Damn fine horror film...

Rating: 8/10 (23 March 2006)

First off I was skeptical because it was PG-13...because there is so many bad ones out there. I was VERY surprised to say the least. This movie had the atmosphere that makes a horror film...this to me goes into that tiny group of great PG horror films such as Poltergeist. Also knowing it was written by Ehren Kruger before I watched it made me a little biased because I despise so many of his works. But he did something right in this movie. It's still full of his little trademarks such as offbeat side characters and weird little metaphors here and there...but it worked this time. Also I think the masterful directing by Gore Verbinski made it a little better than it actually was. But who cares? It was good as hell.
The acting was great by one of my favs Naomi Watts...she had the charisma to make her one of my favorite horror film heroines. She just had that classy presence on the screen and it worked wonders for the film. She shined is all I can say. The side characters all do very well...I won't get to into them...they were just pretty good. The antagonist of the film Samara was an interesting and awesome character...such rage and evil inside made her one of the most ruthless villains of all time.
The directing was top notch by Verbinski...loved every thing he put into it. Tbe film just had the"look" to it that made it classy, scary, and beautiful all at once. The color palette was depressing and soggy...one of my favorite types of settings. SPOILERS: Also to add to its success were many freaky and really interesting scenes such as the horse on the ferry, Rachel's dream of coughing up that thing Samara wore in the hospital, the fly, the awesome Day 1,2,3..... title cards that made us feel the impending doom, interesting camera angles, wonderful use of a red tree against a gray sky, and I could go on and on. It just reminded me of a painting several times throughout. Once again great directing by Gore...no one could of done it better then he did.
The writing by Kruger here was surprisingly good despite his usual clichés...but like I stated the clichés work here for some odd reason. I know this wasn't his idea. I know of the original Japanese versions and I have seen them...I'm really just not interested in them as much. Anyway, I know what Kruger added to the original story to make it his own. The writing on the Rachel character was very sharp, funny, and well wrought. She had great lines that made her more than just a standard horror heroine...she had that curiosity and timing just right. Also the characters had a very sharp way of speaking to each other. As with Kruger's other films, the characters sound a little to "smart ass" to be quite true. But again it worked here...the mixing of the script with Gore was a perfect match made in Heaven.
I'll end this review hoping others out there will enjoy it as well. I know many have. Don't be discouraged because of other films such as The Grudge and the god awful Ring Two...in which Kruger's real skin showed. It is definitely one of the best "ghost" stories in years.
One thing I can praise Kruger for was the simple line in which Rachel tells her angered boss after he threatens to fire her. It's the perfect introduction into a horror story.
HARVEY: You're fired. RACHEL: No I'm not. HARVEY: YES you are. RACHEL: No I'm not...I'm cooking to good a story.
...then all hell breaks loose.
8 out of 10.