The October 7 of 13

As I continued the October 13, this morning I went over to Prime and watched The Ring, an iconic horror movie from 2002.

There is a videotape filled with nightmarish imagery that, if you watch, seven days later, you die. Newspaper reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) started looking into the story after the death of a family member (Amber Tamblyn) and she discovered the dangers firsthand.

There are some plot holes in The Ring, but the atmosphere and mood of the film is outstandingly creepy and work to build tension as Naomi Watts desperately tried to find an answer to the mystery before the clock runs out on her. The film does a great job of being unnerving without being gory or exploitative.

Naomi Watts is the standout of the entire film. Her performance anchors the story together, raises her character which did not have too much depth, and keeps the attention on her. A less skilled actress could have fallen into the flaws of the story and drag the film down too. Watts, on the other hand, brought the perfect amount of gravitas to the film and gave everyone someone to root for.

The film does a solid job of creating an air of eeriness and keeps the audience on the edge. You are never quite sure what was happening and the film embraces that.

The back story of the videotape (as it were) was horrifying and painful. Your perceptions switch as the film moves along, which keeps the film off-balance.

The Ring was very successful. It was based on the Japanese movie Ring by Hideo Nakata from 1998.