The Ring is a 2002 American horror film directed by Gore Verbinski and starring Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, and Brian Cox. It is a remake of the 1998 Japanese film Ringu, based on the novel by Koji Suzuki. The film follows a journalist who investigates a mysterious videotape that kills anyone who watches it after seven days.

The film was a critical and commercial success, earning $249 million worldwide and spawning two sequels. The Ring is widely regarded as one of the best horror remakes of all time, and one of the most influential films in the genre. The film’s eerie atmosphere, haunting imagery, and shocking twists have terrified audiences for years.

The Ring begins with two teenage girls, Katie and Becca, discussing an urban legend about a cursed videotape that causes whoever watches it to die in seven days. Katie reveals that she watched the tape with her friends a week ago. That night, she is killed by an unseen force. Her aunt Rachel, a journalist, decides to investigate her death and finds the tape at a mountain cabin where Katie stayed. She watches the tape, which contains disturbing scenes of a well, a lighthouse, a woman, and a girl. She then receives a phone call from a raspy voice that says “seven days”.

Rachel enlists the help of her ex-boyfriend Noah, a video analyst, to help her solve the mystery of the tape. They discover that the woman on the tape is Anna Morgan, a horse breeder who committed suicide after her horses drowned themselves. They also learn that Anna had an adopted daughter named Samara, who had psychic powers and tormented her parents with disturbing visions. Samara was sent to a mental hospital, where she was interviewed by Dr. Grasnik. Rachel and Noah visit the hospital and watch the interview tape, where Samara says that she can’t stop making images in her head.

Rachel and Noah travel to Moesko Island, where Anna lived with her husband Richard. They find the lighthouse from the tape and break into the Morgan house. There, they discover a hidden room in the barn where Samara was kept by her father. They also find a well under the floorboards, where Samara was thrown by Anna before she killed herself. Rachel falls into the well and sees Samara’s corpse at the bottom. She hugs it and sets her spirit free. She then climbs out of the well with Noah’s help and thinks that everything is over.

However, the next day, Noah is killed by Samara’s ghost, who crawls out of his TV screen. Rachel realizes that the only way to survive is to make a copy of the tape and show it to someone else. She does so with her son Aidan, who had watched the tape earlier. The film ends with Rachel asking Aidan who they are going to show the tape to next.

The Ring is widely praised for its effective use of suspense, atmosphere, and cinematography. The film creates a sense of dread and unease through its dark and gloomy visuals, its eerie soundtrack, and its minimal use of gore and jump scares. The film also uses clever editing and camera angles to create tension and surprise. For example, the scene where Samara crawls out of the TV is considered one of the most iconic and terrifying scenes in horror cinema.

The film also explores themes of media, technology, and communication. The cursed videotape is a metaphor for the power and danger of images and information in the modern world. The film suggests that the tape is a manifestation of Samara’s rage and pain, which she wants to share with others. The tape also represents the loss of control and privacy that comes with technology. The film shows how the tape affects the lives of those who watch it, as they become obsessed with finding answers and passing it on to others. The film also questions the morality and responsibility of those who watch and copy the tape, as they are essentially condemning someone else to death.

The Ring is a film that has influenced many other horror films and genres. The film sparked a wave of American remakes of Asian horror films, such as The Grudge, Dark Water, The Eye, and One Missed Call. The film also inspired many films that feature haunted or cursed media, such as The Final Destination series, Sinister, Unfriended, and Rings. The film also popularized the trope of the creepy girl with long black hair, which has become a staple of horror culture.