Seriously Messed Up

Rating: Null/10 (16 November 2002)

I mean that in a good way. I had already heard that this movie was unsettling and I had pictured in my mind a scene similar to a website I saw a few months ago. The image of a trashed and dilapidated room suddenly flickers something unexpected. This movie was even more chilling.
I agree that the plot in no way borrows from The Sixth Sense, although the creepy, staticky TV brings back memories of Poltergeist. One thing this movie shares with The Sixth Sense is its timing. Like that movie, the big scares in this movie aren't necessarily from something suddenly jumping out. Instead a mood of horrible anticipation is built and then some slight appearance, perhaps in the background, makes your heart skip a beat. Even the surrealistic movie-within-the-movie conveys a powerful menace without being overtly horrific. I suspect some subsonics for mood enhancement but the haunting cello music track works very well.
As far as the plot being incomprehensible, I think things are explained very well. Almost too well. I think the sense of evil would have carried through without the psychically-sensitive boy explaining it all. The "ring" is not what you think.