The Ring

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Jordan, Amberly

This one just got me. My first viewing of this film in the cinema, opening night, I managed to convince my dad to take me even though it was a school night. I knew of the Japanese film but never managed to see it before its dvd release some months later. So I only had a vague idea of what it was about. My poor unsuspecting father had no idea at all. We both left the theatre physically shaking and neither of us slept that night. I have never been so scared by a film before or since that initial first screening.

I then made it a mission to find out everything I could about it. I became obsessed with the J-horror movement, I saw the japanese version, it's original sequel then the re-do of the sequel and the prequel, the korean version, I read the japanese novel and then eventually, the american sequel. None of them managed to capture the utter terror of that first viewing and I'm still trying to find it's equal.

By no means does this film work for everyone. There was sort of a perfect storm or ingredients that lead to that first screening, but it can play completely the opposite for people that were expecting something more teen slashery. At its heart, this is a mystery story and if you can't get involved then there's no helping you.

Once again, Gore Verbinski makes a film most unlike his others. This version is slickly produced with a hollywood budget, one thing I think even the purist fans of the original can't argue with. It looks absolutely stunning and has one of the best horror film scores of the last decade. Add to that a cast of great actors that really sell the drama and you have a winner in my book.

This one has a very special place in my heart. It's "the one to beat" and still nothing has come close.