2. The Ring (2002)
No list of the scariest horror movies ever made would be complete without The Ring. Technically, we could have used the original Japanese film Ringu, but as the American remake follows the same plot (based on the book “Ring” by Koji Suzuki), it’s a somewhat petty distinction. Ultimately, it’s the story that’s scary, so the exact version of the film cited is somewhat moot.
The Ring follows Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts), a journalist, who begins to investigate the mysterious death of a teenage girl. After learning that multiple teens died in identically bizarre circumstances, she learns that they all watched a video tape, only to be given seven days to live. After watching it herself, Rachel then scrambles to understand the horrifying mystery of the video’s power.
Explaining exactly what makes The Ring scary would take far too long, but for those who’ve seen it, it’s self-explanatory. The sense of dread it inspires is world-class, as is the delightfully creepy visuals it offers. It’s hauntingly scary, and is remember as one of the best horror movies of all time for a very good reason.