Ringu Movie Analysis

As society evolves there are those who oppose or fear the rapid changes that are brought upon them. These changes are not just technological but social and cultural as well, changing the very foundation of what is socially normal or acceptable right before them. These fears of social change are seen in movies like Ringu, a horror film about a cursed videocassette, through examination of the main characters and, particularly, the antagonist by looking at what they are and what they represent in relation to society as whole. The main antagonist of the movie Ringu is the wrathful ghost of a powerful psychic named Sadako. Within the film she is depicted as a modern day onryo, a traditional Japanese ghost that can and will harm living beings in

The most blatant of these fears is the changing social position of women in society where women are able to step out of the more traditional stay-at-home wife role and into society as professional individuals of equal capability (McRoy 79-80). This is presented by Sadako having stood up to the men who were abusing her mother due to her enhanced knowledge via psychic powers, which could be seen as patriarchal system trying to confine the abilities or strengths of women, and Sadako, being the new generation of women, as a violent breach to this old system. The wrath of Sadako, the cursed videotape, itself is also a symbol of the fear of women in the changing social structure where Sadako’s will cannot be quelled or silenced except by sharing it with someone else, where the changing role of previously repressed women cannot be ignored without consequences (McRoy 87-88). Another fear that can be seen is the fear of technology of itself and its ability to rapidly spread quickly with little to no effort. This is presented at the beginning of the film where high school girls are speaking about rumors they have heard about a cursed video, Sadako’s video, that kills people and how it spread about the region rapidly and most everyone seemed to know something about the video as well as technology being Sadako’s mode of transportation/contact with her victims is via television and telephone. This rapidly changing, growing technology affects how information spreads, becomes difficult to control and allows for an ease of access to information and ability to learn which can lead to unpredictable changes within society, pushing up against tradition and the old ways of living