3 Reasons Why The Ring Changed Horror Movies Forever
By Published May 13, 2026, 3:20 PM EDT Angela Davis is a freelance movies writer for Screen Rant. She specializes in English with concentrations in media analysis and grammar. She's watched a movie every day for the past eight years and learned some of the best ways to write stories during her time at college. follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
franchise changed horror forever when the first film originally premiered. In 1998, Hideo Nakata's adaptation of Ring was a landmark success for Japanese cinema. It's often regarded as one of the best and biggest films to be released in the country and has since become .
However, it was the work of Koji Suzuki that led to this dynamic shift in horror. His first novel, Ring, released to massive acclaim. This led to numerous novels that followed, including Spiral and Loop, which expanded on the lore of Sadako Yamamura and the cursed videotape.
Unfortunately, on May 8, 2026, Koji Suzuki passed away at the age of 68. This news hit the horror community hard as many looked to his works as some of the most influential stories in the genre.
Nevertheless, despite his death, Suzuki's work will continue to live on. Each of his novels has been adapted in some way to the big screen, both domestically and internationally. The world and characters he created have become mainstays in the horror genre across various mediums; .
Of course, nearly 30 years later, the original adaptation of Suzuki's first novel still stands tall as one of the most recognizable works in Japanese horror. In fact, it's a film that has ultimately changed horror forever with its fantastic story and nailbiting mystery.
1 The Ring Feels Like The First Modern Horror Movie
What Hideo Nakata's original adaptation of Suzuki's novel does brilliantly is bring horror into the 21st century, even though it released in 1998. The way it completely revolves around technology makes Ring feel more like a product of modern filmmaking, rather than the movies that released in the same decade.
While VHS has since become outdated, the use of tech at the time is abundant in the movie and plays a major role in its execution. Ring is constantly inviting its characters and audiences to scan the videotape and figure out the mystery hiding within the frames. In a way, despite the technological limitations, this makes it feel timeless, while also making it stand out as something that would only have worked in recent years.
2 The Ring Inspired A Resurgence In Supernatural J-Horror
Something that Hideo Nakata's film also did was create a major ripple in interest for supernatural horror in Japan. Since Ring's premiere in 1998, many other movies featuring an Onryo as the primary antagonist began to debut.
Some films spawned by Ring's success included Pulse and Dark Water. However, the most notable entry in this growth in demand was Takashi Shimizu's Ju-On: The Grudge in 2002. It featured a curse similar to that featured in Ring while expanding upon it with unique lore. Its popularity gave birth to a series that was just as popular as Ring, such as a crossover that put the two franchises together.
3 The Ring's American Remake Made J-Horror Rise In Popularity Overseas
of the original Nakata film ultimately solidified J-horror's popularity around the world. This horror film featuring Naomi Watts became one of the biggest releases of the year, even if it didn't quite break the Top 10 at the box office.
Most importantly though, the film's success drew interest for more new takes on J-horror films. The 2000s saw countless remakes of J-horror, including 2004's The Grudge and 2008's One Missed Call, even if . The growth in demand even led to Hollywood looking to other Asian countries for inspiration, like Thailand's Shutter and South Korea's A Tale of Two Sisters.
Of course, all of this hype ultimately led to American viewers seeking out the original films Hollywood's remakes were inspired by. Since then, J-horror has become a major influence in the horror sphere. However, none of this would've come to be without Koji Suzuki's original story, which saw The Ring become one of the biggest gamechangers for horror of all time.
Cast
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Nanako Matsushima -
Hiroyuki Sanada - Rikiya Otaka
- Miki Nakatani
Where to watch Close
WHERE TO WATCH
StreamingRuntime 95 Minutes Director Hideo Nakata Writers Hiroshi Takahashi Sequel(s) Spiral Expand Collapse
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