Jon Monsarrat review: intelligent & scary

Rating: 7/10 (1 December 2002)

Normally, I don't like horror movies -- although a thriller like Silence of the Lambs is similar and OK. This one I thought might be a thriller but it turned out to be pure horror. My experience with this genre is limited, because I've always thought I've got plenty of nightmares and problems in my own life. I don't need to spend $10 to see a film that tries to emotionally scar me for life.
However, since I did see it -- I must say it was thoughtful and well-done. Unlike films such as Halloween 3 or Poltergeist, where the story is basically "Oh, they're magic so they can pretty much do anything," the mysteries of The Ring are partially explained and the story actually goes somewhere rather than consisting of a lot of running around.
The acting, cinematography, were powerful and the film was quite scary. There is only a little gore in the film; it was definitely more cerebral and less hack-n-slash.
Who should see this film:
-- horror fans only, but it's worth your money
I'll give this film a 7 out of 10, even though it really deserved an 8, just because it's not my thing personally, and for the ending which worked but created more loose ends than it tied up.