

The film’s legacy speaks for itself - the “Katie Corpse” jump scare alone has outlived entire horror releases since forgotten. Verbinski executes fright after fright as Samara claims victims after their seven days are up, responsible for what’s handily one of scariest films of its decade. A cast including Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson and Brian Cox fight against the soggy-haired Samara’s killer videotape. With reverence paid to Hideo Nakata’s 1998 Ringu - based on Koji Suzuki’s 1991 novel of the same name - The Ring is capital “H” horror. Gore Verbinski’s The Ring helped kickstart the 2000’s avalanche of American horror remakes.

That’s because this film is always focused on character chemistry between an unlikely couple, which Levine turns into a fresh love letter to a subgenre that can stink of unoriginality.

The blend between horror and romance balances genuine feelings with rotten imagery in light doses, since “Boney” zombies that represent the meaner, to-be-feared skeletal zeds aren’t that nightmarish. Teresa Palmer and Nicholas Hoult confront the awkwardness of forbidden love between a “Corpse” and a living woman. Jonathan Levine’s mainstream zombie rom-com is a miraculously sweet diversion from typical undead storytelling. Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich, Rob Corddry.This article is frequently amended to remove films no longer on Netflix and to include more horror movies that are now available on the service. Some titles may not currently be available on international platforms.
