10 Horror Movie Jump Scares That You NEVER Forget

The Ring lead the charge in a distinctly Japanese invasion of American horror culture around the turn of the millennium. So pervasive was its influence that films like The Grudge, Pulse, and One Missed Call followed it its wake to varying degrees of success.

Looking at The Ring, it is easy to see why this film was chosen for adaptation. The tale is a simple one: watch a videotape of progressively disturbing imagery and receive a phone call right afterwards, which provides a countdown of seven days before death. It is up to journalist Rachel to determine the tape's origin and appease the ghostly influence within before her life is claimed as well.

To her credit, Rachel does what she thinks is right, tracking down the parents Samara, the eerie girl in the video, and seemingly putting her spirit to rest. To her terrifying realization, her son Aidan, shown to be somewhat supernaturally sensitive to the machinations of the poltergeist, informs her that she has only served to unleash her.

Cut to Noah, Rachel's ally and ex-boyfriend who has helped study the tape. The familiar images shift, no longer what they once were as Smara approaches the camera, then proceeds to step out of the Television itself, sealing his fate. The shot is filmed in a nearly point-of-view perspective for the audience, giving them the petrifying sensation of being personally haunted by the unstoppable apparition.