The Ring (2002)

The success of the Japanese film Ringu (1998) helped spark a new wave of horror in that country which was termed J-horror. Western audiences took notice, and interest in Ringu and other Japanese horror films convinced Hollywood to adapt it. The Ring stars Naomi Watts as Rachel Keller, a journalist who investigates the mysterious death of her niece. Rachel discovers that the urban legend of a mysterious videotape – the viewing of which causes the death of those who watch it – is in fact real, leading her to discover that the ghost of Samara (Daveigh Chase), a young murdered girl, is out to take her vengeance on the world through the tape.