Superbly crafted and most of all..scary

Rating: 10/10 (20 November 2002)

After recently seeing The Ring, it is not since The Blair Witch Project that I have been scared and freaked out so much by a horror film. After the endless array of horror films that rely on people bumping into each other or the use of orchestral blastings after a period of silence, The Ring creates one of the most unnerving cinematic experiences ever and having none of the latter cheap scare devices.
After just seeing the Japanese version, there are few differences between the two but as a gasp to many other horror fans, I do prefer the US version. I thought the screenplay was more in depth and the changes and additions writer Ehren Kruger composed, really added an edge to the original story of The Ring. Although the well scenes were more chilling in the Japanese version, The Ring was a film which really needed a bigger budget and more polished visuals to suck the most juice of of the story's great potential and the US version perfected it without ruining it with the usual loudness, gloss and insubtlety.
Never seeing director Gore Verbinsky's previous work, i was extremely impressed. After the 'Scream' influenced opening, I'd have to say it had me on the edge of my seat more than the 3 Scream films combined. His use of little music, unnerving sound effects and the splashes of stylish transitions and shots were very beneficial to create the extremely creepy atmosphere. Along with the help of cinematographer Bojan Bazelli, The film features a very dull and overcast look which in such scenes as the horse sequence, add elements of mystique and coldness.
Overall The Ring is an excellent film that creates the atmosphere and genuine scares that horror films have lacked for years. With various complaints of plot holes and seldom explanations for plotlines, it IS a horror film, there will always be plotholes to make the film more entertaining and if people always need plots spoonfed to them, wait for the next wave of Summer blockbusters in 2003. With the jawdropping ending, accomplished acting, It provides a twisting and chilling experience that many of us have waited for in a horror film for a long time.