Rings Parent Guide

Is there still an aging VHS player tucked away in your basement or garage? Well you best beware that thing is a death sentence if you happen to put the wrong tape inside.

It’s been over a decade since anyone has seen the fuzzy video that sparks a curse on the viewer. This time the unwary victim is a Seattle biology professor who picks up the retro video player at a garage sale. And guess what’s inside? The infamous VHS tape with the strange black and white video that looks like it was filmed with a Fisher Price video camera. Of course, Gabriel (Johnny Galecki) doesn’t know that watching the montage of insects, floods and a little girl climbing out of a well will cause a death wish to come upon him. But as soon as the movie finishes, his phone rings and the strange voice announces he has only seven days left to live.

How can Gabriel possibly avoid his demise? The only way is to make a copy of the tape and show it to some other unsuspecting victim. Being a college instructor he has an entire classroom of “Guinea Pigs” to experiment with, and Holt (Alex Roe) is one of a few that gets infected. When Skye (Aimee Teegarden), Holt’s hometown girlfriend, can’t get him to answer her many chat requests, she decides to leave Spokane and head to the school and see what’s happened. Of course, she will get pulled into the “ring” herself. But instead of being a helpless captive she determines to discover what is behind the deadly circle.

Full of disturbing images and “jump” moments, this renewed attempt at turning TV static into a horrifying event seems far less frightening than when it was an original idea. Still, for young newcomers to this franchise, there may be enough scare factor to still solicit an occasional scream. Parents should be aware this movie contains many ghoulish images of decomposing bodies, skeletons, insects and other injured animals. A couple of characters die on screen, including one who is electrocuted (a method of death found in earlier “Ring” movies) and a physical confrontation takes place in a darkened home that sees characters beaten and physically assaulted. As well, there is a plot element involving sexual abuse at the hand of a religious leader.

Although the plodding story comes with lots of predictable dialogue, it doesn’t seem to have enough script to keep the tension sustained. A “dead ringer” (in the literal sense), it falls short of offering anything of value (either monetary or ethical) to families.

About author

Rod Gustafson

Rod Gustafson has worked in various media industries since 1977. He founded Parent Previews in 1993, and today continues to write and broadcast the reviews in newspapers, on radio and (of course) on the Internet. His efforts also include writing and researching media in all its forms and observing how it effects society and culture. He and his wife Donna have four children.