Hi all!

Today I am back with another horror movie franchise ranking! This time, we are tackling The Ring. Disclaimer: this post does not include the Japanese films. I have seen Ringu, but for now, I would like to focus on the American versions. The Ring is in my top 10 favourite horror movies of all time. I love the story, the concept, the scares and of course, Samara. A cursed videotape gives the viewer only seven days to live after watching it. However, there is a lot more to it, which I will be covering below. Finally, I would like to give a huge thank you to Armando, for allowing me to use his incredible artwork. Go check out his page. Without further ado, let’s get into it! Spoilers ahead!

1.) The Ring

In first place, we have The Ring. The one that started it all. After an unseen force claims the life of Rachel Keller’s (Naomi Watts) niece, she decides to investigate the evil phenomenon behind the tape. Rachel soon learns there is a lot more to the story and unless she solves the mystery, she’ll die in a week. This prompts her to visit Samara’s former home (Moesko Island in Seattle), which leads to a horrifying realisation about the little girl’s adoptive mother. After she could no longer cope with Samara’s darkness and supernatural abilities, Anna Morgan threw her still alive adoptive daughter into a well. It took seven days for Samara to die (hence the rules in the video). The opening scene is the epitome of early 2000’s nostalgia. It has a watery blue/green filter, that adds to the unsettling score and atmosphere. Not to mention, it has some of the best scenes in horror history. The fly on the screen? Samara crawling out of the television? The warped faces of her victims? I also love the concept of passing the curse on, by making a copy of the tape. This comes into play later in the series. You cannot deny The Ring has it all.

2.) The Ring 2

In second place, we have the sequel. Not as strong as its predecessor, but still excellent. In this instalment, Rachel destroys another tape, after learning it killed teenager, Jake Pierce (see short film below). However, Samara continues to pursue her and her son, Aidan. After experiencing vivid nightmares, bruises on his body that he cannot explain and hypothermia, Rachel begins to suspect the vengeful spirit has possessed her little boy. Throughout the second movie, we witness a strange relationship between mother and son, develop into something special. We learn that Rachel suffered from post-partum depression and that Aidan, only calls her by her first name. By the end, they share a bond that cannot be broken. In the pursuit to stop Samara, Rachel returns to Moesko Island, discovering even more information about the girl’s biological mother, Evelyn. It’s revealed she tried to drown Samara as a baby, leading to her admission into a psychiatric hospital. Almost being killed by your own parent would be pretty traumatising! It certainly provided further context to Samara’s ‘mummy issues’ and her jealousy of Aidan. I love the final scene, where Rachel enters the monochromatic realm, confronting the twisted villain. The chase up the well was full of tension and suspense. It’s definitely my favourite part. Any horror movie with a backstory, automatically wins points for me. I’m not a fan of gratuitous violence or murdering for murdering’s sake. It’s a solid follow up to the first film.

3.) Rings 

In third place, we have Rings from 2017. A college professor buys a VCR, discovering the infamous videotape inside. He then encounters Julia (a student looking for her boyfriend, Holt) introducing her to the “Sevens”, a group of people involved in an experiment with the cursed film. Julia recognises a girl named Skye, who tries to force her to watch the tape. However, Julia locks herself in the bathroom before Samara appears, killing Skye. Afterwards, Holt declares he too watched the tape and only has 12 hours left. As Julia’s video cannot be copied, the college professor urges them to find Samara’s remains, cremate them and destroy the curse once and for all. The pair travel to Sacramento Valley, where the little girl was given a proper burial. There, they find an unmarked tomb, but when they enter, it’s empty. They are caught and taken to a blind man, named Galen Burke, who claims her body was entombed by a local priest. After some investigating, Julia learns the priest was the one that raped Evelyn (Samara’s biological mother) and he’s actually Galen Burke. In an epic battle, he is killed by his daughter. Despite cremating her remains, the movie ends with a shocking twist. Samara successfully possesses Julia; reborn in her image. This indicates a continuation of the story. I’ve heard rumours there will be a Grudge/Ring crossover in the future. I must admit, I was pretty impressed with Rings. If you think about it, the first movie covered her adoptive parents, the sequel her biological mother and the third, her biological father. Say what you want, but they kept the storyline going. It definitely wasn’t as captivating or intriguing as the others, but I didn’t hate it.

4.) Rings (Short Film) 

Last, but not least, we have Rings from 2005. This is a short film that takes place after the first movie, as well as the lead up to the opening scene in the sequel. It’s only 17 minutes long (watch here). It follows Jake Pierce – Samara’s first victim in The Ring 2 – and his desperate attempt to pass the curse to somebody else, before his seven days are up. I loved it. It was really cool seeing his slow descent into madness, as the clock counted down. There were some great jump scares and excellent special effects (e.g. the water coming out of the wall). I also enjoyed the concept of ‘tails’, which are people who watch the tape, record their experiences of the week and pass them on to somebody else. There is even a website for it, where viewers can log what they see and feel, before transferring the curse. Even though we know what happens to Jake, we are still rooting for him, hoping he will escape Samara’s clutches. As you can tell by this post, I like the entire franchise. The short film is last, purely because of its length, not because it was unlikable.

How would you rank the franchise? Once again, a big thank you to Armando for allowing me to his image.

Thanks for reading!

Peace & Love xoxo