Ring 2

Ring 2 continues the story begun in Hideo Nakata's Ring. Mai Takano, who worked alongside the journalist Ryuji Takayama, looks into his sudden death and finds herself drawn to a cursed videotape said to kill anyone who watches it within a week. Her search brings her to Ryuji's former wife and their young son, Yoichi, who has survived the tape and begun to display disturbing psychic abilities. As the curse claims further victims, Mai tries to protect the boy while working out what connects him to Sadako, the girl whose influence persists even after the tape itself is destroyed.

The film is the third of eighteen features Nakata has directed, following Ring and preceding Dark Water. Hiroshi Takahashi again wrote the screenplay, and Miki Nakatani leads the cast as Mai, with Hitomi Sato, Kyoko Fukada, Fumiyo Kohinata, Kenjirou Ishimaru and Yurei Yanagi among the credited players.

Produced by TOHO, Fuji Television Network, Sumitomo Corporation and Nippan Group Holdings on a budget of about six million dollars, it took roughly thirty-one million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 5.8 from around 16,000 votes, and on TMDB 5.8 from about 480. A critics' rating of 3.8 from 14 reviews places it below both audience scores.