frightening

Rating: 8/10 (3 April 2006)

Did You Make a Copy? The Ring, directed by Gore Verbinski, redefines the horror storyline many people expect in movies today. This film is a remake of the Japan film The Ringu and exceeds it by far. The Ring is creepy, haunting, and mesmerizing all while staying within the PG-13 rating standards. Audiences leave the movie with a genuine feeling of fright and unease. The story follows a young woman and her son discovering a VCR tape which appears to be the cause of many frightening deaths, including the niece of the central character. After discovering her niece's boyfriend died the same night and in a similar fashion, Rachel (Naomi Watts) begins to question the nature of their fatalities. Her inquiries lead her to a mysterious tape she soon watches.
Rachel then begins to research the origin of the tape, and discovers she is experiencing many of the same things she viewed on the tape. Her son Aidan (David Keller) and her close friend Noah (Martin Henderson) watch the tape also. The movie includes a viewing of the tape, and it is frightening. The images are disturbing, and the tape is grainy and surreal. It creates an overall feeling of fright. Rachel, Aidan, and Noah work towards discovering an answer for their impending deaths. This includes visiting a mental hospital and the area the tape was filmed at.
The Ring is truly a unique viewing experience. I was scared of the dark for several nights after watching it. The movie depicts a frightening, unnerving story without using the usual amounts of blood, gore, and extreme frontal nudity-- all of which have become standard practice when creating a horror show. I believe this movie is astounding and should be regarded as a major motion-picture breakthrough. The Ring is in a genre of its own, delivering great screams and still staying easy on the stomachs of the viewers.