The reason that I now buy DVDs

Rating: Null/10 (9 March 2003)

A killer video tape that kills you after you watch it? Sounds oddly oriental. Not surprisingly The Ring is an American remake of the cult Japanese horror, Ringu.
I've seen many a movie that I wish would have killed me after watching them but i'm stepping away from the point as The Ring isn't one of these films.
After the grisly and unexplained death of her neice, a young reporter and her ex-lover follow up the rumour that the girl, like many others had watched a mysterious video tape and then received a phone call telling her that she was going to die.
As with most horror stories our heroes decide to dive in at the deep end and watch this tape. From here another story unravels as the couple try to fit together clues that might save them.
The mood of The Ring is just right for a horror film and is well complimented by the dull colourisation which really creates an unclean and edgy atmosphere.
Being a horror that relies heavily on visual impact there were the inevitable 'boo-scares' that not only sent a shiver down my spine but through my legs and into the seat in front of me. Some scenes were chilling enough to send the rather large woman sitting in front of me to start blubbering and hiding her face.
Once again the children are the stars of the show with some very mature performances but the unsung heroes are the special effects team who created some wonderful illusions. I still can't fathom how they managed to pluck a fly from inside the TV screen.
All in all The Ring does promise a chilling slice of horror although I have heard that the japanese original is superior. However if, like me, you haven't seen the original and you're looking for a fright (why you would be looking for that I have no idea but hey, each to his own) The Ring is worth a view but not really memorable.
Be warned; I haven't been able to watch a video since and I have suddenly become very suspicious of little girls.
A chilling, though not underwear ruining, 7/10