This Hollywood remake of the 1998 Japanese film trots out tons of eerie mood as Naomi Watts stars as a reporter who decides to investigate a video tape that shows plenty of strange images and apparently kills you seven days after viewing it. She's soon dragged into a slew of supernatural goings-on when she finds the true meaning behind "the ring" (which is supposed to be the last thing you see before dying).

Like this year's awful Feardotcom this has a "free my spirit" angle but this turns out much, much better thanks to lots of decent mood and sequences (the horse on the ferrie moment is brutal) and that fact it tries something new for a big studio film.

Watts is decent in the lead and director Gore Verbinski rebounds quite nicely after the lousy The Mexican - and though the script could use some clairification at times (like how the tape exists in the first place) it's still an engrossing time if it feels a bit "all over the place" at times.

The Ring works best thanks to its constant creepy atmosphere and it should be a nice diversion for horror fans everywhere.

Directed By: Gore Verbinski.
Written By: Ehren Kruger.

Starring: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, David Dorfman, Brian Cox.