Very, very scary

Rating: 9/10 (9 June 2003)

The film about the mysterious videotape that kills you one week after you watch it. The story centres on journalist Rachel Keller (played by the beautiful Naomi Watts) who, having seen the tape, has one week to solve its riddle or become its latest victim.
Personally, I found this the scariest movie I have seen. I'm not a huge fan of the horror genre (not matter what anybody tells you, this IS a horror film) but I've seen most of the standards and can appreciate a good scary film. The whole atmosphere is downright chilling, and the scenes with Samara in the mental hospital are particularly disturbing. Great credit must go to young Daveigh Chase for her performance. Indeed, the character of Samara must rank as one of the scariest cinematic creations ever. She makes the film and the scenes involving her are the scary ones. And I mean SCARY. Her image will linger with you for long after the film has ended and you will never look at a television the same way again.
There are arguments and counter-arguments for whether this is superior to the Japanese original. I want to add my two cents and I'll say this: whichever version you see first will probably be the one you will champion. On repeat viewing the film does lose some of its impact because you know what to expect. You know how the tape kills people and the shock will be gone. Therefore, if you see this after the Japanese version it will seem inferior, and vice versa. That said, its still a very effective horror film and, in my opinion, far superior to anything Hollywood has produced in this genre for a long time. Well worth a look, but I wouldn't advise watching alone because if someone hasn't already told you what happens, it will scare the hell out of you. I gave 8 out of 10.