The Ring (2002)

A journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it.

Director:

Gore Verbinski

Writers:

Ehren Kruger (screenplay), Kôji Suzuki (novel) (as Koji Suzuki)

Stars:

Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, Brian Cox

14 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Naomi Watts	...	Rachel
Martin Henderson	...	Noah
David Dorfman	...	Aidan
Brian Cox	...	Richard Morgan
Jane Alexander	...	Dr. Grasnik
Lindsay Frost	...	Ruth
Amber Tamblyn	...	Katie
Rachael Bella	...	Becca
Daveigh Chase	...	Samara
Shannon Cochran	...	Anna Morgan
Sandra Thigpen	...	Teacher
Richard Lineback	...	Innkeeper
Sasha Barrese	...	Girl Teen #1
Tess Hall	...	Girl Teen #2
Adam Brody	...	Male Teen #1

Storyline

Rachel Keller is a journalist investigating a videotape that may have killed four teenagers (including her niece). There is an urban legend about this tape: the viewer will die seven days after watching it. If the legend is correct, Rachel will have to run against time to save her son's and her own life.

---

Plot Keywords:

whitewash | mini skirt | girl in panties | cleavage | ghost | 

---

Taglines:

Everyone will suffer!

---

Genres:

Horror | Mystery

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, disturbing images, language and some drug references

Did You Know?

Trivia

Just like with the original Japanese film Ring (1998), the lead protagonist from the novel was gender swapped from a man to a woman, and by extension, his partner became a male and his daughter became a son (ex-husband in the original film, ex-boyfriend in this film).

---

Goofs

When Aidan is drawing in the car with Noah, his clipboard changes color from blue to green.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Katie: I hate television. Gives me headaches. You know, I heard there's so many magnetic waves traveling through the air, because of TV and telephones, that we're losing, like, ten times as many brain cells as we're supposed to. Like, all the molecules in our heads are all unstable. All the companies know about it, but they're not doing anything about it. It's, like, a big conspiracy.

---

Crazy Credits

The FBI warning in the home release features spooky noises in the background.

---

Connections

References Shocker (1989)

---

Soundtracks

Hey John
Written by Scott Leger, Nate Navarro, Eddie Willis, Steve Rude & Curtis Ryker
Performed by Wide Awake

User Reviews

Undeclared Horror Masterpiece

The Ring usually gets a bad rep for being "too slow" and some people even say that "nothing happens" in the movie. Unless you have ADD or something, you have to at least appreciate what Gore Verbinski achieved in 2002. What he did was he basically took the premise of Ringu, a good suspenseful Japanese horror flick and made it more suspenseful and filled with creepy visuals.

I am a huge horror fan, and this is one of the movies that unsettles me the most. The suspenseful pace, the incredible, beautiful but haunting visuals make this a unique experience. I love gory films, but this one relies a lot more on psychological horror and imagery to create scares. No jump scares, just good story telling.

The movie may not answer all the questions it creates, but the viewer, if he pays attention accordingly, will be able to figure them out for himself.

Unsettling to the bone, The Ring is one of my favorite horror films of all time. Truly underrated.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 October 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ring

Filming Locations:

Malibou Lake, Agoura Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$48,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,015,393, 20 October 2002

Gross USA:

$129,128,133

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$249,348,933

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dreamworks Pictures, Parkes/MacDonald Image Nation, BenderSpink

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital EX DTS-ES

Color:

Color Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1