GAMING NEWS GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.
Fans of horror movies revolving around cursed VHS tapes and half-human, half-demon ghosts who crawl out of televisions can score a fantastic deal on The Ring Collection. Released last year with a $90 retail price, the three-film 4K Blu-ray box set is on sale for only $39 at Amazon. This is a new all-time low for The Ring Collection, which you’ll need if you want to watch The Ring 2 and Rings on 4K Blu-ray; neither sequel has received a standalone 4K release.
If you only want the first (and best) film in the series, The Ring Limited Edition Steelbook is discounted to only $19 (was $35), which is the lowest price yet and actually slightly cheaper than the standard edition 4K Blu-ray ($20.29). And if you’re interested in comparing the Hollywood version of The Ring to the original Japanese film, Arrow Video’s 4K Blu-ray restoration of Ringu is available for $35 (was $50). Alternatively, the Ringu 4-Film Collection is discounted to $46.69, which is an all-time low for this Blu-ray box set.
GAMING NEWS The Ring Collection on 4K Blu-ray
$39 (was $90) | All-time low
The Ring Collection is a 6-disc box set with three 4K UHD and three 1080p Blu-ray discs. Shout Factory restored The Ring (2002) and The Ring Two (2005) using the original camera negatives. The Ring director Gore Verbinski supervised and approved the 4K restoration of both movies. Since Rings released in 2017, Shout Factory was able to use the 4K master.
All three 4K discs have Dolby Vision and HDR10 and two audio tracks. The first two films have DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0, while Rings has Master Audio 7.1 and 2.0. The 1080p Blu-ray version of The Ring was made using the 4K scan of the negatives, so it looks better than previous Blu-ray releases. The Ring Two’s Blu-ray edition is the unrated cut.
The Ring Collection’s bonus features include the short film Rings, an audio commentary The Ring Two, interviews with the cast and crew, deleted scenes, and other behind-the-scenes featurettes. All of the special features except the audio commentary are found on the 1080p Blu-ray discs.
- Disc 1: The Ring on 4K Blu-ray
- 4K Scan of Original Camera Negative
- Dolby Vision / HDR10
- Disc 2: The Ring on Blu-rayTw
- Based on 4K scan
- Rings: Short Film
- The Origin of Terror
- Ghost Girl Gone Global
- Interviews with cast and crew
- Don’t Watch This: Deleted Footage
- Trailer
- Disc 3: The Ring Two on 4K Blu-ray
- 4K Scan of Original Camera Negative
- Dolby Vision / HDR10
- Audio Commentary: Film critics Emily Higgins and Billy Dunham
- Disc 4: The Ring Two on Blu-ray
- Unrated Cut
- The Making of the Ring Two
- Rings: Short Film
- Fear of Film: Special Effects
- Faces of Fear: The Phenomenon
- Samara: From Eye of Icon
- The Power of Symbols
- Trailer
- Disc 5: Rings on 4K Blu-ray
- 4K Master
- Dolby Vision / HDR10
- Disc 6: Rings on Blu-ray
- Based on 4K Master
- Resurrecting the Dead
- Terror Comes Full Circle
- Scary Scenes
- Deleted Scenes
- Extended Scenes
As mentioned, The Ring Two and Rings are currently only available on 4K Blu-ray in the US in this box set. Shout Factory released 4K editions of The Ring Two and Rings in 2014 and 2017, respectively, but those are out of print. When The Ring Collection launched last March, it was also the only way to get the first movie on 4K Blu-ray. That changed last October when The Ring received a standalone release.
The Ring Series on 4K:
- The Ring Collection (4K) — $39 (
$90) - The Ring Limited Edition Steelbook (4K) — $19 (
$35) - The Ring (4K) — $20.29
Ringu Series (Japanese):
- Ringu 4-Film Collection: Special Edition (Blu-ray) — $46.69 (
$100) - Ringu: Special Edition (4K) — $35 (
$50) - Ringu: Special Edition (Blu-ray) — $17
The Ring Series on DVD:
- The Ring Collection (DVD) — Sold out
- The Ring + The Ring 2 (DVD) — $6.32 (
$10) - The Ring (DVD) — $6.83 (
$10) - The Ring 2 (DVD) — $6.19 (
$10) - Rings (DVD)— $8.69 (
$10)
The Ring Series on Blu-ray:
- The Ring (Blu-ray) — $22.49
- Rings (Blu-ray) — $9.55
It’d be nice if The Ring Collection included the awesome steelbook case. The cover resembles the staticky picture quality of the VHS tape from the film and features Samara in front of the well. Interior art depicts Samara sitting in the middle of the plain room, and the slipcase captures the moment when the tape cuts to black.
The Ring helped kickstart a new wave of horror movies back in the early 2000s. The first film, a 2002 remake of the 1998 Japanese film and directed by Gore Verbinski, set the ground rules for the franchise. It’s clearly from an older time, as the entire premise revolved around watching a haunted VHS tape full of nightmarish images, getting a creepy phone call prophesying your death, and then meeting a gruesome end seven days later.
You can read about the Japanese film series and the original book series that inspired the worldwide phenomenon below.
GAMING NEWS Ringu: Special Edition (4K Blu-ray)
$35 (was $50)
Arrow Films restored the 1998 Japanese horror film Ringu back in 2019, but it only released a 1080p Blu-ray edition based on the 4K scan. The 4K Blu-ray edition of Ringu finally launched in September.
Ringu’s 4K Blu-ray edition supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 and has the same special features as the original Blu-ray release.
- Reversible sleeve with exclusive artwork
- 4K Scan from Original Camera Negative
- Dolby Vision / HDR10
- Lossless Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and PCM 2.0
- English subtitles
- Audio commentary: David Kalat (film historian)
- The Ringu Legacy: Interviews with critics and filmmakers
- A Vicious Circle: Interview with critic Kat Ellinger on the career of Hideo Nakata
- Circumnavigating Ringu: Video essay by critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas on the evolution of the franchise
- Spooks, Sighs, and Videotape: Video essay by critic Jasper Sharp on J-horror
- Sadako’s Video
- Trailers
It’s worth noting that Ringu’s Special Edition Blu-ray is available for only $17 at Amazon.
GAMING NEWS Ringu 4-Film Collection: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
$46.69 (was $100) | All-time low
Before you pick up either edition of Ringu, you should check out Arrow Video’s Ringu Collection: Special Edition. Originally released in 2020 for $100, the Blu-ray collector’s box set is essentially The Ring Collection for the original Japanese movies. It comes with Ringu, Ringu 2, and Ringu 0, and Spiral. You’ll also get the same bonus features outlined above.
While The Ring is the American version of Ringu, the other three films in this box set haven’t been adapted by Hollywood.
Ringu and its original sequel Spiral actually debuted in theaters on the same day. Ringu was a big hit with audiences, but Spiral flopped. As a result, Spiral was effectively “erased” by Ringu 2 the following year.
Outside of the number 2 next to the title, Ringu and The Ring Two take different approaches to telling a sequel story. What they do share is a director. Hideo Nakata, the director of Ringu and Ringu 2, also directed The Ring Two. The Japanese sequel picks up a month after Ringu. The 2000 movie Ring 0 is a prequel to Ringu.
The Japanese films are more faithful to Koji Suzuki’s novels and stories. The Hollywood versions borrow pieces from the books and Japanese films–Rings, for instance, was inspired by the book Spiral–but many aspects aren’t found anywhere in the source material.
GAMING NEWS Ring Book Series by Koji Suzuki
Suzuki’s series includes six books, and five of them are available in English. If you like the movie series and haven’t read the books, four of the novels and the short story collection Birthday are available for $14 or less in paperback. Stories in Birthday served as the inspiration for Ringu 0. And if you plan on watching the Japanese movies, reading the books first could enhance your overall experience.
The Ring Books in Paperback:
- Ring: A Novel — $14
- Spiral: A Novel — $11.16 ($
14) - Loop: A Novel — $13 ($
14) - Birthday: Stories — $14
- S: A Novel — $11.10 (
$15)
We’d also recommend a couple of Suzuki’s books outside of Ring. Suzuki’s short story collection Dark Water is available in paperback for $13 at Amazon. Dark Water was adapted for film by Ringu director Hideo Nakata. You can get Dark Water Special Edition on Blu-ray and DVD for $21 (was $35) at Amazon. Just like Ringu, Dark Water received a Hollywood remake starring Jennifer Connelly and John C. Reilly.
You can also get his Shirley Jackson Award-winning novel Edge for $13.90 (was $15). Other Suzuki novels that have been translated to English include the love stories The Shining Sea and Paradise.
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com
