The Ring Two parents guide

The Ring Two Parent Guide

Overall C

In this sequel, Naomi Watts reprises her role of investigative journalist Rachel Keller. Hoping to leave the ghosts of her last job behind, the single mom moves to a new town and new employment. But when she encounters new murder cases with a familiar ring, she realizes the past is still haunting her.

Release date March 17, 2005

Violence C-
Sexual Content A
Profanity C-
Substance Use C

Why is The Ring Two rated PG-13? The MPAA rated The Ring Two PG-13 for violence/terror, disturbing images, thematic elements and some language.

Run Time: 110 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

If an invitation to watch an unmarked video didn’t make you just a little nervous after seeing The Ring, you either don’t scare easily or you slept through the movie. However, don’t expect the same kind of menacing television static in this sequel.

Following her investigations into the gruesome deaths of teens who died as a result of viewing an eerie VHS tape, Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) has packed her bags, left the city and moved with her son Aidan (David Dorfman) to an idyllic coastal town in Oregon. Taking a new job at the Astoria Gazette, she is ready to leave the nightmarish events of Seattle behind her. But when reports of a homicide crackle across the local police scanner, she starts to worry. Her fears are confirmed when she discovers an untitled cassette at the victim’s home and realizes that Samara (Kelly Stables), the ghostly spirit of a young, murdered girl, has followed them there.

Later, as Aidan begins to develop mysterious symptoms of hypothermia, the wary journalist realizes her son is the latest victim of the creepy, longhaired ghoul. But the child services agency sees things differently. Unable to explain the boy’s condition or the bruises on his body, Dr. Emma Temple (Elizabeth Perkins) and the staff at the hospital suspect abuse. Even Rachel’s coworker (Simon Baker) starts to question the family’s odd behavior when the mother and boy show up at the office late one night.

Japanese director Hideo Nakata builds much of the film’s suspense with the use of sound-opening zippers, footsteps on water-soaked carpets, and ominous music. He also resorts to the classic elements of banging window frames, windy nights and shadowy figures that all, unfortunately, point predictably to looming jump scenes. Additionally, the storyline seems to wander aimlessly from locked down asylums where Rachel visits a longtime resident (Sissy Spacek) to a musty basement where she searches for an explanation of Samara’s behavior.

Much of the film’s scare factor is based on suspense rather than gore. Still, the intentional drugging of a child, the use of an extreme sexual profanity, and some violent scenes are concerns families may find. Like the victims in The Ring, many of the casualties in this film end up with grossly disfigured faces.

Most concerning however is the repeated portrayal of a suicide, the actions taken by a mother suffering from severe postpartum depression and the deeds of another woman who feels compelled to drown her child after hearing voices in a dream. Because of the severity of these acts and the relative lack of consequences for them, the script could send a dangerous message to those dealing with the debilitating effects of depression.

What’s more, like the shower scene in Psycho, the bathroom incidents in this script may leave water-wary bathers feeling even more hesitant about leaving a ring or two in the bottom of their tubs.

Directed by Hideo Nakata. Starring Naomi Watts. Running time: 110 minutes. Theatrical release March 17, 2005. Updated

The Ring Two Parents' Guide

Postpartum depression, a concern for many women, plays a central role in this film. If you, or someone you know, are suffering from this illness, check the resources available on this site: http://www.postpartum.net/

A good horror movie makes usual things seem unusually frightening. How does the director use common sounds and sights to create suspense?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of The Ring Two movie is August 22, 2005. Here are some details…

DVD Release Date: August 23, 2005
The Ring Two comes to DVD in two choices, depending on whether you just want to get your feet wet or take the plunge. They are, the Rated Version (a.k.a.—the theatrical release), or the Unrated Version (a directors cut providing more chills). Both editions include deleted scenes, but the other bonus materials differ.

The Rated Version offers Faces of Fear: The Cast (a featurette discussing the sequel’s returning stars and new faces) and HBO First Look (an in-depth introduction to the cast and crew).

The Unrated Version features Rings (an short film looking at the connection between The Ring and The Ring Two), Fear on Film: Special Effects (a behind-the-scenes peek at the special effects and the team that created them) and The Power of Symbols (an exploration of the symbolic imagery used in the move).

Both releases are recorded in Dolby and provide closed-captioning.

Related home video titles:

Nakata uses reflections in mirrors and other objects to create suspense. Likewise, Director M. Night Shyamalan employs reflected images to build tension in his film Signs. Relying on imagination instead of gore, Director Alejandro AmenĂ¡bar constructs a ghostly thriller set in post-World War II in The Others.