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Although built around an elaborate literary mythology - and even more convoluted series of TV and movie adaptations - the Ringu collection peaked with director Hideo Nakata's 1998 feature film of the same title. Ingeniously commenting on modern urban legends while incorporating classic Japanese ghost imagery, the film established the now predictable J-horror conventions (stringy-haired spirits, sparse visual style and a smattering of jump scares) and introduced a technological edge that made it all seem relevant.

Investigating the unexplained death of four teens, journalist Reiko Asakawa uncovers a cursed videotape that kills viewers seven days after watching the images of a ghostly figure emerging from an old well. That figure turns out to be Sadako, daughter of a discredited psychic, whose rage at her murder transcends death and is transmitted like an electronic virus. Reiko, aided by her ex-husband, Takayama, whose own psychic abilities come in handy, attempt to break the curse before time runs out.

While the American remake made a few improvements, it failed to capture the quasi-sexual transmission aspect of Nakata's original, with the cursed viewer's only hope for survival infecting another host with the disease (a gimmick that was lifted wholesale for the overhyped horror exercise It Follows). The subsequent films collected in Arrow's 3-disc special edition collector's set are a mixed bag to be sure but fabulous for North American fans to finally own on Blu-ray.

Released concurrently with the first film in its native Japan, Spiral turns Sadako into a scheming succubus attempting to arrange her rebirth and infect the world. Although it's a direct adaptation of author Koji Suzuki's novel, it failed to impress and isn't considered an "official" part of the series. Ringu 2 turns into a psychic battleground, as Asakawa's son becomes possessed by Sadako's hatred while Ringu 0: Birthday is a prequel that explores Sadako's doomed love affair before she wound up at the bottom of a well. Each film is an up and down affair, although the latter is the most narratively cohesive of the bunch.

As for the transfers, Ringu is easily the most impressive, working with a new 4K restoration that sets a new standard for J-horror on home video. Spiral and Ringu 2 are a bit less sharp, while Ringu 0 bumps things back up again. Beyond the films themselves, Arrow's set offers up a superlative set of extras (commentary tracks, interviews, featurettes) topped off by Jaspar Sharp's 30-minute comprehensive survey of the entire J-horror genre and a 60-page booklet.