The Ring Two

SYNOPSIS

Hideo Nakata directs this sequel to the US remake (The Ring) of his Japanese horror, Ringu, that kick-started the Asian terror explosion: "Fear comes full circle", as the movie's tagline declares. Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) and her son have moved from Seattle to Oregon to escape the nightmare of the cursed videotape, but the vengeful ghost of Samara follows. Bearing no relation to the convoluted Japanese sequel Ring 2, and dropping its urban legend hook far too quickly, this illogical and long-winded story ends up as a soggy mess. Nakata is a terrific director, and he choreographs the elegant shocks with well-timed precision, but his spare, surreal style cannot divert attention away from the fact that the menace here is kept moving by coincidence after coincidence rather than anything grounded in believable reality. There are some heart-stopping moments, however - the most memorable featuring Sissy Spacek as an asylum inmate who holds the chilling secret to Samara's origin.