Hey there my Groovy Ghoulies!
Yes it is here at last - the beginning of the 100 Days of Horror challenge! We begin tonight with 2002's "The Ring." We will be watching around 8 or so, so if you're playing along at home or are planning to come by, schedule appropriately.
The Ring (2002): Directed by Gore Verbinski. Starring Naomi Watts, Brian Cox, David Dorfman, and Martin Henderson.
What’s good: One of a flood of early-2000 remakes of Asian films that are ultimately inferior to the originals, “The Ring” actually has a few stand out moments that wind up disturbing more than horrifying. The opening scenes between the teenaged girls is an exception to that rule, however, as well as the action happening on the supposedly cursed tape that causes all the problems. The titular “Ring” is the phone call you receive seven days after viewing the tape – the one that seals your grisly fate. And of course, the image of Samara crawling out the television is always as creepy as hell.
What’s bad: Plenty. First, the film suffers from its PG-13 rating, that forces director Gore Verbinski to hold back both the gore and the horror factors. Instead, he relies on smash cuts and a jolting soundtrack to solicit the thrills. Second, the film just isn’t scary, really – it’s more a disturbing drama than a true horror movie, but since it is a pared-down version of a much scarier Japanese movie marketed to teens and tweens, the horror tag sells more tickets than the drama tag.
Why we like it: We don’t actually. But, the tape and the dead girl and the opening scene are all great. And Naomi Watts is always a pleasure. But that’s about it, really.
Memorable junk: No lines stand out, really – the tag lines were “Before you die, you see … THE RING!” GASP! The horror! And some of the things the little girl says that appear innocent at first wind up being damn disturbing (Dr. Scott: “You don't want to hurt anyone.” Samara: “But I do, and I'm sorry. It won't stop.”). Other than that, it’s all about the creepiness of the video tape itself. And damn is it ever creepy.
Boo.
ReplyDeleteThe ring is the light creeping in under the cover stone of the well.
Duh.
Its the last thing the evil little girl sees before she dies (which happens to be 7 days after her mom smothers her and tosses her into it).
The phone call comes immediately after you view the tape warning you that you have seven days to live.
I swear - you can't say you hate a movie when you didn't even pay enough attention to rag on it properly.
I like this movie, damn it. Its quite watchable and the little boy creeps me out more than the water logged little girl.
And . . .
I like when you think a movie is over and ends on a sickeningly sweet note (lame) only to find that the main character (and you) were sadly mistaken and all is most definitely NOT well.
Awesomeness.