Author Comment
deadliner
Sadako slave
(10/22/02 11:23:20 am)
Reply 		Scary?? No!!
In regards to the remake,...I just can't for the life of me figure out why thousands of people are saying it is THE scariest movie they have EVER seen.

Maybe due to it's PG-13 rating the majority of people seeing this are really young, and the sacriest thing they have ever seen before is 'Earnest Scared Stupid'???
If thats the case, I can understand why it would appear to be so utterly terrifying.

Don't get me wrong - I really like the remake, but scary?
NO.

THE scariest thing EVER?
Definately NOT.

deadliner

Edited by: deadliner at: 10/22/02 11:25:03 am
Ranion
Sadako slave
(10/22/02 11:25:23 am)
Reply
Re: Scary?? No!!
what is the scariest movie you have ever seen?

mikejonas
manipulator of the Virus
(10/22/02 11:27:33 am)
Reply 		Scariest movie ever? No.

But I do go along with the critics who are touting it as the "scariest movie this year."

Lithium
manipulator of the Virus
(10/22/02 12:24:30 pm)
Reply
Re: Scariest movie ever? No.
I'd say it's one of the scariest of the past number of years... about as scary as Ringu, just in a different way. 6th Sense was another. Cheesy as it was, Blair Witch (original) was another (mostly because it let your imagination do the work). Fallen wasn't so much scary as disturbing. Ditto Stir of Echoes. Can't think of anything else from the past few years that got to me though.

deadliner
Sadako slave
(10/22/02 12:50:35 pm)
Reply 		re:
The scariest I have ever seen?

Thats a tough one, just off the top of my head though.

The Exocist, Amitiville Horror, The Entity,...just to name a few.

As far as more modern movies go, I thought Event Horizon and The Others were both quite scary.

Blair Witch was good too, the 1st one.

Not necessarily is anything I listed BETTER than The Ring, but definately scarier in my opinion. And remember - I'm referring to the remake.


deadliner

Edited by: deadliner at: 10/22/02 12:56:31 pm
mathfed
Sadako slave
(10/22/02 12:58:30 pm)
Reply 		re
It's definitely the scariest movie I have seen for several years. There were several people who screamed in the theater when I saw the remake. They weren't 13 year olds, either. I'm no teenager. I'm 30 years old. The Ring is definitely in the top 5 of the scariest movies I have ever seen, though. Awesome flick. I'm going to have to see it again.

Ranion
Sadako slave
(10/22/02 1:16:27 pm)
Reply
Re: re
I think having seen an earlier version of The Ring makes later versions less scary. I saw the remake before I saw Ringu. The remake terrified me, but I didn't find Ringu scary at all. I think this is partly because I knew what was going to happen; a lot of the scare factor in The Ring (whatever version) is the result of tension created by not knowing. In my opinion, of course.

Blair Witch is the only movie besides The Ring (remake) that has freaked me out in the past couple years. Ironically, I think some of scariest stuff in the media are the older episodes of Unsolved Mysteries. Maybe its because I used to watch it as a kid with an overactive imagination in the early 80's, but that some of those segments are just so eerie.

mathfed
Sadako slave
(10/22/02 1:50:18 pm)
Reply 		re
I agree with you about Blair Witch. That movie really scared me, too. In a lot of ways, it is very similar to Ring. Both movies more or less present WHAT happened without spoon-feeding WHY things happened. So, after you see these movies, you keep turning certain scenes over and over in your head tryng to figure things out. That's a lot funner for me than having everything explained during the movie. I swear, for the first week after seeing Blair Witch I was afraid to open my eyes at night in case someone was standing in the corner of my bedroom.

deadliner
Sadako slave
(10/22/02 2:21:45 pm)
Reply 		Re: re
LOL,

Blair Witch scared me S**TLESS!!

deadliner

ImaginaryNumber
further down the Spiral
(10/22/02 2:24:50 pm)
Reply 		saask
Name a scarier flick... You know, just because you don't find it scary doesn't mean it isn't scary to others. I've seen everything from Excorcist to Audition to the Shining and I was freaked out by The Ring when I took a nap at night. ^_-

Edit: Blair Witch? Huh... YOUR OPINION ON WHAT IS SCARY IS NOW IMO NULL.

Edited by: ImaginaryNumber at: 10/22/02 2:28:04 pm
mathfed
Sadako slave
(10/22/02 2:55:17 pm)
Reply 		huh?
Nice one, ImaginaryNumber. Way to practice what you preach, man. I think you slipped off of your soapbox there, bud.

Lithium
manipulator of the Virus
(10/22/02 3:03:22 pm)
Reply
Re: saask
Personally... I think Blair Witch was as scary as the viewer's imagination. It wasn't the best movie in general, and it was kind of a one-watcher. But, if you've got an active imagination, it was more free to run wild than in most any other horror movie I've seen.

The fuzzy and shaky camera shots had one particularly nice effect... when they'd swear they could see something, YOU'D start seeing something... vague and you couldn't make it out... but your mind would find patterns of shadow and light that make the best effects pale in comparison. For instance, at one bit near the end when she starts screaming about "Do you see that?!?", just as the camera is wobbling through the trees. And I swear just for a few seconds I saw the most horrifying apparition that I've ever seen in a movie. Of course watching it later, it was just light shining through trees.

cats
Sadako slave
(10/22/02 3:16:22 pm)
Reply 		Re: saask
I'm curious as to exactly how scary it is. I love scary movies, the creature feature/sci fi/ psychological thriller types. I don't like gorefests, though.

I didn't like event horizon, or the remake of house on haunted hill (the one with james woods, not the haunting-catherine zeta jones flick...that one was just stupid).

So, is this movie thrilling, or is it just a gorefest?

VidVicious
Sadako slave
(10/22/02 4:28:09 pm)
Reply 		Re: saask
The Ring is definitely not a gorefest. There's hardly any gore at all. It is CREEPY. The special effects are well done and very subtle.

The Blair Witch Project didn't affect me too much. No horror movie of recent vintage has had as much of an effect as The Ring did. Not The Others (very creepy as well) or The Eye. Not The Exorcist or The Amityville Horror. The last movie before The Ring to give me trouble sleeping was The Omen.

By virtue of its strong editing, The Ring has several jump scares that you will not be able to prepare yourself for. They just take you by surprise. A couple are just loud noises. Kinda cheap. The others are just flat-out brilliant. No way around it.

The movie takes a handful of mundane everyday things and imbues them with terror. What Pyscho does for motel showers, The Ring does for a staticky TV, puddles of water, and ringing telephones. This movie has the potential to change how you respond to these things over the short-term or even a longer period of time, possibly for the rest of your life.

A lot of it is implied and left to your imagination, but this movie also had the ability to "burn" certain images in my mind that I see behind my eyelids when I close my eyes...

Having said that, I'll definitely pick it up on DVD, but not on VHS...

Edited by: VidVicious at: 10/22/02 5:02:02 pm
zodiac66
Sadako slave
(10/22/02 4:30:13 pm)
Reply
Re: Scary?? No!!
Well, as a person who has seen horror movies most of their life, I find this more scarey than most. Most of what Hollywierd puts out now-a-days is a spatter gorefest. Blair Witch was disturbing. I also found The Cell to be equally disturbing, although it had quite alot of gore. The Exorcist was great for its time, but it wasn't the movie, it was the subliminals that kept me up at night. Good old Captian Howdy!!

To drone a little OT, I have heard many people say they loved "The Haunting", the original. May I suggest reading the book? Shirley Jackson is a wonderful author who I cannot praise enough.

Gijinka Lugia
out from the well
(10/22/02 4:32:41 pm)
Reply
Re: saask
So, is this movie thrilling, or is it just a gorefest?

"The Ring", whether the remake or the original, is definitely more thrilling than a gorefest. If you want a gorefest, so see "Battle Royale" or "Resident Evil." (Nothing against BR, of course.. I saw it yesterday, and the whole thing was so sad!)

Agreed on the comment about knwoing what comes next doesn't make it so scary. I viewed the original a day after I saw the remake, and the only thing that really made me jump was the flashback to Tomoko's body in the closet and Sadako's big scene.. It gave me chills, nonetheless.

However, either version can leave chilling impressions in your mind. I had a friend whose mother played a trick on her and turned the TV to static some time before she woke up. Poor Kira was scared out of her wits when she woke up and saw the static. :P


You know those websites you shouldn't go to?
This is one of them.

Currently in:
ver KH

ImaginaryNumber
out from the well
(10/22/02 5:03:45 pm)
Reply 		dasas
You missed the point mathfed, get a clue.

Nexus
Sadako slave
(10/22/02 5:27:31 pm)
Reply 		Back to Blair Witch....
In terms of how effective a horror movie is, it is true that it's down to the imagination of the viewer.

The Blair Witch Project is a prime example. Many of my brain-dead friends claim that they weren't scared by BWP, that it was a pile of crap to stick closer to their words. These are people who, and i have checked, have never willingly read a book (let alone a novel) in their life, preferring to have someone's guts thrown at them in order to be scared...

All i'm saying is that i'm known to have an almost over-active imagination. I prefer films that require you to think and imagine what could be chasing/maiming/torturing someone in a horror flick. The BWP left me shaking when the credits came up. This would mostly be attributed to the fact that i watched it alone in a pitch black room with the TV in my face - it was like i was there!

Imagine what Ring did to me when I saw it... Jesus, the DVD is on my desk in front of me just staring at me and i'm getting shivvers up my spine.

Hold me

rachel
further down the Spiral
(10/22/02 6:05:17 pm)
Reply 		scary??
can I first of all say that I do not believe that what you think is scary in any way reflects your level of intelligence or literacy ?

Nexus, I am an avid reader, a writer in fact, and I did not find Blair Witch scary at all. It's not because I have no imagination, it just really didn't effect me. Most of the people I know who were scared still believed it was real at the time they saw it. But as a fictional film it didn't scare me at all. I think what scares you is as relative as what makes you laugh--something either will or it won't for you. It's instantaneous, it's not like it has to do with how much you analyze it.

When I see horror films, I usually separate them into categories, "good," and "bad," as opposed to "scary" and "not scary." Some horror films make me jump, but very few stay with me, and make me feel scared when I think about them when I'm alone. The Ring remake did this to me. I think part of it has to do with how real it felt because it reminded me of strange things that happened to me when I was a teenager. I think not knowing what is going to happen next is part of it, but it is mostly the atmosphere. I also did not find the original Ring very scary, although I thought it was very good. But the second time I saw the remake, I was still pretty freaked out by it.

mathfed
Sadako slave
(10/22/02 6:18:04 pm)
Reply 		My mistake
Sorry i (aka ImaginaryNumber). It looked like you were saying that it isn't cool for someone to denounce others because they think a movie is scary. Then, at the bottom of your post, you turn around and do exactly what you just denounced. That's the way it reads, anyways. Is that not what you meant? I guess I could have read it wrong, but it looked like you were ridiculing the poster above your original message because he thought Blair Witch was scary. This right after you say that it isn't cool for someone to ridicule others for finding a movie scary just because you didn't find it scary. My mistake, I guess. That sure looks like what you did, though.

Kama
shambler
(10/22/02 6:26:15 pm)
Reply 		blah
I think this movie was pretty damn scary, but the scariest movie i've ever seen was Mothman Prophecies. Oh, and Event Horizon is pretty freaky too.

VidVicious
Sadako slave
(10/22/02 6:28:45 pm)
Reply 		Re: scary??
Ditto what Rachel said. Everybody is wired a little differently, vulnerable in different ways. Some things will push your buttons and others won't.

I've seen the remake twice and I have to say that, at certain points in the movie, I jumped as high - probably higher - the second time. Must've let my guard drop. Knowing what was going to happen next just gave me a false sense of security. And the final flashback to the psychiatric hospital with a twist... Absolutely chilling...

Lithium
manipulator of the Virus
(10/22/02 6:42:05 pm)
Reply
Re: blah
Zodiac:

Hmm... impressed by The Exorcist's subliminals... I never would have guessed, looking at your avatar/pic... hehe.

I wonder if anyone else recognized it...

deadliner
Sadako slave
(10/22/02 7:50:42 pm)
Reply 		re:
ImaginaryNumber,...like I said,...it was MY opinion.

All I was saying is that the remake is NOT scary to me, and by scary I mean disturbing. I slept fine, I had no unsettling thoughts whatsoever after watching it, zip,...notta,....ziltch. I don't judge whats scary to me by the jump factor either. And if I did, my opinion about the remake would remain the same.

Evidentally though, according to you, it's wrong of me to have my own opinions???

It's perfectly fine with me if others think it was scary and/or disturbing. I however, did not think it was.
To each their own,...is THAT ok with you?

Is it ok with you that I think Blair Witch is by far more disturbing than The Ring remake?

Yes,...you highly contradicted yourself with your comment of MY opinion being null.

Nexus
Sadako slave
(10/22/02 8:34:25 pm)
Reply 		.
Sorry, just to clear this up...

Re-reading my last post, maybe I gave the wrong impression. I wasn't stating that people of less intelect or literary prowess are more sufferable to a lack of imagination, i was trying to give you a very slight insight into the kind of people I hang around with. I admit, the link had crossed my mind but that didn't stop one of my closer friends being scared by the Blair Witch Project. He's never passed an exam in his life and hates reading... the imagination is there though.

So... in order to be scared by something like a fictional story, do you need a strong imagination or some kind of personal link to your own life

StarSaucer
Sadako slave
(10/22/02 8:47:37 pm)
Reply
Re: blah
Blair Witch, Exorcist (the recent version was great! Man, that crabwalk!!!), Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Shining, Carnival of Souls (original), this Ring and I'm sure the orig. Ring will be added as soon as I see it.

ring rasen loop
Administrator, Ring guru
(10/22/02 11:08:55 pm)
Reply
subliminal (off topic)
I wonder if anyone else recognized it

Right here. Aah, back in the days of huge VCRs that CLACKed when you were trying to freeze frame on a certain subliminal scene.


j.

Isoline
shambler
(10/22/02 11:28:36 pm)
Reply 		subliminal (off topic)
Yep, I remember our family's top loader would bang like no tomorrow during pauses. I also looooved the corded remote. Thank God for DVD.

ring rasen loop
Administrator, Ring guru
(10/22/02 11:46:26 pm)
Reply
Re: subliminal (off topic)
LMAO!!

The corded remote.

::wipes tears from eyes::

Oh lord. :rollin

Why aren't you a member again? Sign up and I'll give you a special title-- "corded one" or something. :lol :rollin :lol


j.

Isoline
shambler
(10/22/02 11:57:01 pm)
Reply 		> Re: subliminal (off topic)
:) you like that huh...Funny thing is I think the remote is all we have left of the thing. Even funnier than that was the camera that hooked up to it so you had this little hand camera unit with b/w viewfinder and microphone and the hot shoe mount for a light but no light, connected via this umbilical cord to the VCR which had an internal battery to power the whole kit and kaboodle and a shoulder harness that you could use to lug the thing around like some ancient monstrosity. I'm so glad that thing died on us. Gave us alot of good years though.

I thought I was a member, but I guess I didn't actually sign up for that global thing last EZboard I signed up for. The applet is being a bit obstinante so I'll get to it soon. Hmm... Isoline the corded one. Has a cool "ring" to it. ;)

Lithium
manipulator of the Virus
(10/23/02 1:03:03 am)
Reply
Re: > Re: subliminal (off topic)
It took my parents weeks to figure out why I'd demand total silence whenever our OLD vcr was recording (circa 1980 or so). I was convinced that it was recording the tv's audio like a tape recorder (by microphone).

And yes, that thing was huge and heavy. I ran across it last year while helping them clear out their place a bit. The thing was honkin huge, bigger even than the old monster dot-matrix printer I had a few years later. It was wide as the tv top (and this was back in the days of the 24" screen w/ a 50" wide casing), and about as heavy. Also I couldn't watch tapes on it late at night without waking up my parents (who were in another room much farther away)...

(press eject) *chuCHANK*
(insert tape) *rattle* *rattle-chunk*
(close door) *chuuuuuh-CHUNK!* (reverbrating echoes)
(press play) (rumbling noises, plaster falling from the ceiling, and the building's foundations cracking)

deadliner
Sadako slave
(10/23/02 5:29:19 am)
Reply 		re:
LMAO!!!!

I WANT ONE!!!

Maybe I'll head down to the Goodwill store and see if I can pick one up for $10, just for old times sake.
Maybe they'll have an Atari 2600, and an Apple IIe.

Last time I was there, they had like 5 Timex Sinclair 1000 computers. Anyone remember those? Bout the size of a paperback novel, 2K Ram (expandable to 16k), membrane keyboard, and saved programs to an external cassette recorder.

:)
deadliner

mandrake
shambler
(10/23/02 9:07:28 am)
Reply 		zoom
Carnival of Souls...funny you mention it. me and my wife watched the night before we went to see the ring....and we though that it was the creepiest movie ever made. then we saw the ring. i don't which is creepier....i mean the end seen definately makes the ring far more disturbing, but the end seen of carnival of souls i pretty damn chilling as well...damn id' say these two and "the cabinet of dr caligari" are perhaps the greatest horror movies of all time.

StarSaucer
Sadako slave
(10/23/02 9:27:20 am)
Reply
Re: zoom
ooh I have to see the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. I just picked up Carnival of Souls and Night of the Living Dead on a 2-sided DVD for $7. Can you imagine. And the latest Martin Lawrence movie DVD is probably $29.90. =\

Bruteman
Sadako slave
(10/23/02 11:48:09 am)
Reply 		Creepy vs. scary, a lightweight opinion ;)
Just weighing in here...

I didn't find The Ring scary. It was, however, creepy as hell. I personally like creepy better than scary (as in gore, jump scares, etc) because I am one of the aforementioned "overactive imagination" people.

What got me about The Ring was the sense of dread it created. That kind of thing stays with me after I leave the theater. Actually, that and the sound effects. Good sound always creeps me out. The thing that really freaked me out was the undulating, high-pitched type noise that you hear as the cursed tape plays. That noise has haunted my sleeping hours the last few nights ;)

Other movies of this type that made me feel this way include The Mothman Prophecies (not scary, but had several scenes, images, music and sound that raised the hairs on the back of my neck) and John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness. THAT movie messed with me for months!

Oh, great site, by the way! I read all of it Saturday night after seeing the remake. My only previous Ring knowledge was reading some reviews of the original on the web, and I was excited when I saw they were making the remake. This info on this site filled in a lot for me.

deadliner
Sadako slave
(10/23/02 12:01:23 pm)
Reply 		re:
By scary, I am also referring to 'creepy' or 'disturbing'.
The jump factor has very little if no impact on the scare scale for me.

I honestly believe I am the only one in the world who wasn't freaked out by this movie, lol!!!

Oh well,...maybe my methods listed in the 'losing sleep' thread will help out some!!

:P
deadliner

P.S. I seem to see alot of potential arguments over what is scary/creepy/disturbing/freaky and what isn't. Opinions are ok to have, and what is scary/creepy to one may not be for someone else. We all have fears and doubts about different things. There really should be no debate if someone disagrees. I've really enjoyed my time spent on this board since I came here, and I want it to remain that way. Don't get me wrong though, debates are great - as long as they are respectful to others opinions. :)

Edited by: deadliner at: 10/23/02 12:09:50 pm
orbitalgun76
shambler
(10/23/02 2:52:37 pm)
Reply 		I thought...
I thought it was scary. Up till seeing this film the Exorcist was the scariest movie I have ever seen. The Ring has EASILY beat it and I am 26 years old, I have woken up a couple times now looking at my tv to make sure some hair isn't coming out of it;) Honestly, that movie has me spooked.

orbitalgun76
shambler
(10/23/02 2:55:43 pm)
Reply 		I do agree though...
Everybody has different things that set them off. I have watched talked to people who saw the Exorcist and didn't do anything but laugh the entire time because they thought it was a joke, I on the other hand had trouble sleeping for weeks after. The Ring is the first movie to spook me that bad. I couldn't open my closet after I watched the American version because I couldn't get that visual of that girls face out of my head. But nobody should say somebody is wrong for being scared or not being scared.

Caite
shambler
(10/23/02 2:57:11 pm)
Reply 		i thought it was the scariest of its time
ok....well i watched the exorcist and all those movies that are supossed to be "like OMG" scary but they werent, but when i saw this movie it had me on the edge of my seat almost in tears because it was so scary, so all those who thought it wasnt scary are lame. and im sorry, but the exorcist was dumb, it may have been scary for its time seeing as they didnt have great extras to add on, but this was definitely scarier.

mathfed
Sadako slave
(10/23/02 3:02:47 pm)
Reply 		while we're talking about it
I saw the Exorcist to, and it didn't scare me at all. I think a person has to have some kind of religious beliefs to find it scary. I personally don't have any, so I couldn't really relate to why it was scary. It just seemed goofy to me. I chuckled through a lot of it, especially when the priest got doused with pea soup. Hilarious. I would say the same about Rosemary's Baby. It was almost laughable to me. Another movie that I used to hear about is The Wickerman. My wife and I actually cheered when the guy got torched in that movie just because he finally shut his preachin mouth.

deadliner
shambler
(10/23/02 4:48:49 pm)
Reply 		re:
Okay, I tried to be polite but apparently SOME people just can't hold themselves back from being an ass.

Figure I may as well be one too,...

Those who think The Ring is scary are lame,...especially that Caite person!!!

LOL!! Had ta do it.

But really Caite, couldnt you have held that back? It was quite rude after all.

rachel
further down the Spiral
(10/23/02 5:00:02 pm)
Reply 		what makes it scary?
I think this an interesting discussion...what DOES make something scary? I think that sometimes it's because you have a personal history that you connect with it, and sometimes it's a cultural thing, but mostly, I think that what scares you is just as relative as what food tastes good to you.

There was talk (not just here, but everywhere) when the remake came out that it wasn't right because Westerners need to have everything explained to them in horror, and what makes the Ring so great is how mysterious it is. This is perhaps true. But it doesn't make the remake a bad film. One culture's idea of what is scary is not superior to another's.

I can explain the reason why I think we westerners like a good explanation for what is scary. In the US, there is a lot of pretentious art garbage that looks cool and means nothing. For the most part, we don't like this. A film that leaves very little explained may be good because it remains mysterious, but to western culture, it may also appear that the director wanted to make you think you were missing a point that was not there. This is why we like to have the loose ends tied up. Not because it makes us feel "safe" (well, I suppose it is for some people), but because it does not make us feel like the filmmakers know less about the story than we do.

I can't speak for all westerners, of course. This is just a theory :)

Gijinka Lugia
out from the well
(10/23/02 5:05:10 pm)
Reply
Re: what makes it scary?
I can explain the reason why I think we westerners like a good explanation for what is scary. In the US, there is a lot of pretentious art garbage that looks cool and means nothing. For the most part, we don't like this. A film that leaves very little explained may be good because it remains mysterious, but to western culture, it may also appear that the director wanted to make you think you were missing a point that was not there. This is why we like to have the loose ends tied up. Not because it makes us feel "safe" (well, I suppose it is for some people), but because it does not make us feel like the filmmakers know less about the story than we do.

Speaking of which, what WOULD a remake sequel have as its plot? From the remake, it seems to firmly close that it will go on and on forever.

Although, Samara's release from the well does seem to indicate a very Rasen-like ending in a possibly sequel...

<p align=center><a href="http://sakun.cjb.net/"><img src=http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL60/722542/1227834/14283902.jpg></a><br><table *****"filter:glow(color=#ffd700, strength=5)"><tr><td><font size="1" color="#ffffff">You know those websites you shouldn't go to?<br>This is one of them.</table><br><table *****"filter:glow(color=#1e90ff, strength=5)"><tr><td><font size="1" color="#ffffee">Currently in:<br>ver KH</table>

greenhitop
further down the Spiral
(10/23/02 5:44:45 pm)
Reply 		Well....

I adored RING- the original. I'm based in Singapore,
and have yet to see the re-make. Can't say I agree with
you about RING not being scary. "Event Horizon"
is sooo cliched. Let's stick some people on a strange
planet. Kind of tiresome if you ask me.

My favorite horror films are "the Omen", "The Exorcist",
"Rosemary's Baby", "Silence of the lambs". I don't care
for gore. I need a good story, good dialogue, and the
acting to be so good that I can't ever doubt that the
characters are really living in that moment of terror.

Ring not scary? Hell not. Mighty scary. I didn't know
anything about the film when I rented the VCD from a local
Video shop. All I knew was ..hey Matsushima Nanako, and
Nakatani Miki are in it- can't be too tacky if they're in the film.
Haunted video tape; ok I'll view the VCD. Let me tell you
I was taken on a very, eerie trip into the world of Sadako.
There's so much silent tension in the film. When the story
went from the weird deaths of the video taper watchers to
the like of Sadako; my first thoughts were "What the F*@k
is going on.." The video image was so damn creepy. As
we- the characters, and the viewer disected the contents of
the video tape my jaws just dropped. The mirror, towel
head, creepy men walking crablike, the hair, the eyeball with
the kanji of "Sada". I was totally freaked out. The soundtrack
was really getting to me, and I remember that I turned the
volume down. lol

I think preconceived notions have kind of ruined it for alot of
people. Still...the twists, and turns really make RING a true
original. There's some really great moments that I really
found to be great storytelling without the gore. The part
where the set off on a voyage to Sadako's birthplace.
The boat ride seems to give the viewer a ride into a sort of
Sadako's life in hell type feeling. The island in Japan where
Sadako is from is not the type of place you visit. There's
alot of depressing conotations to that area. People were
sent there in exile.

When you do see the original. Let the film take over,let
the tone of the storytelling take you away. DON't LOOK
FOR THINGS TO HAPPEN, DON"T WAIT FOR GORE. Great
horror films aren't set ups- things just happen.

MurdocAIP
Sadako slave
(10/24/02 7:06:13 pm)
Reply 		I'll admit I was scared...
Okay, maybe I'm no regular horror movie viewer, but I was scared stiff by this movie...

I think it was the psycological effects of the film. Something about it just lingers long after you see it.

Maybe it isn't the scariest movie EVER, but it is the scariest movie I've ever seen (and I've seen a good many).

HHHnRVDnMattHardy
Sadako slave
(10/24/02 8:13:31 pm)
Reply 		Re: I'll admit I was scared...
Not many movies scare me and I have to admit this one did. I was freaked......I don't know exactly what it was about it but I was freaking spooked.

LaDivina
Sadako slave
(10/24/02 8:34:30 pm)
Reply 		Re: I'll admit I was scared...
I was absolutely terrified! Let me tell you this--prior to seeing this movie, there was only one other movie that scared me so much that I couldn't sleep. That movie was It, and I was 7 years old. But after I saw The Ring, I couldn't sleep with the lights out for 2 days! And I'm not a wimp at all, I love scary movies. I think that the major reason for that was not because of any specific event in the film, it was just because those images really burn themselves into your mind...

I personally didn't find The Exorcist to be scary at all, and I don't necessarily think its a matter of religious beliefs as someone previously suggested. Maybe its just that I'm from from a different generation (I'm 19), but I just sat there in front of the TV like "What the f* is happening here?" I was much more affected by The Shining...actually as I was watching The Ring, that's what it reminded me of. Maybe its just the little kid factor, with those freaky girls..."Come play with us forever"...blah.

O Deka K
Sadako slave
(10/24/02 8:46:59 pm)
Reply
I wasn't scared either
I'm a big fan of the original movie, and I've watched it a few times now (maybe 3 or 4). I thought that it was kinda scary, but I don't think it kept me up at night or anything.

However, I wasn't scared by the remake at all. I think it was just because I knew almost everything that was gonna happen, and I was already used to it. I still thought it was a great movie though. I loved listening to the audience's reactions in the theatre.

In fact, I was chuckling at some of the parts of the movie. I wasn't laughing AT the movie, but because I enjoyed it so much. For instance, I liked how they flashed a glimpse of the "ring" during the DreamWorks logo (where the moon is), and how it went staticky for a second. I was also chuckling when Noah said "It's all over now" (or something to that effect), because I knew what was coming. I liked the bodies and Samara's special effect too. I just thought they looked cool. Maybe I'm just evil or something...

Before you die... you GOTTA see The Ring!

Capsaicin79  
Sadako slave
(10/24/02 9:18:59 pm)
Reply
Re: I wasn't scared either
that last scene was scary as hell.. like the effect when something jumps out at you, only it KEPT GOING FOR THE WHOLE SCENE whereas normally it stops after the thing jumps out at you..

also, the 2nd scariest scene imo was the fly.. when rachel pauses the video and the fly is still moving.. and then she picks it off the screen... *shudder*

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allswell
Sadako slave
(10/25/02 3:11:45 am)
Reply 		Discussion: movies that gave me the willies
The Omen, The Omen IV, Rosemary's Baby, Poltergiest (I), Body Snatchers (the remake), Amityville Horror, An American Werewolf in London, A Nightmare On Elm Street (I), Halloween III:Season of the Witch, The Mothman Prophecies, Pet Sematary, Children of the Corn (I), Creepshow I & II, and of course The Ring.

I also liked The Others, The Sixth Sense, and Signs for their creepiness, although the ending to Signs disappointed me. Everything was great up until the bat scene and the son living. It was too happy of an ending for such a terrifying movie up to that point.

I think what scares you changes as you age, so if you saw the classic scary movies when you were at a young age or when they first came out, they tended to be scarier for you and left a certain mark on you. Some of the movies I listed probably don't do much for many of you, just as I feel that many movies not mentioned here that are considered classics (such as The Shining, The Exorcist, and It) aren't as scary for me because I didn't see them until I was older. Werewolf in London was my first scary movie at the age of 7 and it scared the BeJesus out of me (it still gives me chills to this day at the age of 25). I'm not a big slasher/gore person, but Nightmare I (and Freddy Kruger in general) hold a special place on my horror list because the idea was somewhat fresh and unexploited when it first came out. The element of surprise and the not knowing exactly the entity that you're up against is what makes for a good scare in my opinion. I also would have to agree with the person who said that you need to have some kind of religious background (or believe in evil entities) in order for movies like Rosemary's Baby and The Omen to get under your skin.

Any opinions on any of the movies I listed? Any movies any of you have seen that not a lot of people have heard of that are worth seeing?

deadliner
further down the Spiral
(10/25/02 5:33:48 am)
Reply 		re:
Greenhitop,...

You stated, "I adored RING- the original. I'm based in Singapore, and have yet to see the re-make. Can't say I agree with you about RING not being scary."


I was referring to the remake being not scary.


In the same line you also said, "Event Horizon" is sooo cliched. Let's stick some people on a strange planet. Kind of tiresome if you ask me."


Stick people on a strange planet??? HUH?
Evidentally you have never even seen the movie before.


deadliner

deadliner
further down the Spiral
(10/25/02 5:39:00 am)
Reply 		re:
Oh yeah,...

O Deka K, thanx!!! Now I don't fell like the ONLY one, lol.

deadliner

Huw Lines
everyone will suffer
(10/25/02 6:38:13 am)
Reply 		no corded remote
I have fond memories of my first VCR player. It was one of those wood-and-metal monstrosities and was almost as big as the TV! It didn't even have a corded remote....

KonQbine
Sadako slave
(10/25/02 7:17:37 am)
Reply 		Prince of Darkness
Who mentioned Prince of Darkness? I couldn't even look at myself in a mirror for weeks after watching that, but that was the worst part about it, I thought.

I agree with your view about religious conviction (or lack thereof), Mathfed. I'm not easily scared by "religious horror" as much as by visual horror, but that's probably because I already know evil exists in the world and is exhibited every day. Whether someone's the "spawn of Satan" is pretty moot...

Anyone ever lose sleep over a book?

Rachel, the way you described what counts as scary is dead on: for me, how scary a movie is depends on how scared I am to be alone years later when my mind dredges up some image or concept from it. I also agree, though, that just because a movie scares you in some way doesn't mean it's any GOOD. Or vice versa.

Scared to be alone: Oz the Gweat and Tewwible from Pet Sematary
Not scared to be alone: the rest of Pet Sematary
Scared to be alone: Sixth Sense: little poisoned dead girl vomiting in the kid's tent
Not scared to be alone: creature from Salem's Lot
Scared to be alone: The Birds: farmer in his bedroom with his eyes pecked out
Not scared to be alone: the Thing
Scared to be alone: anything where the mirror is giving a false reflection
Not scared to be alone: any creature created with CGI effects.

mutagene
Sadako slave
(10/25/02 7:18:28 am)
Reply 		Re: no corded remote
i agree about event horizon not being very scary (and, to my view, relying on a lot of horror cliches), but what is he talking about with the planet? ;) wouldn't that be pitch dark or aliens or something?

Lithium
manipulator of the Virus
(10/25/02 7:35:01 am)
Reply
Re: Prince of Darkness
PoD had one of the most chilling endings I've seen. It wouldn't mean anything to you if you just saw it by itself... and it wouldn't have much impact unless you saw the movie from the very beginning. But that dream sequence right at the end, where you suddenly realize what they'd been trying to say all along... damn.

pepper324
Sadako slave
(10/26/02 11:37:35 am)
Reply 		Re: Scary?? No!!
Hi! I just saw The Ring remake and absolutely loved it. I am the type of person that loves the details and minutia of a movie (most of my friends say I analyze movies too much, as if!). I was so excited to find this board.

I certainly think that the degree of scariness one gets from viewing a movie definitely depends on your situation at the particular moment. I know that I cannot watch the original "Night of the Living Dead." Can't get past the first ten minutes. I was home alone one Halloween and gave it a try. I had seen the remake and had no problem. There was just something about the silence of the house and the black and white images that got to me.

I rented "Nightmare on Elm Street" one rainy afternoon to watch with my Dad while he was recovering from a back injury. My Dad has that unique ability to increase the tension in the room during a scary movie because he would be very silent and we would forget he was there and then he'd yell "BOO!" Sounds silly, I know, but he always knew the right moment to get his girls screaming!

Then there is "The Exorcist." This subject has been covered extensively already but...it scares me. It was released into the theaters when I was a child so all the talk of its scariness was burned into my mind. When I was about 10 years old there was a showing on TV. My father said that I wasn't allowed to watch it. So I crept upstairs to watch on an extra TV. The upstairs of the house was where my grandmother who had just passed away lived so I was already afraid of her ghost. I was watching in an unfinished room with a suspended drop ceiling. My mother came home during the beginning of the movie when Regan hears the "rats" in the ceiling. At the moment my mother opened the garage door, the air pressure made the ceiling tiles slowly lift up and then "THUD" down very loudly. Needless to say my poor father had to go upstairs to turn the TV off and I didn't go up there for about a year!

Lastly - "The Amityville Horror." While I don't think its a particularly scary movie, I am currently scared to watch it. I had already seen it a few times, but there was nothing on TV and I was wide awake so I thought "why not?" Why not indeed! Just as the tension begins to mount my cat decided that she wanted to get in the bedroom. She started to slowly scratch on the door and then she did something that scared the hell out of me! She spoke. I swear it. When she gets mad she meows in a very guttural way and it sounds just like "Hellloooooo MA-MA." She did it over and over and over. I had to change the channel and wake my husband up I was so scared.

I think if I had stumbled onto the Ring when I was home alone I would have been more frightened (especially watching it for the first time on TV instead of a theater screen!!). As it stands I cannot get the movie out of my head -- loved every second of it!

gstl
shambler
(10/26/02 1:05:58 pm)
Reply 		Remake was subtle and scary in a deeper sense
I went this time to laugh and have a good time. The movie did not scare me on the spot. It was when I got home, turned off the lights and went to bed with the TV at center stage in front of my bedroom. Dunno mah, but inmediately the mind starts playing games and I freaked out. That was two days ago. I am aight now. And I just got the Japanese Ringu. I am getting ready to freak myself out tonight...or not...

I know this person at work who watched it and she freaked out too. There must be something deep in this movie, cus I've watched the exorcist, the omen, and a host of other horror and suspense films and nothing really freaked me out. Maybe scared me, but that was it. I could shake it off on the spot.

So, I go to work and see my friend with a totally different mood and asked...are you okay? Well...I saw this movie...

I saw it then too..., but I know it is fiction. On the contrary, the exorcist is based on real life events. This one is the one which is supposed to freak me out, but it does not.

Cheers

Capsaicin79  
further down the Spiral
(10/26/02 2:26:10 pm)
Reply
Re: Remake was subtle and scary in a deeper sense
hey, any movie that was scored by orbital and micheal kamen has to rock ;)

(event horizon)

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Milly
Sadako slave
(10/26/02 4:25:06 pm)
Reply 		not scary?
Good call, mathfed. LOL

pikopichu
Sadako slave
(11/19/02 4:10:31 pm)
Reply 		et
you sir probably dont think enough to get scared. I like to scare myself, and this is why the I enjoyed the movie. I like getting scared, because it's a fun feeling we can get without any repurcussions since hey... its a movie. Thats the point. Gore thats right in your face is NOT scary, but the unknown is something that scares because we dont know and thats the point. Your mind will manifest the worst. I hate having things spelled out for me ... what's the point. Hey, different people, different opinions, but if you could'nt enjoy it ... SUCKS FOR YOU! Blair Witch = scary because you can put yourself in that position rather than JUST watch the movie, however ... Exorcist = Visually scary ... but that's it. I thought of the exorcist as a comedy for some reason, it was funny as hell when he did a frontflip out the window and people crowded his body. Yes I'm a sick person for saying that ... but going back, its just a movie, we can chew it and spit it out like bubblegum.

CgChick09 
manipulator of the Virus
(11/19/02 4:37:09 pm)
Reply 		Re: et
I'm sorry but im not gonna read thru all 60 posts but in my opinion The Ring is the scariest movie I'v ever seen, along with the 6th sense. The story itself was just scary to begin with. Also how the sound effects were used and the makeup used on katie and noah. Its just a really freaky movie to see.

FaithHopeTrick
Sadako slave
(11/19/02 4:42:48 pm)
Reply 		Scariest movie?
I really didn't think that The Others and BWP were scary, they just had one or two scary moments, but nothing to make you think, well, what happens if this, or this, or this....For example, after The Ring, a blank tape, or a tv, or static, or someone with black hair, or a fly, were all creepy. After the BWP, all you could be scared of was...the woods...So I think that The Ring was more psychological than The Others, in a way. Plus, c'mon, Katie? No comparison to "I am your daughter!"

StarSaucer 
further down the Spiral
(11/19/02 5:03:51 pm)
Reply
Re: Scariest movie?
BWP made me scared of the dark! And walking to the car at night, and going to the bathroom at 3AM, and er... maps! Nah not maps. But you know.

Kitano
the chosen infected
(11/19/02 5:06:46 pm)
Reply
Re: Scariest movie?
The worst part in The Ring is that the scariest(s) scene happens in the morning!! In full light!

VidVicious
Sadako slave
(11/19/02 5:52:35 pm)
Reply 		Re: Scariest movie?
Sounds about right. Definitely the scariest movie for me since "The Omen" (shivers) and maybe "The Shining."

"The Blair Witch Project" was more sizzle than "stake." I'd been looking forward to seeing that for months. But ultimately, it was gimmicky, helped and hindered by its amateurish qualities. "The Sixth Sense" was a very melancholy movie that also tries hard to jerk tears. Succeeds too. "The Others" was very effective, but it also claims by the end that ghosts are more afraid of us than we are of them. Um, not so scary. "The Eye" is a nice stylish little movie that shares some elements with "The Mothman Prophecy." Rather kind and gentle for a horror movie. Unlike these other movies, "The Ring" just does not let up and shows no mercy. I thought that after "The Others" no ghost story could scare me again. "The Ring" proved me wrong. This was no "touchy feely" creepshow.

Good does not triumph over evil.
Boy does not get girl.
Happily does not live ever after.
and...

EVERYONE WILL SUFFER.

That's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

anouke
further down the Spiral
(11/20/02 12:36:31 am)
Reply 		Re: Scariest movie?
Pikapika (or whatever your name is, sorry) you are bang on. BWP and The Ring seem to be for people who actually like to think, as opposed to watching a bunch of gore splashed on the screen, or teenageers running, tripping, and waiting to be stabbed. But then again, different things scare different people..*Shrugs* I just like films in general where I can think about what happened and talk about it and theorize.

dhmason6155
shambler
(11/20/02 2:38:03 am)
Reply 		Samara-ized
"Maybe due to it's PG-13 rating the majority of people seeing this are really young, and the sacriest thing they have ever seen before is 'Earnest Scared Stupid'???"

I'm 41 and was very deeply affected and disturbed by it. I've seen every slasher film ever made and regard them as comedy, but The Ring worked on so many different, subtle levels. To quote one reviewer, It "gets under your skin like a virus".

D.

dhmason6155
shambler
(11/20/02 2:53:38 am)
Reply 		Samara-ized
By the way, did I miss something? How is it possible that everyone completely overlooked "The Evil Dead?".

D.

inteferon
manipulator of the Virus
(11/20/02 3:05:55 am)
Reply | Edit
Re: Samara-ized
Coz maybe only us old farts remember it. You're right, it's waaay up there.

miharu
everyone will suffer
(11/20/02 3:06:56 am)
Reply
Re: Samara-ized
i'm sorry, but nothing bruce campbell has ever been in (or will in the future) will ever scare me. other than maybe jack of all trades ;p

-miharu

she never sleeps...

inteferon
manipulator of the Virus
(11/20/02 3:20:20 am)
Reply | Edit
Re: Samara-ized
Okay - so he looks like Jim Carrey (who wasn't known when I saw TED)

Tell me this doesn't look like Cabin 12:


Edited by: inteferon at: 11/20/02 3:21:05 am
Huw Lines
everyone will suffer
(11/20/02 5:50:16 am)
Reply 		Re: Samara-ized
Looks like there could be a well in there somewhere...

Ghetto Ring
citizen of the Loopworld
(11/20/02 8:19:25 am)
Reply
My $.2x10^-40
I think the scariest part of the ring was the overall eerieness and all of the questions it left you with. If you weren't scared you were intrigued.



=

-One man, one obsession: The Ring!

StrangenessDSS
Sadako slave
(11/20/02 9:06:54 am)
Reply
Re: Scary?? No!!
I haven't seen too many movies, but I have seen other things which people say are scary. Resident Evil, for instance.

I'd say The Ring is the overall scariest thing I've ever seen. Although nothing scares me for too long. I woke up early this morning, coming cleanly out of a deep sleep... I start wondering about why I woke up, and I think "Samara woke me up, she's standing over my bed right now", and then I open my eyes... and I have a feeling of dissapointment when I don't see Samara.

The Ring excels in presenting little things, things that don't really scare you by themselves... but they build up, and they stay with you. None of the jump scenes were as good as a certain scene in Eternal Darkness, however.