Ring 2

Lore & Background

Ring 2 was produced after the negative reception to Spiral, the film adaptation of Koji Suzuki's novel sequel. The film ignores the story of Spiral and instead directly continues the narrative of Ring, set four weeks after the first film. The plot follows Mai Takano and Okazaki as they investigate the cursed videotape and the psychic phenomena surrounding Sadako Yamamura, while Reiko Asakawa and her son Yoichi flee from the police. Key scenes include an exorcism attempt at a hospital and a final confrontation at a swimming pool on Oshima Island.

Reader's Guide

Ring 2 is notable as a studio-driven sequel that replaced an existing adaptation of Suzuki's own sequel. Its legacy includes a prequel, Ring 0: Birthday (2000), based on a Suzuki anthology story, and a soft reboot, Sadako 3D (2012), which ignores this film's continuity and instead acknowledges Spiral. In 2019, a direct sequel titled Sadako was released, following its own continuity separate from Spiral. The film's popularity led to a recording contract for cast member Kyoko Fukada, whose debut single was released by Pony Canyon. Critical reception was poor, with Variety noting it had 'less atmosphere and more genre shocks' and that it 'notably fails to build on the first movie's wonderfully nasty final scene.' The film holds a 7% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Did You Know?

• Ring 2 was made as a new sequel to Ring after the negative response to Spiral, and it ignores the story of Spiral.
• The film was released in Japan on a double bill with the film Shikoku.
• In the United Kingdom, Ring 2 was watched by 360,000 viewers on television during the first half of 2005.
• Cast member Kyoko Fukada was offered a recording contract with Pony Canyon due to the film's popularity.