“Seven days…” or so you might hear on the phone after watching this film on Night 4 of our 13 Nights of Halloween Horror.
Rachel and her little boy, Aidan, are doing their best to make it in Seattle. She’s a young, single mother and a journalist. He’s an uncannily serious, hollow-eyed 8-year-old whose cousin just died. Died horrifically. And so did all her friends after allegedly watching a random VHS tape while staying in a cabin for a long weekend.
Rachel can’t help herself. She finds and watches the tape, only to hear that soft, threatening voice on the other end of the line when she finishes…
Based on the Japanese novel Ringu, or Ring, by Koji Suzuki, the American version of The Ring (2002) is actually a remake of the original Japanese movie adaptation. It also spawned a few sequels that bring Samara, our little villainous little girl, into the modern age (including a pretty silly plane scene, in this writer’s humble opinion).
What really makes the film stand out is the actual content of Samara’s cursed VHS tape. A weird amalgamation of unsettling black and white images that hint at her background, and spook the viewer with its eerie, scratching melody. I swear, after watching this film, I hear that sound playing in my room at night.
The Ring is available for members of the American University community to borrow on DVD from Bender Library. Interested in the original Japanese version? We have that, too!
Come back tomorrow to see our pick for Night 5 of the 13 Nights of Halloween Horror.