A new breed of terror.

Rating: Null/10 (15 June 2004)

Let me preface this by saying: if you think slasher movies are horror movies, you will not like this movie.
The Ring is not intended to scare you during the movie itself, first off. It's the first horror movie I've ever seen wherein the real scare is what you get out of it later. That feeling of looking at your TV late at night and just waiting.
The plot needn't be explained, both because it's already been shown and because it's best to go in not knowing what's there. But what should be said is that this is a paced movie. It's not like your Dawn of the Dead where the scares are from gory makeup and chase scenes. Rather this is a movie that gets to you by breaking down the gap between the movie and the viewer, it manages to invade the concept of "well it's only a movie" that gives you that safety net after viewing.
Trying to explain what makes The Ring so incredible is like trying to explain Stephen Sondheim to TRL pop fans. It's so different from the formulaic "horror" movies most are used to and is so much better made that most won't know what they're looking at, and will chalk it off as poorly done.
I've purposefully said very little about the movie itself, because that's what YOU should see. But rest assured, it is incredible. From the slow beginning to the heart-stopping finish (which may be the most terrifying bit of cinema ever captured on film), The Ring is something special.