The Ring

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Rating

PG-13 for thematic elements, disturbing images

Director

Gore Verbinski

Scary TV

Starring

Fans of "Fear Factor," the popular television show, may love "The Ring." It's discovered that the very act of watching a certain esoteric videotape results in a phone call saying you have seven days to live and then a week later you die a frightening death.

It begins like a teen slasher movie, as we watch the young girl we "know" is going to die soon, move through a quiet house, calling her friend's name. Eventually she meets her maker and her Aunt Rachel (Naomi Watts of "Mulholland Drive"), an investigative newspaper reporter, decides to find out what really happened to her. Rachel looks at the videotape and the clock starts ticking after she also gets her phone call from the grim reaper.

Rachel's son Aidan (David Dorfman) began drawing disturbing pictures regarding events of his cousin's death before she died, revealing his `sixth sensibility.' At this point, the film migrates from teen thriller format to the supernatural. Brian Cox and his wife have a secret regarding their daughter, which leads to Rachel unraveling the mystery.

To tell much more would be to convey the best parts of what happens in the movie; so we'll just say that it can be confusing at times because of walking in both the real and supernatural worlds¾ seemingly at the same time. "The Ring" is a well made, well acted and visually arresting film. A bit short on story and resolution there are a number of scary moments that had Pam gripping George's arm.

Based upon the smash Japanese horror hit "Ringu," "The Ring" is being touted as the scariest thing since "The Exorcist." What are most scary are things that raise fears we've not imagined before. In this day and age, that seems to be not the supernatural but the real, as we learned last year with 9/11 and right now with a sniper run amok in the DC area. The movie "The Phone Booth," about a sniper getting even with a guy in a phone booth was taken out of the distribution schedule for next month. Movies really are entertainment. Life is scary.