The Ring

The Ring is a 2002 American film, a remake of the Japanese horror mystery Ring (1998). It is directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Ehren Kruger, and stars Naomi Watts and Martin Henderson.

Related Topics:
2002 - American - Film - Remake - Japanese - Horror - Mystery - Ring - 1998 - Directed - Gore Verbinski - Written - Ehren Kruger - Naomi Watts - Martin Henderson

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The story begins with two teenage girls discussing the events of the previous weekend, during which one of them, Katie (played by Amber Tamblyn), went to a cabin in the mountains to party with some friends. While gossiping, the subject of a supposedly cursed videotape comes up. The other girl, Becky, states that anyone who watches this video dies seven days later. Katie reveals in horror that she had watched that video at the cabin last weekend, seven days earlier. After a series of creepy occurrences, Katie dies and Becky goes insane.

Related Topics:
Girls - Amber Tamblyn - Cabin - Mountains - Cursed - Videotape - This video

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The audience is then introduced to Katie's aunt, Rachel (played by Naomi Watts). She is a journalist living in Seattle. Her son, Aidan (played by David Dorfman), who was not only Katie's cousin but also a good friend, seems to have some sort of psychic powers. At Katie's funeral, Rachel begins investigating Katie's death and learns of the videotape. Her investigation leads her to the same cabin in the mountains where the teenagers had watched the tape. There, she finds the tape and eventually watches it, as does Aidan a few days later.

Related Topics:
Aunt - Naomi Watts - Journalist - Seattle - Son - David Dorfman - Cousin - Psychic - Funeral

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Rachel's investigation then turns to the tape itself, which contains a seemingly random series of grainy black & white images. Investigating those images leads Rachel to learn of a girl, Samara (played by Daveigh Chase & Kelly Stables), who had been adopted and then murdered by her parents, apparently after causing her mother to go insane and after causing the deaths of several horses. Rachel is eventually led to the girl's grave at the bottom of a well. Rachel notifies the authorities, and Samara is presumably given a proper burial and her spirit is presumably put to rest.

Related Topics:
Samara - Daveigh Chase - Kelly Stables - Horses - Grave - Well - Spirit

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However, just as the audience is led to believe that everything is nicely tied up, it is revealed that Samara is not so much interested in having her story told, but is interested in malice. In the following ten or so minutes, Samara commits another atrocity before a conclusion is reached.

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Produced by DreamWorks Pictures, the film was a popular success, earning a total of US$129,094,024 in domestic box office receipts.

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DreamWorks Pictures - US$

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The Ring represents something of a turning point in American horror films, in that, first, it opened the way for American remakes of Japanese horror films (see: The Grudge). Secondly, it dealt with a folkloric entity, in this case a revengeful ghost, where most American horror films that focus on supernatural entities focus on the devil (see: The Exorcist or The Omen).

Related Topics:
Remakes - The Grudge - Folkloric - Ghost - Devil - The Exorcist - The Omen

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A sequel, The Ring Two, was released in North American theaters on March 18, 2005. It was directed by Hideo Nakata, the director of the original Japanese film Ringu.

Related Topics:
The Ring Two - North American - March 18 - 2005 - Hideo Nakata

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Just before the release of the sequel, The Ring was re-released with an extra disc that had a fifteen minute short film, Rings, which tied the knot between The Ring and The Ring Two.

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In the 2003 film Scary Movie 3, The Ring is parodied in several ways.

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2003 - Scary Movie 3

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