Ringu and the Vortex of Horror Ringu and the Vortex of Horror: Contemporary Japanese Horror and the Technology of Chaos

Though much younger than Frankenstein’s creature and Dracula, Sadako Yamamura1 has already secured her position in the horror monster pantheon as an instantly recognisable icon of terror. Despite the diversity of the Asian underworld, Sadako has become its sole representative to the Western audiences, easily overshadowing her one and only contender from the past – Godzilla. To the unaccustomed eye every long-haired Oriental spirit seems to be created in her image, every supernatural vengeance story seems derivative and unoriginal in comparison. The illusion of Sadako’s uniqueness prevails, although her origins place her in a long line of succession. Still, her singularity cannot be argued once we see her as a case in point illustrating the direction contemporary Japanese horror has taken in the last decades. The aim of this article is to discuss the image of Sadako Yamamura, as presented in the four most significant Japanese Ringu movies.2 The figure of Sadako – a technologically re-defined chaotic vengeful spirit – has been chosen to serve as an example allowing us to posit the understanding o