An intense, intelligent horror film! (For Once!)

Rating: 10/10 (24 October 2002)

First off, I HAVE to say that the negative reviews for this film seem to be coming from people who won't give it a chance simply because it is an American remake, or who do not have the intelligence to "get" it and have been spoiled by the typical "Hollywood" horror film. This is very apparent by the poster a few reviews down who claims that movie is awful and "what does Ring have to do with anything?" Well, I for one thought that was very well explained in the film, then again, I consider myself to be somewhat intelligent. "Before you die, you see the ring" is the tagline for this film, so for those of you who didn't get it, let me explain real quick for you. The last image that little Samara sees when she finally dies in the well is "the ring," the sunlit outline of the well entrance cover.

Okay, with that explained, this is a GREAT film. The images we are presented with are among the creepiest in the history of film. The pacing is excellent and the tension remains tight from the opening seen until the end of the film. Naomi Watts is stunning and gives and exceptional performance as Rachel. Definitely ranks among one of the creepiest, most vivid horror films of the last 20 years. 9 out 10.