV as it slides down towards Rachel, just before it knocks her into the well. After the horses leap off the ship to be killed, the ring itself flickers onscreen for a brief second.]]
** In ''Ring 2'', after [[spoiler:Reiko dies]], we see [[CameBackWrong Tomoko and three other victims]] standing with their backs to the audience.
* GenreShift: To an extent, anyway - ''Ring 0'', while still considered a horror movie, is much more of a drama with supernatural/horror elements than the previous two movies.
** Then you have the novels - the first is pretty much what you'd expect after seeing the movies, the second is pretty much a medical mystery, and the third is just straight-up sci-fi.
* [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan Get A Hold Of Yourself Woman]]: Towards the end of the first film, Ryuji slaps Reiko in the face to snap her out of her sudden bout of the hysterics.
* GhostlyGoals: Who'da thunk KeepCirculatingTheTapes would be so deadly?
* HauntedTechnology
* HealingFactor: Sadako is implied to have had this in life.
* HealingHands: [[spoiler:Sadako's "good" side has this power, as evidenced when she uses them to help a disabled man to walk again.]]
* {{Hermaphrodite}}: Sadako, in the novel (not the movies), has Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. Basically, she is genetically male (and has external testicles), but looks and identifies as female.
* HeroicBSOD: Mai has one in the first movie, after [[spoiler:discovering Ryuji's corpse]]. Reiko finds her in a state of shock and unmoving in [[spoiler:Ryuji's apartment, even after his body has been taken away]]. She snaps out of it in time for the sequel. Reiko later has a small one when she returns to her own apartment, simply slumping into a chair for a while. [[spoiler:She snaps out of it when she discovers just why she survived and Ryuji didn't.]]
* HopeSpot: [[spoiler: In the both versions, Reiko/Rachel finds Sadako's/Samara's body and removes it from the well. It's treated like they exorcised the curse, but this is not the case...]]
* {{Horror}}
* IntrepidReporter: Kazuyuki, Reiko and Okazaki.
* IronicEcho: One of the most striking images on the American version of The Tape is Anna, Samara's adoptive mother, throwing herself off a cliff. In ''The Ring Two'', [[spoiler:Rachel escapes Samara's dreamworld by doing the same thing, in the same pose, from the same cliff]].
* JediMindTrick: Samara uses one on a WeakWilled doctor in ''The Ring Two''.
* JumpScare: Many and varied.
* LampshadeHanging: The multitudinous adaptations of the novel are lampshaded by Sadako in the second novel, ''Spiral'', where the events of the first have been dramatised from Asakawa's notes, and adapted to every form under the sun. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero And they ]]''[[NiceJobBreakingItHero all]]'' [[NiceJobBreakingItHero carry the curse]].
* LeFilmArtistique: Noah dismisses the curse tape as very "student film".
* LighthousePoint: Moesko Island has one.
* LoveTriangle: in ''Ring 0'', Sadako and Toyama fall for each other while Toyama is in a relationship with Etsuko.
* MamaBear: Both Reiko and Rachel.
* MarionetteMotion: Sadako moves like this as a ghost and when in "evil" mode during the climax of ''Ring 0''. Her unnatural walking effect at the end of the first film was achieved by having Rie Inou walk backwards with the scene filmed in reverse.
* MindRape: Both Sadako and Samara love doing this to their victims, even the ones who haven't actually seen the tape, and even the ones who have been spared from the curse. Most notable is [[spoiler:Masami]] from the first movie, who, after witnessing Sadako coming for her friend, goes insane and is sent to a mental institution. From that point on, she can't even stand to look at a television. Not only that, but exposure to Sadako has even [[spoiler:granted her access to frightening psychic powers that she can barely control]].
* MindScrew: The second movie loves this trope.
* MoodWhiplash: Used rather cruelly at the end of ''Ring 0''. [[spoiler:Sadako is thrown down the well by a weeping Dr. Ikuma.]] Suddenly, the mood changes to an altogether calmer and more peaceful one, as [[spoiler:Sadako wakes up, with her love interest Toyama standing over her, telling her it was all just a dream]]... then the mood shifts back again just as rapidly, [[spoiler:with Sadako at the bottom of the well, realising to her horror that this is no dream, that Toyama is dead at her hands, and her adoptive father has just pushed her down a well. Then the concrete cover starts to go over the top of the well as she stands there and screams, and screams, and screams.]] [[TearJerker Cue the waterworks.]]
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In ''Ring 0'', Sadako is found sobbing uncontrollably after [[spoiler:killing all the members of the theatre troupe, as well as Toyama]].
* NaomiWatts: Star of the American remake, and appeared in the sequel due to her contract. She'll be sitting the third film, which (by all accounts) will be a prequel, out.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Much more evident in the Japanese novels and films: Sadako's influence was limited to the immediate area surrounding the well, and even then, only to material that she could affect with her PsychicPowers. [[spoiler:Asakawa's report spread her influence to ''any kind of media'' that described his investigation, including literature, film, audio...]] In the American continuity, it is ''strongly'' hinted that [[spoiler:"helping" Samara and removing her from the well allowed her to directly ''haunt '' Rachel and possess living people]].
** Also, in ''Ring 2'', [[spoiler:Okazaki doesn't watch, copy and pass on the tape, in spite of promising Kanae (who had watched and copied it) that he would. This could be interpreted as either cowardice on his part, or perhaps as a way of attempting to halt the curse (or maybe even both). However, after Kanae's demise, she returns as a vengeful spirit to haunt Okazaki and drive him insane, and it is also implied that this starts an entirely ''new'' curse.]]
* NightmareFace: Present in both the Japanese and US versions, although the faces in the US version are considerably more distorted.
* NothingIsScarier
* OffingTheOffspring: In the movie version, Sadako is thrown down a well by her own [[spoiler:(adoptive)]] father. For Samara, her American counterpart, her birth mother ''and'' adoptive mother both tried to kill her (the second one even succeeded).
* OffscreenTeleportation
* OhCrap: Ah! It's all over! Rachel has [[spoiler:released Samara from the well and let her soul go on to live in peace]], now we can get back to our happy li---wait, what did the kid just say?
* OldMediaAreEvil
* TheOphelia
* ParentalAbandonment: Sadako's mother threw herself into a volcano after a public manifestation of Sadako's powers. Samara's mother threw herself off a cliff some indeterminate time after killing Samara. In the Japanese movie, [[spoiler:Asakawa decides that the best way to save her son is to show the Cursed Video to her own, willing parents, and then [[SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome she dies in the sequel]] so her son carries on for her (novel-version Asakawa chooses his wife's parents instead, but [[SenselessSacrifice they all die in a crash anyway]].)]]
* ThePowerOfHate: [[spoiler:[[EpilepticTrees Quite possibly]] the reason Sadako was able to survive for 30 years until she had the means to transmit her curse to the videotape.]]
* PrecisionFStrike: [[spoiler: "I'm not your ''fucking'' mother!"]]
* PromotionToParent: [[spoiler: Mai becomes this for Yoichi after Reiko dies.]]
* PsychicNosebleed: Happens in the remake to both Rachel and Aiden.
* PsychicPowers: Sadako and Samara obviously have them, as does Shizuko. Ryuji also possesses them to a degree, and Yoichi later gains them (although it is implied that he inherited mild powers from his father, it is strongly implied that he gained even stronger, deadlier powers from Sadako's influence). Mai also seems to similar powers to Ryuji, to an extent. [[spoiler:Masami]] is also revealed to have gained some in ''Ring 2'', due to coming into contact with Sadako after the latter had [[spoiler:killed Tomoko]].
* PsychologicalHorror
* RapeAsBackstory: In the novels, anyway.
* {{Retcon}}: A flashback in the first film appears to show Sadako curiously peering into the well, before Dr. Ikuma sneaks up on her to push her down the well. She's also wearing shoes. ''Ring 0'', however, shows that Sadako was drugged and chased to the well instead, whilst barefoot.
* {{Revenge}} / RoaringRampageOfRevenge: This is [[spoiler:Akiko]]'s primary reason for investigating Sadako in ''Ring 0'' - the man she killed at Shizuko's demonstration all those years ago was, in fact, [[spoiler:Akiko's fiancé]].
** Also, near the end of ''Ring 0'', [[spoiler:after merging with her [[SuperpoweredEvilSide evil half]], Sadako kills all of the members of the theatre troupe, due to their actions mentioned in MoralEventHorizon on the YMMV page]].
* RunningOnAllFours: Well, not so much running as moving at a creepy pace, but this is how Sadako / Samara exit the well on the tape.
* SealedEvilInACan: Sadako was trapped in a well by her own father for the explicit reason of preventing her from hurting other people with her power. Contrast this with Samara, whose ''foster'' mother decided to simply kill her outright.
* ShesAManInJapan: Sadako is intersex in the novels; this is completely dropped for Sadako in the movies and Samara in the remake.
** Interestingly, it was maintained for Terror's Realm.
* ShoutOut: The ending of the first movie, depicting Reiko driving towards an oncoming storm, is a visual reference to the ending of ''TheTerminator''.
** The cursed video itself is a shout out to Buñuel's UnChienAndalou
** There are many shout outs to [[Creator/AlfredHitchcock Hitchcock]] in the first U.S. movie:
*** When Rachel takes a shower (Film/{{Psycho}})
*** When she looks at the building in front of hers, there's a guy on a wheelchair with a cast on his leg (RearWindow)
*** When she discovers Noah's body (another Film/{{Psycho}} reference)
*** And, well, the title (there's a silent movie by Hitchcock called The Ring)
** The red tree prop in the remake was nicknamed "Lucy" by the crew after a certain [[ILoveLucy red-headed actress]].
* ShowerOfAngst: Rachel takes one in the first U.S. movie.
* ShrugOfGod: In the American remake, fans of the film note that the victims of Samara look like they'd been drowned, which would make sense considering Samara's predicament. However, both Gore Verbinski and makeup FX artist Dick Smith said that wasn't their intention. They just wanted to make them look creepy.
* SmugSnake: Dr. Emma Temple in ''The Ring Two'', a cold and smugly superior psychiatrist played by Elizabeth Perkins, who brings an energy to the character that makes it truly easy to hate her. [[spoiler:Her death definitely confirms her SmugSnake status. She succumbs instantly to a JediMindTrick to commit suicide implying she is so WeakWilled Samara can just control her directly rather than rely on MindRape like all her other victims]].
* SpookyPhotographs: If a photo is taken of someone who has watched the tape, their faces appear blurred and distorted. In addition, ''Ring 2'' explores the concept of spirit photography - photos taken of [[spoiler:Masami]] after being committed to a mental institution reveal the appearance of the "Towel Man". Later, when [[spoiler:Okazaki]] is committed to the same hospital, his photos apparently show something spooky, but [[TheUnreveal the audience never gets to see them]].
* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: The third novel is not often talked about (hardly mentioned on this page even) likely because it moves away from the Sadako curse horror story and extends into science fiction. In great detail [[spoiler: it practically retcons the events of the first two novels as being part of a virtual world experiment. The Ring Virus in the virtual world is seen as a equivalent to a new form of cancer in the real world, and the protagonist has to utilize this to save his wife.]]
* StairsAreFaster: Rachel is racing to warn Noah that Samara has not been put to rest and is after him. When she arrives at his apartment she tries to use the elevator, but gets frustrated by the delay and runs up the stairs instead.
* StarCrossedLovers: Sadako and Toyama.
* StringyHairedGhostGirl: Sadako/Samara, who, along with Kayako Saeki from ''{{Juon}}'', [[TropeCodifier revitalized and popularized this concept in modern media]].
* [[spoiler: SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome]]: [[spoiler: Kazuyuki Asakawa]] in ''Spiral''.
** Also, [[spoiler:Reiko]] in ''Ring 2''.
* [[spoiler:SuperpoweredEvilSide]]
* TechnologyMarchesOn: Pfft, cursed videotape.
** Though ''Sadako 3D'' gets around this, by having the curse apparently spread via WebVideo...
* ThrownDownAWell
* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: The Japanese trailer for the first movie completely spoils the now-famous scene of [[spoiler:Sadako emerging from the TV screen]].
* TranquilFury: Do not get on Yoichi's bad side.
* UnderstandingBoyfriend: Toyama to Sadako.
* UnnaturallyBlueLighting: The US version is filmed with a blue tint. ''The Ring Two'' avoids this, however.
* UrbanLegends: In the Japanese series the tape itself has earned this status, which explains why some of the kids' descriptions of the tape are so different from what is actually shown on the tape - they heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend, and so on. As a result of the tape's status, Reiko and Okazaki discuss various other famous Japanese urban legends, including a reference to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuchisake-Onna Kuchisake-Onna]].
** It's also acquired this status in the American franchise even before the second movie. The first victim in ''The Ring Two'' was a guy who joined one of several groups that [[spoiler:dare people to watch the video then get someone else to watch it within seven days]]. Conveniently enough, these groups are called "[[IncrediblyLamePun Rings]]".
* TheVirus: Sadako herself.
* VomitDiscretionShot: Happens near the beginning of ''Ring 2'', courtesy of Mai after she sees the destroyed videotape.
* WhatTheHellHero: Aidan's reaction to his mom's actions at the end. Doubles as a WhamLine.
-->[[spoiler: '''Aidan:''' You helped her?]]
-->[[spoiler: '''Rachel:''' Yeah.]]
-->[[spoiler: '''Aidan:''' Why did you do that?]]
-->[[spoiler: '''Rachel:''' What's wrong, honey?]]
-->[[spoiler: '''Aidan:''' You weren't supposed to help her. Don't you understand, Rachel? ''She never sleeps''.]]
* WindowLove: In ''Ring 0'', Sadako and Toyama confess their love through a window to each other.
* WomanInWhite: Sadako, Samara and Evelyn.
* WorkingWithTheEx: In the Japanese version, Reiko works with her estranged husband Ryuji to solve the mystery of the cursed videotape and save the life of their son. In the US version, Rachel works with her ex-boyfriend Noah to do the same.
* YankTheDogsChain: Sadako is pushed down the well by Dr. Ikuma but awakens to find herself in bed with Toyama watching over her. [[spoiler: Just as she goes to reach him, it is revealed that it was a dream and she can only scream as she is sealed in the well.]]
** Samara suffers this in ''The Ring Two''. She [[spoiler: possesses Aidan]] to get a mother, only to be [[spoiler: drugged by Rachel, exorcised from Aidan's body, and then re-sealed in the well.]]
----
''[[OhCrap Seven days...]]''
----
[[quoteright:304:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_ring.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:304:When they said DonnieDarko's sister was going to come out of my TV, this isn't [[MaggieGyllenhaal what I had in mind]].]]
See? This is why most evil beings avoid wiki death curses. Someone just deletes them and wham, you can't kill anybody.
Death {{curse}}s on videotapes are tougher, though. People don't usually ''delete'' videotapes; they tape over them, which is not likely to wipe out any death curses. And when the time delay between watching the tape and being affected by the curse is longer than the typical rental period for videotapes, you have to be a perceptive, determined, or paranoid person to even realize that you have watched a cursed videotape with an active curse. Or that someone you love has watched one.
''Ring'' is a novel by Koji Suzuki about a [[HauntedTechnology cursed videotape]] that [[BrownNote kills anyone who watches it]] in seven days. Kazuyuki Asakawa, a journalist at a major Tokyo newspaper, discovers the cursed videotape when his niece and three of her friends fall victim to it, and he traces the origin back to a resort cabin they shared, there he finds and watches the tape, and suddenly has a seven day deadline to figure out how to survive its deadly curse.
The novel may have been inspired by two M. R. James ghost stories; notably 'The Mezzotint' and another one, 'Martin's Close', about a murdered girl in a lake who returns to wreak vengeance from beyond the grave. Physical appearance of the baleful spirit closely resembles an [[StringyHairedGhostGirl onryo]], a traditional Japanese type of ghost on which TheOtherWiki has more [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onryo here]].
Also, some books on psychic phenomena mention a Japanese woman (first name Shizuko) who perfomed 'spirit photography' on stage in the early 20th century.
The novel has been adapted to film three times in Japan, America, and Korea (In all three film adaptations the main character is changed from a man to a woman) with varying levels of success. The Korean film is the closest to the book. There was also a TV series, a radio drama, and a video game.
Sequels and prequels to both the novel and movies exist, and follow wildly divergent continuities from one another.
'''The novels:'''
* ''Ring''
* ''Spiral''
* ''Loop''
* ''Birthday'' (Short story collection; including a prequel to Ring, a POVSequel to Spiral and a sequel to Loop)
* ''S'', in which Sadako 3D is based
'''The Japanese movies:'''
* ''Ring''
* ''Ring 2''
* ''Ring 0: Birthday'' (A prequel to the previous movies)
* ''Rasen'' (aka ''Spiral'', not to be confused with ''Manga/{{Uzumaki}}'') (The series' "forgotten" sequel, [[ContinuityReboot rendered]] [[CanonDiscontinuity non-canon]] by ''Ring 2'')
* ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1844025/ Sadako 3D]]'' (released May 2012)
'''The American movies:'''
* ''The Ring''
* ''The Ring Two''
* ''Rings'' (A short film)
'''The Korean movie:'''
* ''The Ring Virus''
'''The video games:'''
* ''The Ring: Terror's Realm'' (Released for the SegaDreamcast; officially has no place in any canon continuity.)
* ''Ring Infinity'' - A visual novel/point-and-click for the WonderSwan
'''Related works:'''
* ''KimiNiTodoke'' (The female lead is supposed to be an {{Expy}} of the scary girl.)
* ''MysteriousGirlfriendX'' (The female lead is based on Sadako, but is more [[StrangeGirl strange]] than scary.)
* ''Ringu: Jiko ka! Henshi ka! Yottsu no inochi o ubau shôjo no onnen'' (A TV adaptation made by Fuji Network 3 years before the more well-known film. Notable for keeping Asakawa male, and for casting a softcore porn actress as Sadako and having her frequently get naked.)
----
!!This [[strike: curse]] film and novel series provides examples of:
* AbusiveParents: In the American remake, where [[spoiler:Samara's uncontrollable power ostracized her to her own parents (who eventually killed her because of them.)]]
** Averted in the Japanese films - the first two films would have you believe that Dr. Ikuma threw Sadako down the well out of malice. In fact, ''Ring 0'' reveals that [[spoiler:he did it as a last, desperate resort to stop her evil powers. He is extremely reluctant to do it, and he immediately breaks down sobbing after he pushes her in]].
* AchillesHeel: The video tape counts as Sadako's and Samara's. If a cursed victim watches the tape, but does not show it to someone else before they die then the curse cannot be continued.
* ActorAllusion: Brian Cox plays Richard Morgan, [[spoiler:whose wife killed herself because their (adopted) child's uncontrollable psychic powers burned horrific images into her mind]]. One year later, in ''Film/X2XMenUnited'', Brian Cox plays William Stryker, [[spoiler:whose wife killed herself because their (mutant) child's uncontrollable psychic powers burned horrific images into her mind]].
* AdaptationDistillation: The short film ''rings'', which shows how the Cursed Video would affect an ordinary teenager.
* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:Sadako was sealed inside the well when she was a young adult, however ''Ring 2'' reveals that she was in her 40s when she died. There are many theories as to why she took that long to die (including the use of a HealingFactor, ThePowerOfHate, etc.), but the fact remains that she ''was trapped down there, in the dark, for 30 years''. Ouch.]]
* AnimalsHateHim: Rachel, apparently contaminated by the cursed tape, terrifies a horse on a boat so much that it breaks out of its stall and leaps overboard to its death.
* AnyoneCanDie: Very few characters survive the series, in fact only around [[spoiler: four characters survive the films, excluding ''Rasen'' since characters are resurrected.]]
* ArcWords: From the first American remake: "I'm sorry. It won't stop."
* ArtifactOfDeath: The Tape
* AscendedExtra: Mai Takano.
* AssholeVictim: Dr. Emma Temple in ''The Ring Two''. True what happens might be a bit harsh, but she is easily the least sympathetic victim in the American films.
** Aiko Hazuki, the first on-screen victim in ''Ring 0'', is a stuck-up, arrogant and downright mean actress who regards Sadako as little more than dirt. As with Dr. Temple, she doesn't exactly deserve what happens to her, but she is a very unsympathetic character.
** Jake from the American "Rings" mockumentary is this as well. Yes, he's still sympathetic as he plagued by the supernatural but he coldly attempts a nice girl who had a crush on him to pass the curse onto her. To make it even worse when he's talking to his so-called friend, he refers to her as "some stupid chick." JerkAssWoobie indeed.
* AuthorAppeal: One of the driving forces behind Asakawa's character in the novel is his relationship with his daughter. The author is a leading advocate of stronger father/daughter relationships in Japanese society.
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler: Sadako and Ryuji are resurrected in ''Spiral''.]]
* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: In ''Ring 0'', [[spoiler:Akiko shoots both Etsuko and herself in the head]], rather than have Sadako kill them.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Sadako herself, when she was alive - well, [[spoiler:[[SuperpoweredEvilSide her good side]]]], anyway.
** Even though he [[CreepyChild has his creepy moments]], Yoichi is generally a helpful and sweet little kid... until the events with the cursed tape, not to mention the fact that [[spoiler:Sadako's influence gives him similar powers to hers]]. In ''Ring 2'', when [[spoiler:his mother dies]], he is understandably ''pissed''.
* BigNo: Rachel, when she discovers Aiden watching the tape.
* BlessedWithSuck: Sadako's miraculous psychic abilities brought her, and everyone around her, more grief than they were worth.
* BreakTheCutie: Sadako in both the novels and the films. Not to mention Yoichi, and poor Etsuko from ''Ring 0''.
** Heck, several of Sadako and Samara's victims earn this status.
* BrownNote: The video tape kills anyone who watches it within seven days. Extended in the novels where [[spoiler: a journal on the tape becomes a carrier for the curse.]]
* CameBackWrong: Well, sort of. It is heavily implied that those killed by Sadako become malevolent spirits under her control, as the first movie demonstrates when [[spoiler:Tomoko's spirit tells Yoichi to watch the tape. Ryuji later expresses his belief that "she isn't Tomoko any more"]].
* CatapultNightmare: Rachel in the first American movie.
* ChairReveal: [[spoiler:Noah's corpse]] in the first American movie.
* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler:The protagonist's copy of the tape.]]
* ContinuityReboot / CanonDiscontinuity: After the first movie was made, it was immediately followed up with a "forgotten" sequel, ''Rasen'' (aka ''Spiral''), that was very badly received (though it is recognised as being a [[TruerToTheText lot more faithful to the book]], it didn't work as a sequel to the movie due to having a very, very different feel). It was quickly discounted from the series' canon. Eventually, ''Ring 2'' was made, and is considered to be the official sequel.
* {{Cool Horse}}s: The Morgans had famous racing horses, until [[spoiler: the horses killed themselves]], making them even more famous.
* CreepyChild: The young Sadako, and Samara and Aiden in the American remake.
** Yoichi could also count - especially in the second movie.
* CryForTheDevil: Sadako and Samara. ''Ring 0'' is an exercise in this for the former.
* DaylightHorror: Many of the scarier scenes in the origial films happen during the daytime. Also, in the US remake, only the first scene was set at night.
* DeathSeeker: [[spoiler: Takashi Yamamura, Sadako's uncle, seeks death after the actions he caused in the past.]]
* DeliberatelyMonochrome: The American remake is saturated with blue.
* DoomedByCanon: Anyone watching ''Ring 0'' with prior knowledge to Sadako's fate (which, of course, is the idea) knows she'll end up down the well by the ending.
* DrivenToSuicide: In the Japanese version, Shizuko killed herself by throwing herself into a volcano after she went crazy, prior to the events of the movie. In the US version, Anna threw herself off the edge of a cliff, again, prior to the events of the movie. Unlike Shizuko's death, which is offscreen, Anna's death is shown in Samara's tape.
** Also, in ''Ring 0: Birthday'', [[spoiler:Akiko shoots the crying and hysterical Etsuko, and then herself, both through the head, [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled rather than die at Sadako's hands]]]].
** [[spoiler:Richard Morgan]] in the US version.
** [[spoiler: Dr. Kawajiri in ''Ring 2'', and Takashi Yamamura to an extent.]]
* DroppedABridgetOnHim: Nagao Jotaro, the doctor who tries to rape Sadako in the novels gets this when he learns [[spoiler: Sadako has Testicular Feminization Syndrome.]]
* ElectrifiedBathtub: Used in the US remake when [[spoiler:Richard]] utilises this method to kill himself.
* [[spoiler: TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt]]: The outcome of the second novel.
* EnfanteTerrible: Sadako and Samara, naturally.
* EpisodeZeroTheBeginning: ''Birthday''
* EurekaMoment: Reiko has one in the first film, when she realises that [[spoiler: the phone only rings at the cabin.]]
* TheFaceless: Sadako - in the first movie, even as a child, her face is always either completely or partially obscured by her long hair, and only her eye is seen peering through the curtain of her hair at the first film's climax. It isn't until the second movie that [[spoiler:her wrinkly, rotted features are seen for the first time]]. In the US remake, Samara's face is shown throughout most of the first movie, but is obscured during [[spoiler:the ending scene with Noah]].
** The mysterious EnigmaticMinion referred to as the Towel Man never shows his face, nor is his identity ever revealed. It has been guessed he is either [[spoiler: Ryuji Takayama or Hiroshi Toyama (or possibly even ''both'')]], or a symbolic reference to the unknown identity of Sadako's father in the films.
* FacialHorror: Sadako and Samara's victims - their faces are frozen in grotesque, silent screams (and, in the case of Samara's victims, their faces are distorted and look like they've been rotting for some time). In addition, there's the rotted face of Sadako herself as seen during the climax of ''Ring 2'', and Samara's rotting face as a ghost.
* AFateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler:Okazaki's]] fate, as of the end of ''Ring 2'': [[spoiler:Being haunted for the rest of his life by Kanae, whom he allowed to die by not copying and passing on the tape.]]
* {{Fingore}}: Sadako and Samara's fingers are lacking nails, due to repeated (failed) attempts to climb out of the well. In particular, Sadako's nail-less fingers are shown in [[{{Squick}} extreme closeup]] in the first movie. In the first American movie, Samara's cursed tape features images of twitching severed fingers in a box, and a finger being impaled on a tack so that the whole nail is pushed loose.
* FootFocus: Both Sadako (especially in ''Ring 0'') and Samara.
* FreakOut: [[spoiler:Etsuko]] in ''Ring 0''. It lasts until her death.
* FreezeFrameBonus: In both the first Japanese and US versions. Just watch carefully during subsequent re-runs of the tape, when they are being studied. [[spoiler:For the briefest of moments, Sadako/Samara's hand can be seen coming from the well, which definitely was ''not'' there when Reiko/Rachel first viewed the tape. Later, when Yoichi/Aidan watches the tape, it goes even further, showing a brief glimpse of Sadako/Samara's head (note that this seems to be due to Reiko/Rachel coming in and viewing the tape's end - these moments imply that those who watch the tape more than once get a little bit more each time).]]
** In the first US movie, a [[SinisterSilhouettes silhouette]] of Samara [[spoiler:can be seen on the TV as it slides down towards Rachel, just before it knocks her into the well. After the horses leap off the ship to be killed, the ring itself flickers onscreen for a brief second.]]
** In ''Ring 2'', after [[spoiler:Reiko dies]], we see [[CameBackWrong Tomoko and three other victims]] standing with their backs to the audience.
* GenreShift: To an extent, anyway - ''Ring 0'', while still considered a horror movie, is much more of a drama with supernatural/horror elements than the previous two movies.
** Then you have the novels - the first is pretty much what you'd expect after seeing the movies, the second is pretty much a medical mystery, and the third is just straight-up sci-fi.
* [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan Get A Hold Of Yourself Woman]]: Towards the end of the first film, Ryuji slaps Reiko in the face to snap her out of her sudden bout of the hysterics.
* GhostlyGoals: Who'da thunk KeepCirculatingTheTapes would be so deadly?
* HauntedTechnology
* HealingFactor: Sadako is implied to have had this in life.
* HealingHands: [[spoiler:Sadako's "good" side has this power, as evidenced when she uses them to help a disabled man to walk again.]]
* {{Hermaphrodite}}: Sadako, in the novel (not the movies), has Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. Basically, she is genetically male (and has external testicles), but looks and identifies as female.
* HeroicBSOD: Mai has one in the first movie, after [[spoiler:discovering Ryuji's corpse]]. Reiko finds her in a state of shock and unmoving in [[spoiler:Ryuji's apartment, even after his body has been taken away]]. She snaps out of it in time for the sequel. Reiko later has a small one when she returns to her own apartment, simply slumping into a chair for a while. [[spoiler:She snaps out of it when she discovers just why she survived and Ryuji didn't.]]
* HopeSpot: [[spoiler: In the both versions, Reiko/Rachel finds Sadako's/Samara's body and removes it from the well. It's treated like they exorcised the curse, but this is not the case...]]
* {{Horror}}
* IntrepidReporter: Kazuyuki, Reiko and Okazaki.
* IronicEcho: One of the most striking images on the American version of The Tape is Anna, Samara's adoptive mother, throwing herself off a cliff. In ''The Ring Two'', [[spoiler:Rachel escapes Samara's dreamworld by doing the same thing, in the same pose, from the same cliff]].
* JediMindTrick: Samara uses one on a WeakWilled doctor in ''The Ring Two''.
* JumpScare: Many and varied.
* LampshadeHanging: The multitudinous adaptations of the novel are lampshaded by Sadako in the second novel, ''Spiral'', where the events of the first have been dramatised from Asakawa's notes, and adapted to every form under the sun. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero And they ]]''[[NiceJobBreakingItHero all]]'' [[NiceJobBreakingItHero carry the curse]].
* LeFilmArtistique: Noah dismisses the curse tape as very "student film".
* LighthousePoint: Moesko Island has one.
* LoveTriangle: in ''Ring 0'', Sadako and Toyama fall for each other while Toyama is in a relationship with Etsuko.
* MamaBear: Both Reiko and Rachel.
* MarionetteMotion: Sadako moves like this as a ghost and when in "evil" mode during the climax of ''Ring 0''. Her unnatural walking effect at the end of the first film was achieved by having Rie Inou walk backwards with the scene filmed in reverse.
* MindRape: Both Sadako and Samara love doing this to their victims, even the ones who haven't actually seen the tape, and even the ones who have been spared from the curse. Most notable is [[spoiler:Masami]] from the first movie, who, after witnessing Sadako coming for her friend, goes insane and is sent to a mental institution. From that point on, she can't even stand to look at a television. Not only that, but exposure to Sadako has even [[spoiler:granted her access to frightening psychic powers that she can barely control]].
* MindScrew: The second movie loves this trope.
* MoodWhiplash: Used rather cruelly at the end of ''Ring 0''. [[spoiler:Sadako is thrown down the well by a weeping Dr. Ikuma.]] Suddenly, the mood changes to an altogether calmer and more peaceful one, as [[spoiler:Sadako wakes up, with her love interest Toyama standing over her, telling her it was all just a dream]]... then the mood shifts back again just as rapidly, [[spoiler:with Sadako at the bottom of the well, realising to her horror that this is no dream, that Toyama is dead at her hands, and her adoptive father has just pushed her down a well. Then the concrete cover starts to go over the top of the well as she stands there and screams, and screams, and screams.]] [[TearJerker Cue the waterworks.]]
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In ''Ring 0'', Sadako is found sobbing uncontrollably after [[spoiler:killing all the members of the theatre troupe, as well as Toyama]].
* NaomiWatts: Star of the American remake, and appeared in the sequel due to her contract. She'll be sitting the third film, which (by all accounts) will be a prequel, out.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Much more evident in the Japanese novels and films: Sadako's influence was limited to the immediate area surrounding the well, and even then, only to material that she could affect with her PsychicPowers. [[spoiler:Asakawa's report spread her influence to ''any kind of media'' that described his investigation, including literature, film, audio...]] In the American continuity, it is ''strongly'' hinted that [[spoiler:"helping" Samara and removing her from the well allowed her to directly ''haunt '' Rachel and possess living people]].
** Also, in ''Ring 2'', [[spoiler:Okazaki doesn't watch, copy and pass on the tape, in spite of promising Kanae (who had watched and copied it) that he would. This could be interpreted as either cowardice on his part, or perhaps as a way of attempting to halt the curse (or maybe even both). However, after Kanae's demise, she returns as a vengeful spirit to haunt Okazaki and drive him insane, and it is also implied that this starts an entirely ''new'' curse.]]
* NightmareFace: Present in both the Japanese and US versions, although the faces in the US version are considerably more distorted.
* NothingIsScarier
* OffingTheOffspring: In the movie version, Sadako is thrown down a well by her own [[spoiler:(adoptive)]] father. For Samara, her American counterpart, her birth mother ''and'' adoptive mother both tried to kill her (the second one even succeeded).
* OffscreenTeleportation
* OhCrap: Ah! It's all over! Rachel has [[spoiler:released Samara from the well and let her soul go on to live in peace]], now we can get back to our happy li---wait, what did the kid just say?
* OldMediaAreEvil
* TheOphelia
* ParentalAbandonment: Sadako's mother threw herself into a volcano after a public manifestation of Sadako's powers. Samara's mother threw herself off a cliff some indeterminate time after killing Samara. In the Japanese movie, [[spoiler:Asakawa decides that the best way to save her son is to show the Cursed Video to her own, willing parents, and then [[SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome she dies in the sequel]] so her son carries on for her (novel-version Asakawa chooses his wife's parents instead, but [[SenselessSacrifice they all die in a crash anyway]].)]]
* ThePowerOfHate: [[spoiler:[[EpilepticTrees Quite possibly]] the reason Sadako was able to survive for 30 years until she had the means to transmit her curse to the videotape.]]
* PrecisionFStrike: [[spoiler: "I'm not your ''fucking'' mother!"]]
* PromotionToParent: [[spoiler: Mai becomes this for Yoichi after Reiko dies.]]
* PsychicNosebleed: Happens in the remake to both Rachel and Aiden.
* PsychicPowers: Sadako and Samara obviously have them, as does Shizuko. Ryuji also possesses them to a degree, and Yoichi later gains them (although it is implied that he inherited mild powers from his father, it is strongly implied that he gained even stronger, deadlier powers from Sadako's influence). Mai also seems to similar powers to Ryuji, to an extent. [[spoiler:Masami]] is also revealed to have gained some in ''Ring 2'', due to coming into contact with Sadako after the latter had [[spoiler:killed Tomoko]].
* PsychologicalHorror
* RapeAsBackstory: In the novels, anyway.
* {{Retcon}}: A flashback in the first film appears to show Sadako curiously peering into the well, before Dr. Ikuma sneaks up on her to push her down the well. She's also wearing shoes. ''Ring 0'', however, shows that Sadako was drugged and chased to the well instead, whilst barefoot.
* {{Revenge}} / RoaringRampageOfRevenge: This is [[spoiler:Akiko]]'s primary reason for investigating Sadako in ''Ring 0'' - the man she killed at Shizuko's demonstration all those years ago was, in fact, [[spoiler:Akiko's fiancé]].
** Also, near the end of ''Ring 0'', [[spoiler:after merging with her [[SuperpoweredEvilSide evil half]], Sadako kills all of the members of the theatre troupe, due to their actions mentioned in MoralEventHorizon on the YMMV page]].
* RunningOnAllFours: Well, not so much running as moving at a creepy pace, but this is how Sadako / Samara exit the well on the tape.
* SealedEvilInACan: Sadako was trapped in a well by her own father for the explicit reason of preventing her from hurting other people with her power. Contrast this with Samara, whose ''foster'' mother decided to simply kill her outright.
* ShesAManInJapan: Sadako is intersex in the novels; this is completely dropped for Sadako in the movies and Samara in the remake.
** Interestingly, it was maintained for Terror's Realm.
* ShoutOut: The ending of the first movie, depicting Reiko driving towards an oncoming storm, is a visual reference to the ending of ''TheTerminator''.
** The cursed video itself is a shout out to Buñuel's UnChienAndalou
** There are many shout outs to [[Creator/AlfredHitchcock Hitchcock]] in the first U.S. movie:
*** When Rachel takes a shower (Film/{{Psycho}})
*** When she looks at the building in front of hers, there's a guy on a wheelchair with a cast on his leg (RearWindow)
*** When she discovers Noah's body (another Film/{{Psycho}} reference)
*** And, well, the title (there's a silent movie by Hitchcock called The Ring)
** The red tree prop in the remake was nicknamed "Lucy" by the crew after a certain [[ILoveLucy red-headed actress]].
* ShowerOfAngst: Rachel takes one in the first U.S. movie.
* ShrugOfGod: In the American remake, fans of the film note that the victims of Samara look like they'd been drowned, which would make sense considering Samara's predicament. However, both Gore Verbinski and makeup FX artist Dick Smith said that wasn't their intention. They just wanted to make them look creepy.
* SmugSnake: Dr. Emma Temple in ''The Ring Two'', a cold and smugly superior psychiatrist played by Elizabeth Perkins, who brings an energy to the character that makes it truly easy to hate her. [[spoiler:Her death definitely confirms her SmugSnake status. She succumbs instantly to a JediMindTrick to commit suicide implying she is so WeakWilled Samara can just control her directly rather than rely on MindRape like all her other victims]].
* SpookyPhotographs: If a photo is taken of someone who has watched the tape, their faces appear blurred and distorted. In addition, ''Ring 2'' explores the concept of spirit photography - photos taken of [[spoiler:Masami]] after being committed to a mental institution reveal the appearance of the "Towel Man". Later, when [[spoiler:Okazaki]] is committed to the same hospital, his photos apparently show something spooky, but [[TheUnreveal the audience never gets to see them]].
* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: The third novel is not often talked about (hardly mentioned on this page even) likely because it moves away from the Sadako curse horror story and extends into science fiction. In great detail [[spoiler: it practically retcons the events of the first two novels as being part of a virtual world experiment. The Ring Virus in the virtual world is seen as a equivalent to a new form of cancer in the real world, and the protagonist has to utilize this to save his wife.]]
* StairsAreFaster: Rachel is racing to warn Noah that Samara has not been put to rest and is after him. When she arrives at his apartment she tries to use the elevator, but gets frustrated by the delay and runs up the stairs instead.
* StarCrossedLovers: Sadako and Toyama.
* StringyHairedGhostGirl: Sadako/Samara, who, along with Kayako Saeki from ''{{Juon}}'', [[TropeCodifier revitalized and popularized this concept in modern media]].
* [[spoiler: SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome]]: [[spoiler: Kazuyuki Asakawa]] in ''Spiral''.
** Also, [[spoiler:Reiko]] in ''Ring 2''.
* [[spoiler:SuperpoweredEvilSide]]
* TechnologyMarchesOn: Pfft, cursed videotape.
** Though ''Sadako 3D'' gets around this, by having the curse apparently spread via WebVideo...
* ThrownDownAWell
* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: The Japanese trailer for the first movie completely spoils the now-famous scene of [[spoiler:Sadako emerging from the TV screen]].
* TranquilFury: Do not get on Yoichi's bad side.
* UnderstandingBoyfriend: Toyama to Sadako.
* UnnaturallyBlueLighting: The US version is filmed with a blue tint. ''The Ring Two'' avoids this, however.
* UrbanLegends: In the Japanese series the tape itself has earned this status, which explains why some of the kids' descriptions of the tape are so different from what is actually shown on the tape - they heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend, and so on. As a result of the tape's status, Reiko and Okazaki discuss various other famous Japanese urban legends, including a reference to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuchisake-Onna Kuchisake-Onna]].
** It's also acquired this status in the American franchise even before the second movie. The first victim in ''The Ring Two'' was a guy who joined one of several groups that [[spoiler:dare people to watch the video then get someone else to watch it within seven days]]. Conveniently enough, these groups are called "[[IncrediblyLamePun Rings]]".
* TheVirus: Sadako herself.
* VomitDiscretionShot: Happens near the beginning of ''Ring 2'', courtesy of Mai after she sees the destroyed videotape.
* WhatTheHellHero: Aidan's reaction to his mom's actions at the end. Doubles as a WhamLine.
-->[[spoiler: '''Aidan:''' You helped her?]]
-->[[spoiler: '''Rachel:''' Yeah.]]
-->[[spoiler: '''Aidan:''' Why did you do that?]]
-->[[spoiler: '''Rachel:''' What's wrong, honey?]]
-->[[spoiler: '''Aidan:''' You weren't supposed to help her. Don't you understand, Rachel? ''She never sleeps''.]]
* WindowLove: In ''Ring 0'', Sadako and Toyama confess their love through a window to each other.
* WomanInWhite: Sadako, Samara and Evelyn.
* WorkingWithTheEx: In the Japanese version, Reiko works with her estranged husband Ryuji to solve the mystery of the cursed videotape and save the life of their son. In the US version, Rachel works with her ex-boyfriend Noah to do the same.
* YankTheDogsChain: Sadako is pushed down the well by Dr. Ikuma but awakens to find herself in bed with Toyama watching over her. [[spoiler: Just as she goes to reach him, it is revealed that it was a dream and she can only scream as she is sealed in the well.]]
** Samara suffers this in ''The Ring Two''. She [[spoiler: possesses Aidan]] to get a mother, only to be [[spoiler: drugged by Rachel, exorcised from Aidan's body, and then re-sealed in the well.]]
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''[[OhCrap Seven days...]]''
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