The "ending", and then the real ending

*SPOILERS*

This movie is good for a lot of reasons, but I haven't seen this one mentioned anywhere:

Part of why I liked it, is it has a "fake happy ending" of sorts. After the well scenes, the pace of the movie slows, and Rachel says "It's over" or something like that. Then there is the sweet scene where Aidan wakes up in the car in time to see his parents reaching for each other's hands. Which he likes, of course, and it seems to make him feel safe (because he doesn't know about his mother helping Samara yet..).
You're clearly meant to think you're watching the resolution of the movie, that it's going to end with the parents getting back together. Everything falling neatly into place.

That kind of ending wouldn't be unheard of: Ghosts in ghost stories have often been wronged while they lived, they have tragic backstories, you're able to sympathize with them, and the main character is often tasked with correcting the wrong and thereby putting them to rest. Also, although the body count is high, there are plenty of ghost/horror movies that end well for the main character at least (even in this case, both Rachel and Aidan do survive).

Maybe I was the only one tricked, but for me, this "twist" made the following scenes (Aidan's unexpected reaction, Samara coming out of the TV) even better and more chilling.

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"The best fairytale is one where you believe the people" -Irvin Kershner