The Spiral

1998 1h 37m JA

😐

5.4

MID

★5.4TMDB · 172

FantasyHorrorMysteryThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A young pathologist seeks answers to the mysterious death of a friend and soon comes into contact with the same cursed videotape that caused the death of the friend's wife and son, which is haunted by the curse of Sadako, a relentless spirit.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Koichi Sato
Mitsuo Ando
Miki Nakatani
Mai Takano
Hinako Saeki
Sadako Yamamura
Shingo Tsurumi
Miyashita
Shigemitsu Ogi
Maekawa Keibuho
Yutaka Matsushige
Yoshino
Daisuke Ban
Heihachirô Ikuma
Naoaki Manabe
Kobayashi

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: George Iida
Writers: George Iida
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.4× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Ring Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by George Iida, shot by Makoto Watanabe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by La Finca. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Hirohide Abe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Koichi Sato and Miki Nakatani and Hinako Saeki carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

George Iida directs. Makoto Watanabe behind the camera. La Finca scores. Hirohide Abe cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 4.4× over at the box office.
328 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Part of the "Ring Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by George Iida, shot by Makoto Watanabe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by La Finca. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Hirohide Abe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Koichi Sato and Miki Nakatani and Hinako Saeki carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0134928 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "based on novel or book", "code", "sequel", "pathology".
11Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Makoto Watanabe
Original score: La Finca
Editing: Hirohide Abe
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,900,000
Box office: $12,662,948
Return: 437% of budget
Original language: JA
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Spiral (1998)

Part of

Ring Collection

A series of supernatural horror films, based on the series of novels of the same name by Koji Suzuki, about a cursed videotape that kills anyone who watches it seven days later.