The Ring
A journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone in a week of viewing it.
Gore Verbinski’s nerve-shredding remake of the J-horror cult hit about a cursed videotape became a modern horror classic upon its 2002 release.
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Naomi Watts followed her breakout role in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive with the lead in Verbinski’s ambitious, atmospheric remake of Hideo Nakata’s 1998 cult hit about a videotape that passes along a curse to anyone who watches it. The original was solid, but the remake — produced by the then-ascendant DreamWorks SKG — is that rare film that pulls new resonance out of a faithfully retold story, teasing out the gut-wrenching tension in the concept. And most of that is because Watts shifts into an entirely different gear once her character’s son finds and watches the tape, her skepticism shattering in the face of her child’s peril. It’s an almost primal performance, and Verbinski hangs all the nerve-shredding impact of his film on his star. Well, most of it. Don’t turn your back on your monitor, okay?
Content advisory: frightening scenes, disturbing images, violence, not suitable for children