The best horror film to come along in years

Rating: 9/10 (13 October 2002)

After enduring horror film after horror film from the 90's that paraded senseless violence and vacuous plots, I was severely concerned about the health of the genre. From the late 90's until today, it's been even worse: we have films like _The Sixth Sense_ and _Frailty_ which purport to be intelligent but are little more than cheap cinematic jack-in-the-boxes that shout "Boo!" at the end. Keeping that in mind, my standards for a horror film these days have been correspondingly low. Now, along comes _The Ring_, and all that is blown away.
Not only does this film have a fantastic story (for once, EVER, we have a ghost story that EXPLAINS the ghost's activity), but the acting is first rate. The casting of Watts, whose intensity was integral to the success of _Mullholland Drive_, is nothing short of genius. Such talent in a horror film is risky, but pays off in the emotional punch and urgency of Watt's performance.
And of course, this movie would be almost laughable without the right look. Every person involved with the visuals audio here took the utmost care to get it in sync with the emotional tone of the film. The result is that unlike _Rosemary's Baby_ or similar films, you never get a break from the mounting tension and sense of doom surrounding Rachel Keller. Very effective.
This should be a lesson to everyone involved with _Scream_, _The Sixth Sense_, _Frailty_, _I Know What You Did Last Summer_, and all that other crap: WE ARE ADULTS IN THE AUDIENCE. WE CAN HANDLE IT IF YOU MAKE A FILM THAT IS ARTFUL AND REQUIRES THOUGHT. Of course, this one has a surprising ending too, but (horror of horrors) it actually makes sense and clears up some earlier ambiguities in the movie that the movie goer had thought resolved (which, Mr. M. Night, is how surprise endings are supposed to work.)
If you like scary movies, this is a must-see. One thing though: don't go to the theater and then scream like a little girl every time something scary happens. Being an adult, you can control your reactions, and it's very annoying to the rest of us that have to listen to you.