This is a rather late review, the movie was released in 1998, and only just wound its way to Australia. Unfortunately, when I did rock up to watch it on Wednesday night, it was on its last day.
We entered the cinema and to our surprise, it was just the two of us in a vast, empty cinema. Luckily for us, a few more people trickled in at the last minute. Lucky because of what followed, it was definitely ‘safety in numbers’.
OK, if you were given a video-tape, which, by all accounts could render you dead in a week, and not just keeling over dead but dying in a horrifying, painful, twisted manner, would you watch it?
That is the dilemma that Reiko, a journalist, the central protagonist faces when she lands a copy of this video tape in her hot little hands. The same tape which could have caused the death of four teenagers and perhaps many more. Staying alive or journalistic zealousness? She picked the latter, which opens up the sinister story of Ring. Will Reiko die in a week as predicted?
Now, to the most important aspect of a horror film, which I’m sure all horror aficionados ask when they watch a horror flick – does it give you the heebie-jeebies, does it keep you up at night after viewing, frankly does it scare the bejesus out of all and sundry?
The answer is yes. Ring is incredibly creepy and suspenseful so much so yours truly actually ‘yelped’ [for want of a better word] at a critical scene.
The sheer brilliance of its horror comes from its adherence to the ‘less is more’ mantra. There are no weapons, no violence and not even blood. Few horror flicks can claim that mantle.
The use of ‘music’ [consisting of mostly groans, electronic whirs and the like] in Ring is also excellent, amping up the creep factor a few notches at all the right moments.
You won’t look at your TV in the same way again.