“High Noon and On the Waterfront share similar themes of integrity, morality, corruption, and religion, as well as narrative structures emphasizing the collective cowardice of the bystander community—though they ultimately remain on opposing sides of their HUAC (House of Un-American Activities) allegories.”

In terms of their usage in horror films, the technological aspects of the videotape and the telephone can be used to expose anxieties around the family unit and general modern connectivity. Ringu explores common fears surrounding the loss of control of one’s life and family at the hands of modern technology by combining supernatural horror tropes and the familiar to create an uncanny portrait of contemporary anxieties in an unexpected way.