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THE RING (Dreamworks Home Entertainment) Director: Gore Verbinski Hacktors: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, Brian Cox Rating: Tag-line: 'Before You Die You See...' Death Toll: Only four. And a horse. Cutting Remarks: The Hollywood remake wagon keeps on a-rolling, and I suppose we should be thankful that it does at least lead to more big horror movies being made, and hitting cinemas. As a fan of the original Japanese Ringu movie of 1998 (released in the UK as the rather less penguin-esque Ring), I wasn't exactly overwhelmed by the prospect of an Americanised 're-think'.          The good news? They certainly didn't fuck it up. It's not as scary as the original, or as atmospheric - despite its best efforts - but The Ring is far from an embarrassing pastiche of beauty. Visually, Verbinski brings a great deal of style to the plate, while Watts and Henderson are likeable as the main couple. In case you don't know the plot by now, they're investigating a video tape which kills you seven days after you view it. And of course they both watch it, and their son Aidan gets involved. Aidan, incidentally, is one of the scariest things about the movie, being six years old going on sixty-six.          One of the movie's more laborious elements is something which similarly slowed up the original: there's a whole load of plodding investigative work. Yes, the cliched library reference books are dragged from dusty, high shelves and people suddenly notice things on a monitor and ask for a close-up. If The Ring makes one improvement on the original, it certainly isn't the addition of horses (horses, why horses?). No, it's the fact that we see the faces of those killed by the 'evil' Samara. And they sure ain't pretty. Well worth a watch. Most Memorable Demise: Here comes a spoilerrrrrrr... Brian Cox's character, electrocuting himself in the bath. Look Out For: Samara's face. Sadly, it's not as scary as you might like. Killer Quote: "She never sleeps" - spoken by two different characters, providing the movie's more chilling moments. DVD Details: Not exactly a comprehensive affair, this one strangely features no audio commentary - perhaps Verbinski is sick of explaining why he decided to take on a re-make. A section titled Don't Look Here combines some images from the Ring video with deleted scenes and assorted titbits. An interesting way of grouping things together, if a little strange. Release Date: Out now. [Check it out at Amazon US] [Check it out at Amazon UK] [Reviews Menu] [Home] © Copyright Slasherama 2002-present