People with no imagination should avoid this film.

Rating: 10/10 (18 October 2002)

This was a tremendous movie, a compelling, thrilling, chilling piece of work. I'd watched the Japanese original (well, not exactly the "original" but the 1998 version of a film now seeing its fourth remake) twice this past week and what makes Ringu (and now, absolutely, The Ring in its US manifestation) is the way in which it renders ordinary objects in mundane life- especially the telephone and the television of course- malevolent and, frankly, terrifying. I myself have always found a television in an empty room -- a television turned off especially -- to be frightening, something with a potential life of its own, and The Ring speaks to that primordial fear and exploits it. If you have no imagination and you need your horror more literal, then avoid The Ring. I am crazy about this film and actually prefer it to the Japanese version.