The Popkorn Junkie

The time is 3:31 AM and I have just returned from seeing "The Ring", the new horror film from "Mouse Hunt" director Gore Verbinski. It has been just over 90 minutes since I left the theatre and I am still on the edge of my seat. Upon exiting the theatre, I made a side trip to the restroom. Upon approaching the urinals, a gentleman turned a corner from one of the stalls and I literally jumped so high I felt the top of my hair hit the ceiling--I was that petrified. "The Ring" is the most frightening film of the year and one of the freakiest horror films I have ever seen.

Based on the 1998 Japanese film of the same name, "The Ring" revolves around a video tape. What is so special about this tape, you ask? Well, once a person views the tape, he/she receives a phone call telling them that they have seven days to live. And, sure enough, in seven days, the viewer dies from very strange causes. Naomi Watts (her first film since David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive") stars as Rachel Keller, a reporter who begins to investigate the tape, ultimately leading her to discover the origin of the tape and the horrific story behind it. Martin Henderson stars as Noah, her male friend and amateur filmmaker, and David Dorfman is fantastic as her young son Aidan.

There is something about the way director Verbinski shot this film that just creeped me out. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire length of the film. A lot of people have been disappointed about the way the film builds you up for a letdown. That is true. There are several scenes when you just know something startling is going to happen, and nothing does. And, there are a couple of times when you think the film is going to end, and it doesn't. In my case, that made the ending much more frightening.

Another good thing about "The Ring" is that it never tries to act smarter than the viewer. We discover things along with the characters, and are really able to predict nothing. We seem as surprised as they do with each new revelation. Many scenes in this film are just completely nerve racking, much like the film "Signs". But, though "Signs" was a better overall film, it doesn't come close to matching "The Ring" in terms of horror.

I don't want to give any of the movie away, though my review really can't be complete without it. So, I will just have to short you on this review, with the hopes you will use the little information I provided and go see the film. It is the perfect film to see this Halloween season and I am sure is better and will be better than "Ghost Ship". Be sure to watch for Brian Cox in one hell of a creepy performance.

So, "The Ring" is the best horror film of the year and also one of the best films of the year. This will go on my all-time top ten list for scariest motion pictures and I am not embarrassed to say that, though I bet some critics will pan this one. Forget them. They wouldn't know real horror if it bit them in the...whoops, I better edit myself before I go too far. "The Ring" is great. End of review.

-- Billy Ray ( 4 out of 4 pops )

Talk about this film with other Popkorn Junkies

Other Junkie's opinions.....

Mike ( 4 out of 4 pops )

It's so refreshing to see an intelligent horror film rather than the usual Hollywood gory, violent so-called horror movie which substitutes bloody special effects for suspense and terror. " The Ring" is right up there with films like "The Sixth Sense" which combines creepiness with intelligent screenwriting. Naomi Watts is right on target as the reporter whose curiosity forces her to investigate the weird events at all costs. What I also like about this film is that it is a mystery to be solved as well as a scary horror story. It bothers me though that after seeing the film, I still can't put all the pieces together and know all the connections with all the characters and exactly everything that went on. Guess I'll have to be brave enough to see this one again to figure everything out!

Patsy ( 3 out of 4 pops )

I really want to like "The Ring" but I'm not sure it even deserves my 3 pop rating. I mean, I'm a big suspense/thriller movie freak. I'll see almost any movie if it promises a scare or two...but only once in a while do I get the pleasure of seeing an intelligent, suspenseful, thriller that really quenches my thirst for creepiness. "Red Dragon" satisfied me...."The Ring" did not. Sure there are some creepy scenes but nothing that really shocked me-- except for the one on the ferry that involved the horse-- as a animal lover it really disturbed me. In fact, that is probably the only scene that really bothered me. Maybe I cheated-- after all, just from seeing the previews I already had guessed what the ring was.....so the ending (well, the quasi ending) was not really surprise to me. The real ending was sort of a problem though-- it just didn't make much sense to me. It left me with so many questions that it made the whole movie feel like a losing battle. There was no ultimate point or climax-- we didn't learn much in the end and I don't like that. If a movie is trying to be intelligent and scary at the same time it should have way more scares and more intelligence....an ending that just ends is never a good one in my opinion. So, in summation: Did I like the plot? Yes, generally. Did I like the effects? Sure, the video tape was spooky and cool. Was I scared and frightened? No, not really. Would I recommend this to others? Sure...if you've seen "Red Dragon" already.

James ( 3 1/2 out of 4 pops )

Those of you who know me, know that the only horror films that scare the bejesus out of me are the ones about ghosts. Now, there are always exceptions, but not here. This movie totally freaked me out. Several times I had the urge to cover my eyes. This film is top notch, I gotta find the Japanese original, maybe this is a bold exception to the remake rule, it probably is. Go see it. Now if you have, then...SPOILER...when I saw the girl in the beginning crouched down and her head practically fall off her face, I almost screamed out loud. I don't know how I held it back...but when the dead girl crawled out of the TV, yikes! Gotta go change my pants, okay, just kidding there, but I was terrified.