The Ring Collection

Horror

Mystery

The Ring

DreamWorks Pictures

BenderSpink

Parkes+MacDonald Production

United States of America

English

Naomi Watts

Martin Henderson

David Dorfman

Brian Cox

Jane Alexander

Lindsay Frost

Amber Tamblyn

Rachael Bella

Daveigh Chase

Shannon Cochran

Sandra Thigpen

Richard Lineback

Sasha Barrese

Tess Hall

Adam Brody

Alan Blumenfeld

Pauley Perrette

Joe Chrest

Stephanie Erb

Joanna Lin Black

Michael Spound

Art Frankel

Billy Lloyd

Sara Rue

Keith Campbell

Ronald William Lawrence

Lindsey Stoddart

Joe Sabatino

Aixa Clemente

Coleen Maloney

Catherine Paolone

Maura McNamara

David Povall

Gary Carlos Cervantes

Chuck Hicks

Ehren Kruger

Tom Duffield

Bojan Bazelli

Laurie MacDonald

Denise Chamian

Hans Zimmer

Gore Verbinski

Craig Wood

Walter F. Parkes

Bill Johnson

Rosemary Brandenburg

Julie Weiss

Cedric Nicolas-Troyan

Neal Edelstein

Michele Weisler

Roy Lee

Benita Allen

J.C. Spink

Kōji Suzuki

Christine Iso

Hiroshi Takahashi

Mike Macari

Lisa Hoyle

Marco Rubeo

Michael Diersing

Ashley Sibille

Tom Acosta

Robin F. Samson

Curtis Coyote

Craig Cockerill

Robert Beaumont

Nancy McArdle

Simon Morgan

Harry K. Garvin

Michael Root

Medusah

Stephen Sturm

Elizabeth Himelstein

Benjamin Lehmann

Fríða Aradóttir

Kevin Tengan

Alex L. Worman

Jerry Brooks

Rick Baker

Elizabeth Jurado

Daniel W. Barringer

Andreas Wacker

Carlos Baker

Whitney Kitchen

Mark Connelly

Landis Hartman

Alan Feffer

Patrick M. Sullivan Jr.

Linda S. Cormany

Nick Brett

Brian Tilden

Maya Shimoguchi

Merrick Morton

Anthony 'AJ' Leonardi Jr.

Mark Rodahl

Dale E. Grahn

Murray Miller

Sylvia Nava

Ed Gorre

Alex M. Cacciarelli

Kristopher Kasper

Kazu Hiro

Marek Bojsza

Michael Allegro

Erica Frauman

Jason Summers

Dena Berman

Kimberly Adams

Ted Yonenaka

Mike Shannon

Jason Andrew

Jim Turner

Kathryn Mindala

Jesse Cook

Peter Miller

Lora Hirschberg

Alessandra Cave

David Hunter

Denny Caira

Gary Dahlquist

Kimberly Rach

Burt Dalton

J.R. Grubbs

Craig Barron

Richard K. Buoen

Trevor Morris

Brian Cuscino

Chris Anderson

Gene Radzik

Knox White

Tim Holland

David C. Eichhorn

Dan Cayer

Marcia Craig

Is she still in the dark place?

After the mysterious death of her niece Katie, journalist Rachel Keller starts to investigate an urban legend about a videotape which kills you seven days after watching it. With dire consequences coming her way if she can not solve the mystery....

The sentence, English language remake of successful foreign horror film has been known to instill fear of the wrong kind in many a genre fan. So when it was announced that Gore Verbinski was to remake Hideo Nakata's terrifying nerve shredder, Ringu, the reaction in horror circles was akin to someone urinating on your chips. Refreshing to report then that The Ring is a candidate for best American remake and proof positive that remakes sometimes can be a good thing.

Starring Naomi Watts (who is terrific) as Rachel, Verbinski and writer Ehren Kruger (adapting from Kôji Suzuki's novel) successfully transfer the atmospherics of Nakata's piece to a dank and eerie Seattle. It's with atmosphere that The Ring starts to play on your nerves, because after viewing the creepy and unsettling tape itself, we ourselves have been set up for the race against the clock theme that is driving Rachel on. So as the mystery starts to unravel, and sadness threatens to take a hold, the story quickly shifts direction to give horror one of its most baddest and cruelest characters. It's the kind of impact that crawls under your skin and refuses to move when you are trying to sleep at night.

Though the story has been streamlined from its source, The Ring still has a bit too much filler in its meaty structure. Feeling a need to give Watts a quest among quests, Verbinski almost over cooks the mystery essence of the plot. However, with much relief he reins it in to stop any sort of scooby doo like nonsense detracting from the creepy sense of dread that has been built up previously. The ending here works a treat, but it is a tone down from the source and with that it's not even close to Nakata's version, and just maybe it has something to do with Dream Works wanting to secure a PG-13 rating? 

What is left though is a truly suspenseful and unsettling thriller - come horror film. One that even on revisits manages to bother and keep one on the edge of the seat. It made an $80 million profit in America alone, ensuring that a sequel was sure to follow. Now was that one a bad idea! 8/10

Official Trailer

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The Ring

Cast & Crew

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Cast

Naomi Watts

Martin Henderson

David Dorfman

Brian Cox

Jane Alexander

Lindsay Frost

Amber Tamblyn

Rachael Bella

Daveigh Chase

Shannon Cochran

Box office

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