Textual analysis of The Ring Directed by Gore Verbinski October 18th 2002 Lisa Fodder
The Ring fits the Psychological Horror film category because there are emotional unstable characters through out the film.
Synopsis: A young journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone in a week of viewing it.
Characters In The Ring they are all victims of the torture of the Girl in the well.
There are no hero’s in The Ring, just the women (Rachel) who has discovered the tape. She tries to stop people dying and finding out why this happens when they watch the tape.
The villain is the girl in the well, Samara. Who goes around mentally killing people if they watch the tape, which kills them.
Character codes seen in The Ring Paranormal children – the paranormal child in The Ring is Samara (the girl in the well). She messes with peoples heads through the tape then they die after 7 days.
The vulnerable weak women – Rachel is the women who figures out about the tape and is the first to watch it after the girl dies. She is seen to be tortured through out the film but survives till the end.
Location codes seen in The Ring The Ring presents different locations such as: several houses with a dark secret – this is one of the main codes and conventions of a horror. The boat is to show that she is out of her comfort zone and is vulnerable to the situation. The main convention of a Horror is the cabin in the woods. This is where she first discovers the tape making it the place of origin. Where it all starts. The land where the photo was taken is also a convention of the location because it shows an isolated island where anything could happen and the outside world wouldn't know of its happening.
Sound in The Ring The Ring uses little sound, but when sound is used it is diegetic. The diegetic sound such as the horse and the boat are used to create the effect that you are in her position. The diegetic sound of the rain also makes you feel like you are in the film. The rain is also a convention of a Horror.
The non-diegetic sound in The Ring comes when the tap is played. The tape in its self is a convention because it is a mystical object. The noise from the tape is the same noise that you hear from the old TV’s. the other non-diegetic sound is the screaming and sound you get when you rub metal on metal. The high pitch noise is what keeps the tension high because when that stops you know something bad is going to happen.
Camera work in The Ring The Ring uses a lot of close-up’s on peoples faces to show there reactions to the tape and what happens after you watch it. The effect of the close-up’s make you feel more part of the film, I also makes you feel like you are talking to that person, or interacting with them. The editing gets faster and faster as the eerie music comes in. The editing creates short sharp scenes making you suspect something is after her. The editing shows the pace of the film as being quick, but this is only at the points before they have been frozen. Then the editing slows to longer shots again.