A terrifying legacy haunts a single mother in this sequel to the frightening box-office hit
The Ring. Hoping to leave their terrifying experiences in Seattle behind them, Rachel Keller (
Naomi Watts) and her son, Aidan (David Dorfman), move to the small town of Astoria, OR, where Rachel takes a job writing for the local newspaper. When Rachel learns of an unexplained murder, which occurred after a teenager watched a strange videotape with his girlfriend, she suspects her past is following her and she begins looking into the case. Rachel believes that the otherworldly Samara has come back; however, as she tries to convince others of the young girl's powers, her own son falls ill and is hospitalized, and Rachel's stories fail to convince either Dr. Emma Temple (
Elizabeth Perkins), who suspects Rachel is guilty of child abuse, or David Rourke (Simon Baker), one of Rachel's colleagues who fears for Aidan's safety. Also starring
Sissy Spacek, The Ring 2 was directed by
Hideo Nakata; it was the first English-language project for the Japanese filmmaker, who previously made
Ringu, the picture that was the basis for
The Ring. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide