Unit 1: The Ring

Based on the novel by Koji Suzuki, the psychological horror film ‘The Ring’ is a remake of the 1998 Japanese horror film ‘Ring’. Dreamworks released ‘The Ring’ in 2002 and made $8.3 million dollars in its first two weeks. Directed by Gore Verbinski the movie was a critical and commercial success.

A house stands alone on a dark and stormy night! A predictable and classic beginning to a horror movie. Inside the house two cute teenage girls, Becca and Katie, hang out. They discuss the legend of a cursed video tape. A video with such power that whoever views it dies seven days later! Katie admits to Becca that she has seen it and that even worse she’d seen it seven days ago! Becca teases her and the girls fool around and laugh it off though Katie is obviously freaked out by it.

Inevitably Katie does not get to see the 8th day! Flickering lights, white noise, the television switching itself on and off by itself, Eerie sound effects and Katies heavy breathing ensure that by the time Becca witnesses Katies horrific death, we, the audience, are on the edge of our seats.

Becca is being treated in a psychiatric ward and the focus of the movie moves to Katies funeral and her young cousin Aiden Keller. Its dark outside and the rooms inside Katies house are dimly lit. Outside Katies friends speak to Aidens mother, Rachel Keller, and the video and its curse is revealed once more!

After some investigation into the existence of such a video Rachel finally gets her hands on a copy. We watch with her as the tape begins. The white noise grabs her attention, the strange images that seem to make no sense, the macabre content and sinister feel of the video has her confused and desperately trying to work out the meaning of these strange and unconnected images. The phone rings …..’you will die in 7 days’.

The legend lives on as Rachel shows the video to her x husband Noah. Disbelieving at first his own distorted image on photographs since viewing the video has him convinced. As their frantic investigation into the content of the video begins a small boy sits in front of a television screen and presses play on the video player. Rachel is now fighting against time to save herself, Noah and now her own son Aidens life too.

As the story unravels we are completely mislead to believe the video is a cry for help from the spirit of a small girl called Samara Morgan. Her mother Anna Morgan who has had numerous miscarriages was desperate for a child though was a troubled soul and a patient in a psychiatric hospital. Noah travels to the hospital to find Annas medical records and Rachel travels to the Morgan family home to speak to the father and husband Richard Morgan.

Here Rachel believes she finds out the truth and the reason for the video. A child loved by her mother but not by her father locked in the barn kept awake at night by noisy horses. A mother so distraught by events she needs psychiatric help and is sent away with her daughter to a hospital. Driven mad she later kills her own daughter and throws her body in the well. The girl doesn’t die however and remains trapped, scared and alone in a deep dark place for seven days. The childs body is recovered from the well and taken away for burial. Noah and Rachel sit together relieved and happy to be alive. The discovery of this terrible secret and poor Samaras body sets both Rachel and Samara free and Rachel begins her 8th day!

We all begin to breathe easy, the puzzle has been solved. As Rachel and Noah begin to relax so too does the audience. The cold realization that its not over yet doesn’t only have Rachel filled with terror and fear but every viewer too. ‘what did you do that for’? is not the expected response from Aiden as his mother tells him Samara is safe now and all will be well. The look of horror on his face and the realization begins to sink in that this is not over.

As Rachel races to warn Noah the video begins to play in his apartment. The television turns itself on which gets his attention and he watches intently as Samara walks closer and closer to the screen. As she moves from the video into the real world, our world, the evil truth is revealed. Rachel arrives too late, Noah does not reach his 8th day!

The truth slowly dawns on Rachel as she desperately tries to work out why she survived and Noah didn’t. The audience also rack our brains for an explanation, could it be that she was spared because she released Samara? No, it was simply because she made a copy of the video. As she helps Aiden do the same it slowly dawns on him, and us, that this will never be over.

Throughout the entire film the lighting is dark and dim. Even in the middle of the day there is rain or fog or dark clouds. The colour is muted adding to the menacing feel of the movie. The music is tense and slow with a low base tone to it which changes the mood of a scene instantly. The most tense scenes are mostly silent, keeping the audience holding their breath and tense with the suspense of knowing something is about to happen.

This movie isn’t an outright scary or gory movie though there are those ‘jump out of your skin’ moments, but is more subtle building up suspense and giving us smaller frights. The fly coming out of the screen, the sudden phone ringing, the viewing of the video all are not very frightening on their own but within the context of the movie gives you goosebumps. The reaction of the horse to Rachel and its gory demise as it leaps off the ferry, and the evil face of Samara, and the distorted face of the deceased Noah provide us with plenty of visual horrors and add to the overall disturbing nature of this movie.

The main characters have you hooked from the beginning. Rachel a feisty independent single mother. A strong woman determined and brave. Noah her x husband by contrast more laid back and easy going. And Aiden, an intense boy with wide dark eyes and solem face. With the ability to see into the other world and draw events before they happen. Samara is virtually colourless, her skin so pale and her hair and eyes dark. A pretty girl who looks vulnerable and lost at first but looking closer her slow movements and long lifeless hair give her a menacing look. When she shows her true self in the scene with Noah there is no sign of that lost child only evil.

An award winning movie and a legend that lives on …..

The cast:

* Naomi Watts as Rachel Keller

* Daveigh Chase as Samara Morgan

* Martin Henderson as Noah Clay

* David Dorfman as Aidan Keller

* Brian Cox as Richard Morgan

* Jane Alexander as Dr. Grasnik

* Amber Tamblyn as Katie Embry

* Lindsay Frost as Ruth Embry

* Rachael Bella as Rebecca 'Becca'

* Shannon Cochran as Anna Morgan