Officially 2002's creepiest movie

Rating: Null/10 (8 November 2002)

Officially 2002's creepiest movie, the remake of the Japanese cult classic Ringu brings an exciting new twist to the tired horror genre just in time for Halloween. Although it starts out like something out of Urban Legend, the film quickly develops into a twisted and frightening tale almost devoid of schlocky scare-fest violence.
Definitely saved from mediocrity by director Gore Verbinski (The Mexican), the less-is-more approach definitely works for this one in the same way it did for The Others and The Sixth Sense (this one also has the spooky kid who "sees dead people"). There are plenty of weird, freaky images that don't seem to mean much, but they sure stick in your head. Like most classic horror films, this is the kind that, when mentioned, will conjure up creepy images. It's far from forgettable and definitely intriguing.

The striking and charismatic Naomi Watts (Mulholland Drive) manages to pull off her first major studio starring role without the help of a well known supporting cast, which is maybe why this works so well. Martin Henderson (Windtalkers), the young David Dorfman (Bounce), and Brian Cox (L.I.E.) round out the lesser-known cast, but keep the film from being less scary by having a high Hollywood recognition factor.
The "watch the tape and you die" idea was mercilessly ripped off by the recent Fear Dot Com, but thankfully no one seemed to venture to the theater for that one, leaving this one in the clear without comparison. I'll say no more about it to not rob you of the essential elements of surprise. If you're a fan of horror movies, this one is definitely one for you. It's worth going to check out in the theaterÂ…'tis the season after all!