News

Revisiting The Ring Two: What Went Wrong?

Published

10 years ago

May 31, 2014

This post contains some SPOILERS for The Ring and The Ring Two. Proceed at your discretion.

The Ring is a movie audiences either found utterly stupid or utterly terrifying. Consider me in the latter category. The story of a cursed video tape which leads to the viewer’s death after seven days had me leaving the theater in 2002 truly disturbed and never wanting to turn on my TV again. The images of the spirit responsible for the tape, Samara, with a cloak of long black hair shrouding her monstrous face, stuck with me for weeks. So in 2005 when the previews for The Ring Two hit the airwaves, I could feel a sense of both dread and anticipation boiling within. Even though the first one genuinely frightened me, I had to see where the story would go. When I left the theater after watching The Ring Two, I felt none of the trepidation that hung over my shoulders after the first film. In fact, I basically left the theater with a shrug. Last week I watched it again for the first time in years out of curiosity, and once again I found myself bored, sighing and shrugging the movie away. What went wrong?

The movie begins well enough. It continues the saga of the cursed video tape by opening with a teenager trying to trick a girl from his class into watching his copy so he can be spared from Samara’s wrath, which is in line with the revelation toward the end of the first film that in order to save yourself, you must make a copy of the tape and show it to someone else. However, it turns out the girl had closed her eyes out of fear and did not see it, and the boy’s time is up. He falls to his knees, accepting his fate as Samara crawls from the well, out of the TV, and claims another victim. Scary enough, but after this, it’s all downhill.

Brave reporter Rachel Keller and her son Aiden have moved to this small town after the events of the first film. Working at the town’s newspaper, she hears about the teenager who died and is intrigued by the fact that “they keep talking about his face” (in the first film, victims of Samara were found with grotesque facial expressions). She enters the scene, and after seeing the young man’s horribly warped face, Samara herself appears and tells Rachel, “I found you,” and promptly vanishes. Thus begins the number one problem with The Ring Two: Samara has been turned from a frightening monster into a sad little ghost girl who just wants a mommy.

ring two aiden samara

As the film continues, Samara pursues Rachel and her son so she can worm her way into the family, presumably because she appreciates what Rachel tried to do for her in the first film. Samara eventually succeeds with her plan by actually possessing Aiden, pushing Rachel to dig deeper into Samara’s past so she can save her son. Who was her birth mother? Why was Samara so special? A lot of time is spent on this, and Rachel mostly ends up finding a bunch of cryptic one-liners, such as “you let the dead get in” rather than any real answers. For the amount of time spent on Rachel’s investigation, there is very little payoff.

Eventually, Rachel finds a way to rid her son’s body of Samara’s spirit, although given that Aiden has a more spritely and entertaining personality while she possesses him, I’d almost be tempted to keep her around if I were in Rachel’s shoes. She pretends to drown Aiden, causing Samara’s spirit to leave his body and give Rachel a look of sadness before vanishing away with a splash, because she’s water now, I guess? Anyway, it’s over, right? Not quite. Samara is back, and Rachel allows herself to be pulled into their TV and down into the well. They race up the stone walls, Rachel escapes, a hilariously distorted voice cries “Mommy,” and Rachel shuts the well with a “smile you son of a bitch” style one-liner that inspires eye rolls instead of fist pumps.

I kept finding myself thinking, what’s the big deal? Samara just wants a mommy. The first film briefly led us to believe that Samara was a misunderstood little girl, but then twisted that on us in magnificently frightening fashion when she crawled out of the TV to terrorize and kill Rachel’s friend. That monster left an impression, which is what any good horror movie monster should do. Turning that into something the audience feels sorry for completely wipes away our fear.

Another problem with The Ring Two is that it failed to surprise us. All of the major set pieces are rehashes of the first film—the twisted faces, the creepy sound effects, Samara crawling out of the TV. My audience in 2002 gasped at the shock of seeing the disfigured face of the unfortunate girl from the film’s opening scene. Later, an audience member literally screamed when Samara crawled out of the TV, and no one made fun of her–we were all just as terrified. The Ring built a quiet but intense sense of dread throughout the film, and then walloped us in the end with a shocking finale. The Ring Two had no such build-up, no such surprises, and that is why it stands as one of the most disappointing sequels in horror history.

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News

A24 Creating New Action Thriller “Onslaught” From ‘The Guest’ & ‘You’re Next’ Duo

Published

3 hours ago

May 2, 2024

Cameron McFarland

It’s always nice to see a reunion in the world of horror. Following a competitive bidding war, A24 has secured the rights to the new action thriller film Onslaught. Adam Wingard (Godzilla vs. Kong) will be directing the film. He will be joined by his longtime creative partner Simon Barret (You’re Next) as the scriptwriter.

For those unaware, Wingard and Barret made a name for themselves while working together on films such as You’re Next and The Guest. The two creatives are card carrying horror royalty. The pair have worked on films such as V/H/S, Blair Witch, The ABC’s of Death, and A Horrible Way to Die.

An exclusive article of out Deadline gives us the limited information we have on the topic. Although we don’t have much to go on, Deadline does offer the following information.

“Plot details are being kept under wraps but the film is in the vein of Wingard and Barrett’s cult classics like The Guest and You’re Next. Lyrical Media and A24 will co-finance. A24 will handle worldwide releasing. Principal photography will begin in Fall 2024.”

A24 will be producing the film alongside Aaron Ryder and Andrew Swett for Ryder Picture Company, Alexander Black for Lyrical Media, Wingard and Jeremy Platt for Breakaway Civilization, and Simon Barret.

That’s all the information we have at this time. Make sure to check back here for more news and updates.

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News

Director Louis Leterrier Creating New Sci-Fi Horror Film “11817”

Published

4 hours ago

May 2, 2024

Cameron McFarland

According to an article from Deadline, Louis Leterrier (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) is about to shake things up with his new Sci-Fi horror film 11817. Leterrier is set to produce and direct the new Movie. 11817 is penned by the glorious Mathew Robinson (The Invention of Lying).

Rocket Science will be taking the film to Cannes in search of a buyer. While we don’t know much about what the film looks like, Deadline offers the following plot synopsis.

“The film watches as inexplicable forces trap a family of four inside their house indefinitely. As both modern luxuries and life or death essentials begin to run out, the family must learn how to be resourceful to survive and outsmart who — or what — is keeping them trapped…”

“Directing projects where the audience gets behind the characters has always been my focus. However complex, flawed, heroic, we identify with them as we live through their journey,” said Leterrier. “It’s what excites me about 11817‘s wholly original concept and the family at the heart of our story. This is an experience that movie audiences won’t forget.”

Leterrier has made a name for himself in the past for working on beloved franchises. His portfolio includes gems such as Now You See Me, The Incredible Hulk, Clash of The Titans, and The Transporter. He is currently attached to create the final Fast and the Furious film. However, it will be interesting to see what Leterrier can do working with some darker subject material.

That’s all the information we have for you at this time. As always, make sure to check back here for more news and updates.

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Lists

New to Netflix (U.S.) This Month [May 2024]

Published

6 hours ago

May 2, 2024

Timothy Rawles

atlas movie Netflix starring Jennifer Lopez

Another month means fresh additions to Netflix. Although there aren’t many new horror titles this month, there are still some notable movies well worth your time. For instance, you can watch Karen Black try to land a 747 jet in Airport 1979, or Casper Van Dien kill giant insects in Paul Verhoeven’s bloody sci-fi opus Starship Troopers.

We are looking forward to the Jennifer Lopez sci-fi action movie Atlas. But let us know what you are going to watch. And if we have missed something, put it in the comments.

May 1:

Airport

A blizzard, a bomb, and a stowaway help create the perfect storm for the manager of a Midwestern airport and a pilot with a messy personal life.

Airport ’75

^{Airport ’75}

When a Boeing 747 loses its pilots in a midair collision, a member of the cabin crew must take control with radio help from a flight instructor.

Airport ’77

A luxury 747 packed with VIPs and priceless art goes down in the Bermuda Triangle after being hijacked by thieves — and time for a rescue is running out.

Jumanji

Two siblings discover an enchanted board game that opens a door to a magical world — and unwittingly release a man who’s been trapped inside for years.

Hellboy

^Hellboy

A half-demon paranormal investigator questions his defense of humans when a dismembered sorceress rejoins the living to wreak brutal vengeance.

Starship Troopers

When fire-spitting, brain-sucking bugs attack Earth and obliterate Buenos Aires, an infantry unit heads to the aliens’ planet for a showdown.

May 9

Bodkin

^Bodkin

A ragtag crew of podcasters sets out to investigate mysterious disappearances from decades earlier in a charming Irish town with dark, dreadful secrets.

May 15

The Clovehitch Killer

^{The Clovehitch Killer}

A teenager’s picture-perfect family is torn apart when he uncovers unnerving evidence of a serial killer close to home.

May 16

Upgrade

After a violent mugging leaves him paralyzed, a man receives a computer chip implant that allows him to control his body — and get his revenge.

Monster

_Monster

After being abducted and taken to a desolate house, a girl sets out to rescue her friend and escape from their malicious kidnapper.

May 24

Atlas

^Atlas

A brilliant counterterrorism analyst with a deep distrust of AI discovers it might be her only hope when a mission to capture a renegade robot goes awry.

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory

The Camp Cretaceous gang come together to unravel a mystery when they discover a global conspiracy that brings danger to dinosaurs — and to themselves.

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