# Not Scared of "The Ring" ...not scared of anything :( **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 16, 2003, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-scared-of-the-ring-not-scared-of-anything/161753 "2003-03-16T07:09:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-scared-of-the-ring-not-scared-of-anything/161753/21 "2003-03-18T15:08:30Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by flood \* > [BI recently saw “Requiem for a Dream” and it scared the living hell out of me only because I was stoned._\* I, too, was stoned during that whole movie and it was the creepiest damn thing I’d ever seen. On the OP…I’m a big scaredy-cat. I was on the edge of my seat during “Signs” and “The Others” and I’m highly anticipating seeing “The Ring”. Oddly enough, I was never scared by “The Shining”, but “Poltergeist” scared the daylights out of me. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Never\_to\_be\_Queen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Never\_to\_be\_Queen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Never_to_be_Queen)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-scared-of-the-ring-not-scared-of-anything/161753/22 "2003-03-19T01:55:12Z")
Cool…I have got to check out the original “Haunting.” I actually enjoyed the gothic elements of the newer version, though of course, it was not scary. 🙂 “The Shining” is one of my favorite movies. It doesn’t make me do “monster checks” under the bed, but it is a great film. “The Changeling” sounds interesting. I will also check out “Night of the Living Dead.” For some reason I thought this was supposed to be a cheesy film. I will also watch the “Exorcist.” Thanks for the suggestions! ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-scared-of-the-ring-not-scared-of-anything/161753/23 "2003-03-19T02:54:13Z")
I sort of thought of a different set of parameters here. TheO.P. mentioned not jumping much. Might I recommend the rental of either **Fatal Attraction** , OR **Jagged Edge**? Then again, **Ghost Story** really did make me scream out loud at the end. And, I had a crush on her to boot !! Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Nvme77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Nvme77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nvme77)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-scared-of-the-ring-not-scared-of-anything/161753/24 "2003-03-19T04:22:37Z")
I’m sorry folks- I saw the Ring Friday night and am only getting over it today. My husband admitted yesterday that the look on my face when the girl was in the closet scared him because he had never seen me react like that. I felt it all the way down to my toes. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-scared-of-the-ring-not-scared-of-anything/161753/25 "2003-03-21T00:30:18Z")
My wife and I saw the Ring just last night, and I have to say it’s one of the best scary movies I’ve ever seen. I have to see it a few more times just to see how it holds up, but I may have a new favorite horror movie. (she was terrified) ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-scared-of-the-ring-not-scared-of-anything/161753/26 "2003-03-21T00:43:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DMark \* > **I thought Blair Witch was horrible, but it could have been a good film - they had the right approach. I just wish instead of a $60 budget, they had made that film with a $63 budget…and had a better ending.** It’s actually a very good ending, _if_ you saw Curse of the Blair Witch first. BWP was effective because of the setup, and CotBW was the most important part of that; it contains several important plot points for the movie, including an explanation of why the footage was found where it was. I’ll stick my oar in for My Little Eye. Not all that scary, but if you understand everything that goes on it will stay with you for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-scared-of-the-ring-not-scared-of-anything/161753/27 "2003-03-21T00:47:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Caprese \* > \*\*But those twins in **The Shining** still haunt me, as does Pennywise in **It** when he calls out “You’ll float too!” Am no huge King fan, but I thought that **It** was well done for what it was. \*\* Tim Curry strikes again. _It_ was pretty good right up to the last half hour, when it got shot in the foot by a certain confession. I think I’m mostly agreeing with you, but I’ve never seen The Changeling. ---
**Author:** ![beajerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@beajerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beajerry)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-scared-of-the-ring-not-scared-of-anything/161753/28 "2003-03-21T01:09:51Z")
I agree about the BWP, very creepy until the end. I think that’s because you want the girl character to shut the hell up so you’re hopeful they’ll get killed. She got annoying real fast. Change her character and put a little more suspense in the ending, and that’ve been a perfect movie. ---
**Author:** ![Noodles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Noodles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noodles)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-scared-of-the-ring-not-scared-of-anything/161753/29 "2003-03-21T01:40:57Z")
The only thing that scared me about “The Ring” was that someone thought it was worth releasing that piece of shite. :rolleyes: For the record, I couldn’t finish watching one of the “Hellraiser” series, but more because I found it gross rather than frightening. “Carrie” creeped me out years ago. I couldn’t sleep that night playing scenes from it in my head over and over again. Kinda embarrasing. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-scared-of-the-ring-not-scared-of-anything/161753/30 "2003-03-21T02:30:32Z")
Don’t limit yourself to American movies. _The Vanishing_ (original Dutch version) has a seriously creepy ending, among the best ever filmed for a horror movie. _Audition_ (Japanese) builds slowly, but it’s all in service of setting up a series of seriously demented payoffs. _Funny Games_ (German) has very little violence, and what there is occurs just off screen, but nails the tone just right, and blatantly ignores the conventions and taboos of American moviemaking. But for some truly demented horror, you gotta go Italian. Dario Argento knows how to create the right tone better than any horror director in history. _Suspiria_ is his masterpiece, but _Opera_, _Phenomena_ and _Inferno_ are also quite creepy. Lucio Fulci is another Italian director who won’t hesitate to go way over the top, but lacks the subtle artistry of Argento. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-scared-of-the-ring-not-scared-of-anything/161753/31 "2003-03-21T04:34:14Z")
I also didn’t take to _The Ring_ too much. I think they should have worked the cinematography a lot more than they did. The few twinges of the heebe-jeebes that I did get were during the brief and grainy distance shots of the well, just as she is starting to crawl out of it. At the time that I watched it I couldn’t figure out why that particular image pushed my buttons, but now that I think about it, it strikes me as very dream-like and surreal. Like one of those nightmares when you can see exactly what is about to happen to you, but you can’t move, can’t scream, etc. My Dad was a big horror fan, and would sometimes drive the 2 hours from our rural home to the nearest movie screen to indulge his cravings…alone…since Mom didn’t care for them and I was prone to nightmares when I was a wee tot. I guess I picked up the suspension of belief issues later in life. The film that scared him the most was _The Howling_, but I think that was due to the all-important “horror environment” that everyone has mentioned. I’m fairly sure that the 2 hour drive through foggy Redwoods on a one-lane road at midnight had more to do with his adrenaline rush than the movie. I watched it as an adult and it wasn’t all that. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-scared-of-the-ring-not-scared-of-anything/161753/32 "2003-03-22T06:30:49Z")
I agree. New “horror” movies seem to rely on the old tricks and a few digital effects. _build scene/music_ _throw cat at actor_ _pause_ _hit actor on the head with axe_ yawn > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Avalonian \* > \*\* > _[The Changeling](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0080516)_ \*\* Oh yeah. Good movie that one. I bought the DVD and watched it again. Short of it’s dated feel in some parts it is a great movie with lots of creepy moments. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-scared-of-the-ring-not-scared-of-anything/161753/33 "2003-03-22T07:13:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by honeydewgrrl \* > **I also didn’t take to _The Ring_ too much. I think they should have worked the cinematography a lot more than they did. The few twinges of the heebe-jeebes that I did get were during the brief and grainy distance shots of the well, just as she is starting to crawl out of it. At the time that I watched it I couldn’t figure out why that particular image pushed my buttons, but now that I think about it, it strikes me as very dream-like and surreal. Like one of those nightmares when you can see exactly what is about to happen to you, but you can’t move, can’t scream, etc.** I think the reason might be that, for at least part of that scene, it appears that the film is being run backwards. It makes her movements even more unnatural-looking. The backward-running film trick is even more evident in the original **Ringu**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-scared-of-the-ring-not-scared-of-anything/161753.md?page=1)