The Ring 2 (2005)

Elevator Pitch: After the misfortunes featured in The Ring Rachel Keller and her son Aiden have moved to Astoria, Oregon, where she has become a reporter on the local paper. Before long a teenager dies under unusual circumstances and she, recognising the signs, goes to his house and recovers the tape, then burns it. However it is not over and at a country fair Aiden is invaded by the spirit of Samara (you have to have seen the first film). On the way home they are attacked by a herd of deer, their car being seriously damaged. Back in Astoria Rachel asks for assistance from Max, the editor of the paper with drastic results (for Max) and Aiden is hospitalised leaving Rachel to return to Moesko Island where she finds that Samara was adopted, and tracks down her birth mother in a psychiatric hospital. But with this information can she defeat Samara, still occupying the body of Aiden?

Content: No sex or nudity. The opening of the film shows two teenagers, the boy attempting to get the girl to watch the tape, so that he and his friend will be saved. To no avail, Rachel sneaking a look at his body sees his distorted features. Samara lurks in the background once she has appeared to Aiden in the mirror of the gents at the country fair. There are  number of scenes where one or the other of them is pulled into the TV by Samara, but they are dreams. One scene in Max’s bathroom where all the water from the bath is suspended on the ceiling – impressive. Rachel seems to drown Aiden trying to rid his body of Samara, and finally is pulled into the TV herself and ends up fighting for her life.

A View: Despite the fact that no-one seems to have liked this movie, including the director, it made money. Due to interference by the producers Hideo Nakata attempted to abandon the production, but was recalled by someone waving his contract. The logic of the first film was a bit shaky, but we accepted it, however any semblance to it was abandoned in favour of occasional shocks and faces of dead people looking like “The Scream”. As a result rather than enjoying a creepy experience we were left wondering what the hell was going on. After the first scene which worked, it was downhill all the way. So definitely not a watch particularly if you enjoyed the first film.

Other films starring Naomi Watts reviewed on this site include: Mulholland Drive, King Kong and St Vincent.