What was the big deal with this movie?

Rating: 3/10 (4 April 2004)

My school had a free screening of this movie one year, so I took advantage of it. I don't have high expectations of recently released horror movies, so if an opportunity arises where I don't have to waste money to see it, I'll take it.
'The Ring' was a major disappointment. As everyone probably knows, the story involves a videocassette that brings death upon it's viewers, who will recieve a phone call. Bottom line: don't pick up the telephone. Actually the movie makes for a good prank if you have friends watching this movie and then dial their phone while they're in the middle of seeing it. Will they answer it or won't they?
I never found this movie to be scary and I blame it on one too many cheap scare tactics. At one point the story gets so ridiculous in trying to find out who the person is on the tape that I was expecting them to say the horse did it. It also doesn't add to the suspense when people in the theater are forcing their screams at nearly every (even subtle) little surprise in the movie.
Now, normally, I love a good horror film, even if it is recently released, so long as I liked it. But this movie was just too overrated for what it was, probably trying to cash in on some of the fright fest exploits of the Blair Witch Project. They're not the same movie, but their scare tactics are similar at points.
I say, if you're an easy scare when it comes to horror movies, then you'll probably go nuts with this production. But otherwise, I think it is a like it or hate it movie.