Scariest film ever!!

Rating: 10/10 (25 February 2003)

I am not normally a fan of horror films, for the simple reason that films generally don't scare me. I say don't normally, because this did. Some films can feel genuinely creepy and make you feel unnerved in some moments, films like Signs as a recent example, who didn't feel the blood leaving their chest when the first got sight of one of the Aliens in the Brazilian home video scene. The Ring has scenes like this throughout, and it makes you feel uncomfortable throughout the movie, and gets you really jumpy.
There are big shocks and lots of little shocks and it is down to some first rate editing, directing and sound editing, as well as some unsettling imagery. The cast are all good, the gorgeous Naomi Watts is excellent in the lead and very convincing and there is a great cameo from Brian Cox, in suitably creepy mode. David Dorfman is good as Watt's son, he is a very good child actor, and in this sort of film it is essential to have a good actor for the child parts, Haley Joel Osment in Sixth Sense being a good example. Martin Henderson is also good playing the ex boyfriend of Naomi Watt's character Rachel.
The film pans out brilliantly. From the initial opening death sequence to Rachel's investigations of the tape that apparently kills people if they watch. The tape holds within it a vengeful spirit who kills their victims seven days after they watch the tape. Gore Verbinski's version of the classic Japanese horror is excellent, and intriguing, it is how a horror film should be, it genuinely unsettled me, no film for years has done that, not even the Exorcist did.
You should definitely watch this, and I hope there will be a sequel. I intend to watch this alone in a dark room when it comes out on DVD. 10/10