The Ring

3/4

Starring: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, David Dorfman, Daveigh Chase, Brian Cox, Jane Alexander

Rated PG-13 for Thematic Elements, Disturbing Images, Language and Some Drug References

Admittedly, "The Ring" loses a bit of its punch now that VHS is obsolete, but it really doesn't matter since we watch movies on DVD and Blu Ray (although VHS tapes were more reliable).  Gore Verbinski's horror flick is an amazingly spooky movie, with some sequences guaranteed to at least raise the nape hairs.

The film opens with two girls, Katie (Amber Tamblyn) and Becca (Rachel Bella) watching TV.  Becca starts talking about a mysterious tape that kills you seven days after you watch it.  It turns out that Katie has watched it, and soon she's no more.

Her aunt, Rachel Keller (Watts), is a journalist, and as a favor to Katie's mother, she starts investigating.  She finds the tape, and is rightly skeptical, but then things start to happen that make her believe that the rumor is true.  Now she has seven days to unravel the mystery before she is killed.

Gore Verbinski is a master of atmosphere.  It's obvious in the original "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies (the less said about the fourth one, the better), but moreso here.  This is a bleak movie, and the cinematography by Bojan Bazelli uses a lot of greys, blues and greens to make the setting unbearably creepy.  It's always raining or foggy, and the sun rarely shines.  In other words, it's the perfect place for a horror movie.

The acting is very good.  Naomi Watts got her big break playing Rachel, and she plays the character as a tenacious yet sensitive woman.  Watts is very believable, which is crucial for us to form a connection with her.  Martin Henderson is effective as her happy-go-lucky ex, Noah, but the best performance goes to David Dorfman, who plays their son.  Never smiling and acting like a little adult, Dorfman is seriously creepy, but he's also sympathetic.  The young actor is able to handle both aspects of the role at the same time.  Respected character actors Brian Cox (whose career also received a big boost from this movie) and Jane Alexander provide solid support in small roles.

Although it is hardly flawless (there are a few plot holes) and Rachel does something extremely stupid (but horror movie characters always do), it is a spooky good time.

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