‘The Ring’ Still Holds up to Scrutiny Eight Years Later

Much has already been said of “The Ring.” After all, it did come out in 2002.

Some people say it’s the scariest movie they’ve ever seen, while others don’t find it scary at all. I’m somewhere between those two. Most importantly though, I enjoyed myself while I was watching, and to be frank, it’s kind of one of those movies that everyone needs to see at least once.

“The Ring,” if you don’t already know, is about a journalist, Rachel (Naomi Watts), and her investigation of a certain cursed video tape. A group of teens had watched said tape specifically because of said curse, because hey, if something might kill you in seven days, that makes it more fun!

Lo and behold, guess who turns up dead come the next week? So, Rachel watches the tape for clues, and, without spoiling anything, strange things start to happen. The rest of the movie is half freaky events occuring and half mystery-solving, the latter serving as the main driving force of the movie.

Slowly, the mystery of the tape is solved, with clue after clue coming into play. Rachel needs some help, which comes in the form of her ex-boyfriend, Noah (Martin Henderson). There is palpable tension between them, and the actors do a good job of keeping the audience hoping for the romance to be rekindled. Another high-point is Rachel’s son, Aiden (David Dorfman), who handles playing a creepy child who knows more than he can quite understand quite well.

The driving force here, and the reason the movie works so well, is the thick atmosphere that permeates the whole film, with the colors appropriately muted and Hans Zimmer’s score always reminding you that there’s a little bit more of the mystery to peel back, but that we might not really want any of these answers.

In the end, “The Ring” is a little like “LOST.” The mystery will keep you there, and some nagging questions aren’t answered. But one must remember that the fear of the unknown is the most powerful fear of all. It’s still totally worth your time.