20 Things You Didn't Know About The Ring
16. Japanese 'Nensha' Influences
Samara's ability to project her will onto a videotape is a riff on the quasi-meta-science of spirit photography. At one point this was an accepted phenomenon in Japan known as 'Nensha,' something also explored very effectively in the superb Thai film Shutter.
Nensha or 'thoughtography,' the ability to mentally project images, has been consistently debunked over the years, with expert bullsh*t spotter James Randi exposing most as fraud.
In the original Japanese film, this talent is something passed down to lady spook extraordinaire, Sadako, from her mother Shizuko, who's loosely based on Chizuko Mifune, a Japanese 'psychic.' The Ring didn't explore this ability in depth until the sequel, where Sissy Spacek turns up as Samara's biological parent.