One Friday night my friends and I attended a movie that altered my perspective ofhorror movies. I was electrified by this movie that is brilliant and sick at thesame time. "The Ring" is the scariest movie released inyears.

At quarter to one in the morning, our choices were limited to amovie half of us had already seen and "The Ring." The decision wasunanimous. We asked the theater staff how the movie was but none of them had seenit. We were on our own.

The plot builds around common characters includingan attractive single mother, her strange son Aidan (David Dorfman), and hisfather, Noah (Martin Henderson). Naomi Watts plays the mother, Rachel,exceptionally well. She is a constantly busy journalist who pays little attentionto her son until the death of her niece, Katie. When Rachel begins piecingtogether the story of Katie's death, she ends up doomed herself. She amazinglyescapes death, however, and falls back in love with her son's father. But thenRachel has to discover the secret to saving her son's life. Finally, anexhilarating twist is thrown at the crowd to chill the already-silentaudience.

After the movie, I could only think of Alfred Hitchcock. This isby far the scariest movie I have seen since "The Birds" and"Psycho." Written by Ehren Kruger and Scott Frank, "The Ring"proves unpredictable even with subtle foreshadowing. Gore Verbinski directs theactors to a level I have never seen in a horror movie.

When I got home, Ichecked every room in my house. I don't get scared often, being a six-foot-threeguy weighing 180 pounds, but I was scared to death by this movie. This is not foranyone weak of heart or who doesn't enjoy intense horror. And, because of thegore, I do not recommend it for the youngsters. For everyone else, "TheRing" is a must-see!