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Video Nasty: The Moral Apocalypse in Koji Suzuki's Ring

2012; Routledge; Volume: 23; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/10436928.2012.703567

1545-5866

Steve Jones,

Gothic Literature and Media Analysis

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Notes For example, Honogurai mizu no soko kara (2002, Japan) was remade as the American film Dark Water (2005, USA), and significantly influenced the plot and aesthetic of Fear (2007, India). These include Koji's sequel novels (Rasen [1995] and Rupu [1998]), and the many film adaptations spawned by the text; the television movie Ringu: Kanzen-Ban (1995, Japan), the television series Ringu: Saishusho (1999, Japan), the theatrical-release film adaptations Ringu (1998, Japan), Ring Virus (1999, Korea), and The Ring (2002, USA), as well as the sequel films Rasen (1998, Japan) and the TV series of the same name (Japan, 1999, both of which are based on Koji Suzuki's follow-up novel Spiral), Ringu 2 (1999, Japan, an original screenplay based on Ringu), and The Ring Two (2005, USA, another remake), the prequel Ringu 0: Basudei (2000, Japan) and Sadako 3D (2012, Japan). Its influence is also clearly felt in subsequent Japanese horror films dealing with malevolent spirits that utilize technology as a conduit for contaminating the human populace, such as Chakushin Ari (2003, Japan), Gosuto Shisutemu (2002, Japan), and End Call (2008, Japan). Similar views are expressed by Alweiss 428; Datsur 7; Erneling 174; McGann and De Jaegher 427; Strawson 405. Suzuki's apocalyptic allegory thus matches Levinas's tendency towards excess or dramatic hyperbole (Surber 295). On this, see Leverick's thorough dissection of morality and self-defense. Universalization is to be differentiated from generalization, which for Levinas is “death” (Entre 23). Additional informationNotes on contributorsSteve Jones Steve Jones is a lecturer in Media at Northumbria University in the UK. His research focuses on horror films, pornography, selfhood, and moral philosophy. His forthcoming monograph Torture Porn: Popular Horror Film in the Era of Saw will be published in 2013 by Palgrave-Macmillan. For more information, please visit www.drstevejones.co.uk.