20 Perfect Scenes In God-Awful Horror Movies
10. "Now, It's Her Problem" - The Ring Two
The Ring Two may be a textbook example of a pointless sequel, but it's challenging to fault the beginning.
In this scene, a teen called Jake has invited a classmate called Emily to his house to watch a cursed tape that kills the watcher within seven days. Even though Emily isn't interested, she gives in due to Jake's persistence. Jake tries playing it cool, but it's obvious he's scared out of his mind, implying he himself watched it seven days prior.
As he makes his way to the kitchen, the phone suddenly rings, stopping Jake dead in his tracks. After picking up the phone, he's relieved to hear it's his friend, who asks if Jake successfully tricked Emily to watch the tape.
Suddenly, Jake notices black liquid seeping under the kitchen door, urging him to burst into the living room. Only then does he realise Emily played the tape but shut her eyes out of fear, meaning the curse never transferred to her. As the tape concludes, Samara bursts out of the television, killing Jake.
This opening is as innovating as it is petrifying, effortlessly interweaving exposition into the dialogue. It repeatedly subverts expectations, so it's impossible to tell whether Jake or Emily will be the one who pops their clogs.
Also, showing Jake's last few moments through Samara's viewpoint was the cherry on top.