Year: 2002
Director: Gore Verbinski
Writer: Ehren Kruger (screenplay), Koji Suzuki (novel) & Hiroshi Takahashi (screenplay for “Ringu”)
Type of Horror: Supernatural Scare
Out of 5 Stars (Bad, OK, Good, Great, Awesome): 4 ½
Until the 2000s, media and electronics haven’t really been used in the horror world. However, the iconic film, “The Ring”, proved that something as simple as a ringing phone can scare the be-jesus out of you.
When Rachel (Naomi Watts), a investigative journalist, gets word that her teenage niece (Rachael Bella) unexpectedly passed away, she stumbles upon a recent urban legend: whoever watches a certain videotape will die in seven days. After further detective work, Rachel discovers that four other teenagers have mysteriously suffered heart attacks.
Falling farther and farther down the rabbit hole, Rachel follows one clue after another to find the truth behind the enigmatic tape. She has no choice, both she and her son (David Dorfman) watched it.
This is still considered one of the scariest movies of the decade by certain people. There are scenes that get skipped (like the closet scene), lines that get quoted (“You will die in seven days”) and a plot that’s been reinvented (“Chain Letter”, “White Noise”). Media outlets and electronics are now part of the list of things that go bump in the night.
The fact that “The Ring” is an American remake of the Japanese “Ringu” has a lot to do with why an idea so simple (killer videotape) worked so well. This film terrified audiences all over the country, and then some. The atmosphere constantly keeps you on edge. The tape doesn’t even have to be playing for something to die (the horse on the boat) and you’re just as intent on finding the answer as Rachel.
John Henley, a Tulsa local, said that the film was “as suspenseful as it was scary”.
You can find “The Ring” at any of Tulsa’s local Blockbuster and Family Video stores.
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