The Cursed Videotape

The Cursed Videotape is an item in the Ring cycle series of books and films. Seemingly a normal home-recorded videotape, the tape carries a curse that will kill anyone who watches it within seven days. In the earlier Japanese films, it is explained as a traditional curse, though given a far greater explanation in later films and in the novels. The American and Korean versions largely follow that of the earlier Japanese explanations.

In the original Japanese series, the tape is initially created by Sadako Yamamura. In the later Korean and American remakes, the tapes are created by Eun-Suh and Samara Morgan, respectively.

The videos
The videos are a series of jumbled images, often grotesque. The Sadako, Eun-Suh, and Samara versions all differ in the particular images, but have the same final image of a well and the disturbing effect. In the American movies, soon after the video is watched, the nearest telephone will ring and, when the watcher answers, a voice will declare, "You will die in seven days," before hanging up. This only happened if you were in Izu in the Japanese movie.

Video files of the Sadako and Samara videos can be watched on the official Japanese and American websites, as well as the DVD releases. It is not known if the Eun-Suh version is online.

The curse
Sadako's curse can actually be divided into a few abilities. First, the relatively simple ability to record her memories and imagination to film (earlier in her life she used a similar ability on an undeveloped photo, and also manipulated the image on a television). The second and more disturbing skill is the feat of giving the tape its own psychic abilities to kill whomever watches it, as well as the ability to replicate its curse. Lastly, there is the ability of writing her own DNA and the DNA of smallpox (the "Ring Virus") onto the videos themselves.

Early explanation
In the films Sadako's method of killing with the video curse is not explained, but when someone is killed by it she is seen climbing out of the nearest TV and approaching them. The corpses are discovered with looks of unearthly anguish on their faces, so it could be concluded that they "die of fright", i.e. a heart attack. With minor differences, Ring and The Ring, Rings and The Ring Two use this explanation.

Later clarification
In later installments of the book series, the curse is explained in detail, and is discovered to in fact be a virus. When someone watches the cursed tape (or something else carrying the curse) some of their cells' DNA is psychokinetically infected by the Ring Virus. The virus travels through their body and (in most cases) causes a sarcoma to form on one of the arteries of their heart. If the conditions to cure the virus have not been met by the seventh day, the supernatural portion of the curse calls forth a Sadako clone from the nearest video screen (regardless of whether the tape has been played on it); at the same time, the sarcoma detaches from the artery and clogs it, causing heart failure. It is not known if the clone triggers the detaching of the sarcoma or if this is a separate action. It is also unknown what happens to the clone afterwards.

The curse does not occur if the curse manages to reproduce itself. Originally, the only way for this to happen was to copy the cursed videotape. When the videotape is copied, the Ring Virus is replicated onto the copy. Whether the new copy of the virus comes simply from copying the video tape or from the already infected individual is unknown. However, there are other ways for the virus to reproduce, as mentioned below.

A later way for the virus to reproduce is by infecting a woman who is ovulating. In this case the Ring Virus finds the woman's ovum and inseminates it, acting as a phallic device for Sadako. In the case of Mai Takano her mind was replaced by Sadako's while she was pregnant; however, this may not always be the case, as Mai may have lacked the willpower to resist Sadako, and a stronger individual might have remained in control. When the new Sadako is born it seems the mother dies, as was in the case of Mai. This ability allows Sadako to clone or resurrect herself, albeit in a parasitic fashion.

It also should be noted that the virus itself takes on a life of its own, expanding beyond the initial tapes to anything made about it. During the course of the Japanese series, it infects the following (items with an asterisk aren't mentioned, but are implied):


 * medical report
 * A paperback book about the report
 * A TV special based on the paperback
 * A theatrical movie based on the TV special
 * Publicity advertising for the above film's theatrical release and video and DVDs*
 * The actual DVDs and videos*
 * The film's official website*

Ways with * next to them are implied in the Japanese series.

The tape images
As mentioned above, the images on the cursed tape differ in each version, even in the novel.

The novel, Ringu
1. Written introduction: "Watch this tape until the very end. If you will not, you will be consumed by the dead."

2. Outpouring of red (Symbolizes: Lava flowing, since Shizuko threw herself into a volcano)

3. Mount Mihara (Symbolizes: The mountain into which Shizuko jumped)

4. Mount Mihara erupting (Symbolizes: See above)

5. The Japanese character for mountain. (Symbolizes: This is the same image of the character that Sadako produced at the age of 10 and sent (along with an image of the "chastity" character) to Miura Tetsuzu, who was studying ESP powers. The character is the first character of Sadako's last name, Yamamura.)

6. Dice (Symbolizes: Shizuko knew, by telekinesis, the outcome of rolling dice)

7. An old woman (Symbolizes: Sadako's grandmother)

8. A baby boy (Symbolizes: Sadako's baby brother that died four months after birth)

9. Countless faces (Symbolizes: The crowd that gathered to see Shizuko's use of her powers, then turned into a mob after one of the onlookers declared the woman a fraud)

10. Old TV set (Symbolizes: A member of the Hisho Acting Troupe noticed Sadako using her powers to turn on an unplugged TV)

11. Man's face (Symbolizes: the man who raped Sadako, Nagao Joutarou)

12. Final scene: "You who have watched this tape: In exactly one week, you will die. There is only one way to survive, you must--" (tape stops itself)

Ringu (1998)
1. Moon-like view from the well (Symbolizes: The same as the end of the novel's cursed video, only this time, due to the differences in the story about Sadako's end between the novel and the theatrical adaptation, it's her father, Prof. Ikuma Heihachiro looking down the well instead of Nagao Joutarou)

2. Shizuko combing her hair inside a mirror (Symbolizes: The mirror moves to the right, where we see a little Sadako reflected in it - then it goes back to its original position, with Shizuko now looking towards the right and smiling; accompanied by some metallic squeaking. This is an actual event, shown more clearly in Ring 2.)

3. An undulating, impenetrable sea of kanjis, used in the Japanese language for writing. This is a jumbled newspaper article - the reorganized article is shown later in the movie, and it says Miharayama ga funka = Mt. Mihara erupts. (Symbolizes: Shizuko's prediction of the Mt. Mihara eruption)

4. People shambling and crawling, some also in reverse. They're accompanied by a moaning sound. (Symbolizes: Sadako's interpretation of either the mad reporters at Shizuko's ESP demonstration, or the victims of the Mt. Mihara eruption, which Shizuko predicted)

5. A man with his face covered by a white towel, pointing to something unseen at the left of the screen. Accompanied by the same metallic squeaking as scene 2, only this time, the squeaking is louder. Has a subliminal message: Shoumon bakkari shiteru to, boukon ga kuru zo., seen before in both the novel and in the 1995 TV special Ring: Kanzenban (where it's said, and clearly, by Sadako's grandmother). (Symbolizes: death (white towel) and clues (accusingly pointing finger))

6. An other-worldly eye, with the chastity character, reversed, inside it. It blinks twice. (Symbolizes: Sadako's nensha power)

7. The well (which Sadako was thrown into in order to kill her)

Ring (1999)
The well (which Eun-Suh was thrown into in order to kill her)

The Ring (2002)
In the film, Aiden's teacher says to Racheal (Naomi Watts) that children can express themselves in different ways. The events of the tape reveal the horrifying ending of the life of the little girl (Samara) who is trying to tell the world of her story.

1. A glowing white ring (Symbolizes: Sunlight peeking through the crack in the lid of the well Samara was thrown into, the last image Samara would have seen)

2. Static (Symbolizes: Nothing)

3. Blood in the water (Symbolizes: Samara was thrown into a well which would have resulted in injury. This later is seen a clue when the horse jumps off the ferry and under the propellers.)

4. A chair (Symbolizes: clue to finding out where Samara lived during her her time at the farm and solitude)

5. Comb through hair (Symbolizes: Samara's face was concealed by her hair)

6. Anna/Samara mirror switch (Symbolizes: Samara playing a trick on Anna, who was combing her hair in order to escape Samara's disturbing thoughts)

7. Nail for Hardware: (Symbolizes: Richard's use of hardware)

8. Richard looking down through the window: (Symbolizes: Possibly Richard being disturbed by Samara)

9. A cliff with a fly near it (Symbolizes: Where Anna killed herself; fly symbolizes attraction to corpses)

10. A mouth vomiting out something, maybe intestines or food (Symbolizes: Samara's insensitivity to pain)

11. Black plastic being shaken around (Symbolizes: One of the ways Anna tries to kill Samara)

12. Flaming tree (Symbolizes: The sun setting behind the tree; also symbolizes the tree was burned into Samara's wall, which would lead as a clue to Samara's story)

13. Crescent-shaped "moon" (Symbolizes: The lid of the well being left open; Samara's "only way out")

14. Finger pushing down on nail (Symbolizes: Samara losing her fingernails while climbing up the stone well wall)

15. Maggots (Symbolizes: Once deceased, maggots may feed on the body; this would be an indication as to the events that occurred after her death in the well)

16. People swimming under cloth/velvet (Symbolizes: Samara being trapped in the well (swimming under an object with no escape))

17. Centipede chair & table (Symbolizes: Psychiatric hospital where Samara was held against her will and questioned, due to Anna believing the visions were caused by Samara; this would have "bugged" her)

18. Lamb (Symbolizes: Innocence)

19. Horse's eye (Symbolizes: Keeping Samara awake at night)

20. Severed fingers in box (Symbolizes: The wriggling fingers (wriggling means pain in this case) mean seven days in a box, which represents the well)

21. Anna sees viewer (Symbolizes: Anna looking back at Samara smiling)

22. Window w/o Richard (Symbolizes: Possibly symbolizes how Sammara's father was never there for her, as he appeared in the previous similar image)

23. Spinning chair (Symbolizes: Rachel spinning Noah's corpse around in the chair he landed in)

24. Ladder (Symbolizes: The ladder which Samara hated climbing to the place where she would have to sleep at the top platform of the barn)

25. Dead horses (Symbolizes: Horses found dead in water)

26. Anna jumps (Symbolizes: Anna's suicide

27. Ladder collapsing (Symbolizes: Samara's way of indicating losing hope, becoming weak)

28. Ring with one side thicker than the other (Symbolizes: The well about to be closed)

29. Ladder collapsed (feeling) (Symbolizes: Samara's way of indicating no way out of well, hope is lost, weakness has grown)

30. The well (What Samara was thrown into in order to kill her)

These events all relate to Samara's life in the movie and ways of expressing herself to her viewers on the events that lead to her murder.


 * - Sequential order of the images on the tape in 2002's The Ring.

The tape in marketing
During the early stages of promoting The Ring in the U.S., several unmarked videotapes were left in public locations, sometimes with a sign that read "Watch these or I'll die in seven days" (or something to that effect). Without explanation, the videos leap straight into the "Samara" version of the curse, displaying a single website URL "www.anopenletter.com" before cutting to static.

External references

 * the ringworld - a fansite covering all aspects of the Ring series and movies.