Frolick In Brine, Goblins Be Thine

It has been a while since I watched a horror movie which actually managed to freak me out. Western horror movies seemed to go through a stage of either being ultra gory(before being clamped down on), then slipping into self-parody and have now spun full circle back to the old, tired slasher movie genre which has even made someone believe the 9th sequel to Friday the 13th was a great idea(it wasn't - arrgh!). Hollywood seems almost completely devoid of new ideas when it comes to horror flicks, seemingly content with picking over the bones of past successes and parodying its own inadequacies, going for the cheap shock tactic as opposed to truly unnerving the audience and leaving behind that lingering sense of foreboding and "what if..." long after the credits roll.

Or should that be video tape? Ring revolves around what looks and sounds like an urban legend, indeed, rather like a modern update to the old malignant chain letter rubbish which was outlawed because of its damaging effects. The central pivot of this story though is a video tape curse. Those who see the video will die within one exactly one week unless they copy the tape and show it to someone else, who must also do the same. Watchers of the video will receive a phone call immediately after watching and the words "you saw it" will be heard. Its sounds ludicrous, but attracts the attention of (very cute) journalist Reiko(Nakano Matsushima) after 4 teenagers all die in separate locations exactly one week after watching the video - one of them her niece. There is no explanation, no cause of death other than their hearts just stopped beating...and of course the look of extreme terror on their faces are something of a mystery.

To reveal any more of the plot would be to spoil the movie experience, suffice to say that its well crafted and best of all the story actually adds up for a change without leaving huge gaping holes in the plot. There is a curious amount of Western influence here from the likes of Night Of The Demon which I was reminded most closely of, and visual nods to countless others, so viewers here will not be left reeling from culture shock. That said, Ring is still a very different movie to that which Western horror movie watchers will have become accustomed to. The tone is deeply sombre and ponderous and as the story unfolds you'll notice a mixture of modern technology and ideals juxtaposed against the Japanese tradition of curses, superstitions and vengeful ancestors. The 'unknown' parts of Japanese culture simply add to the sense of mystery and add something more of a 'truth' and believability to otherwise fantastic ideas. I can't see this having worked as well, were this a Western movie.

Its unusual too for a horror movie to pay quite so much attention to visual detail. The movie has a very 'everyday' look about it for the most part, which are juxtaposed quite jarringly alongside the supernatural sequences. The videotape itself is incredibly arty, filmed in black and white with a collection of strange and surprisingly unnerving imagery. If a cursed video were to exist, then this is how I'd perceive its contents to look. Equally, flashbacks are shown in grainy black and white and the supernatural sequences feel distinctly other-worldly through camera trickery as opposed to flashy special effects which gives them a more 'real' feeling. A growing sense of urgency is expertly crafted through the simple means of announcing each new day on the screen - not exactly original, but not since The Shining has this been used to produce such ominous effects and such a sense of impending doom. This simple technique to present the countdown to the curse's realisation is guaranteed to have you on the edge of your seat because nothing here ever feels predictable. Whether that’s only because of the sense of dislocation from Ring's foreignness or because of some expert movie making is another matter - what matters is that it works, and makes it one of the most nail biting tension builders I've seen for a while.

I should also say that there is virtually no gore here at all, no sex or nudity and no foul language - the movie gaining a 15 certificate solely for its buttock clenching tension and nightmare inducing 'freakiness'. Refreshing huh? Ring’s director Hideo Nakata recognises a great horror movie doesn't force horrific imagery upon its viewer but instead lays the supernatural framework upon which he coaxes the viewer to weave their own horrors. The greatest fear of all is the unknown and the greatest horror of all is different for each and every viewer so what could be more effective than to let each viewer scare themselves with their own bogeymen? Ring didn't have me running screaming from the room in horror, but it did set my nerves jangling and continued to do so for many hours afterwards - the sign of a good scary movie in my books at least. If you are a fan of scary movies then there are few I would recommend as highly as Ring.