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Creepy Ring 2 doesn’t match original’s horror level
By Nick Rupert
Splash!
 | | The Ring 2: Creepy kid and his mom try to find out the secret behind the evil videotape. |
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Three years ago, Gore Verbinski’s adaptation of “The Ring” emerged as a ground-breaking horror movie. Despite its tame PG-13 rating, the film garnered instant notoriety, scaring audiences senseless, and proving itself to be creepier than many of the year’s competing R-rated horror features. “The Ring” returns now in sequel form, this time with a new director at the helm.
Verbinski’s “The Ring” was actually an American adaptation of the Japanese title “Ringu,” which Hideo Nakata directed in 1998. The story revolves around a VHS tape so heinous that it kills viewers seven days after they watch it. (No, it’s not “Gigli”). Central characters Rachel Keller and her creepy young son Aidan end up with the video, and have only one week to investigate the tape and find a way to survive. What Rachel uncovers in the process is the morbid tale of Samara, a child drowned in a well by her mother. The vengeful spirit of this girl turns out to be responsible for the gruesome deaths. Unfortunately, when Rachel tries to set right Samara’s grotesque past, she comes to realize peace is not what Samara is after.
 | | Samara’s not after peace. |
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In, Hideo Nakata’s sequel, “The Ring 2,” Rachel and Aidan have moved to Astoria, Oregon. Rachel has a new job at the local newspaper, and her creepy son seems slightly more upbeat, though he still insists on calling his mother by her first name. As anyone would guess, peace and quiet are short-lived in Astoria, and after a mysterious death surfaces in the town, Rachel discovers that the deadly video tape is still in circulation.
Young David Dorfman’s performance as pale, eerie Aidan Keller is right on the money. This kid lends some serious tension to the movie. The lovely Naomi Watts also does a fine job as Rachel Keller, finding a balance somewhere between mother figure and heroine. Gary Cole, who played the famed Bill Lumbergh in “Office Space,” even makes a cameo.
Nakata’s sequel delves deeper into the back story of Samara and her twisted upbringing, and offers a few unexpected twists and some thrilling moments. The journey climbs further down the well, literally and figuratively. Still, I felt that the sequel lacked the macabre grittiness of the original. Perhaps Nakata’s scenes are simply too clean, or packed with too much light, or perhaps the story simply does not lend itself well to a sequel, but for whatever reason, “The Ring 2” lacks the sense of dread and terrifying bite that defined its predecessor.
Bottom line: “The Ring 2” is enjoyable and interesting, although I believe it pales in comparison to the first. Hardcore fans of “The Ring,” and the horror genre in general should definitely give this film a chance. On the other hand, if you were only a casual fan of the original and you typically shun watered-down sequels, then save your cash for “Sin City.”
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