I think everybody was able to watch this movie and its sequel and prequel. It’s quite a scary movie if I may say so. Gives you the chill and thrill. However, it’s sad to say that the movie didn’t stayed with the
book. But they sure made one hell of a horror movie. I still like the movie a lot.
Here are some of the differences with the book and the film.
1. In the book, Sadako does not come out of the TV and kills her victims. (What a shame! That’s the movies best part.)
2. In the book, the person who sees the video tape experiences intense anxiety and hallucination and finally dies of a heart attack on his 7th day.
3. In the book, the RING VIRUS spreads through the video tape. This kills the victims and not Sadako. The ring virus came from Sadako's hate towards society, her psychic abilities and the smallpox virus.
4. The film character names were not as per the book.
5. In the book, Sadako was raped and killed by her Father’s doctor. The doctor threw her in the well. In the film, it was Sadako’s father who killed her and threw her in the well.
6. In the book, Sadako is a hermaphrodite. While she is a real woman in the movie.
7. The video in the book is different from the movie.
Book 1 : The Ring
The story started with the mysterious simultaneous death of four teenagers due to the ring virus. Kazuyuki Asakawa and Ryūji Takayama are the main characters of the book. It roams around this two characters as they try to solve the riddle to save their own lives within 7 days. The book is spooky and hair-raising.
Book 2 : Spiral
Ando Mitsuo and Miyashita are the main characters for this part of the book. They did the autopsy on Ryūji Takayama (1st book) body. Later, they have deciphered the truth about the ring virus. You think everything should be alright. Guess again, the ring virus mutated from the video tape to a report. Anybody who reads the report will die in 7 days. Ando tried to stop the report from being published.
There is a huge twist in the end, Mai Takano (Ryūji Takayama lover) gives birth to Sadako. She is back –alive and kicking. And at the end of the story – Sadako also revives Ryūji Takayama back to life.
Book 3 : Loop
Now this story is wicked. Its like a twilight zone episode. All the fears and horror you felt on the first book will be washed away. If you don’t want to read any spoiler, than stop reading this. I learned this truth only on the later part of the book.
The Loop is a simulated reality of our world - an alternate universe. The first 2 books happened inside the Loop. The programmers made this super computer, made a simulation of life and started from the beginning. They made a parallel universe inside the Loop and let it developed and grow by itself.
However, the programmers of the loop took a liking of Ryūji Takayama (Book 1). They cloned him and recreated him in the real world. However, Ryuji brought the ring virus with him in the real world. The virus
spread and became this Metastatic Human Cancer(MHC). It killed a lot of people.
Kaoru Futami, the main character, is a medical student whose father (also an MHC victim) is one of the engineers of the Loop. It was later discovered that Kaoru was Ryuji’s clone and thus have immunity with the MHC and is now the key to the salvation of man. But in order for the Kaoru to be analyzed, he should be sent inside the Loop. What a twist! So Kaoru played the hero and forever disappeared in the real world and was sent inside the loop to save mankind.
There is a fourth book - The Birthday (anthology). I haven’t read this. But I will be definitely reading it.
This series is a good read. Keeps you reading. It’s very exciting. I would recommend this to everyone who loved the RING movies.