The Ring
Available now on Blu-ray
Written by Ehren Kruger
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Based on the novel by Kôji Suzuki
Starring Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, Brian Cox, David Dorfman, Jane Alexander
DreamWorks
Rated PG-13 | 115 minutes
Release date: October 18th, 2002

Rings, the third installment in the American “Ring” series hits theaters everywhere Friday. Fifteen years ago Gore Verbinski‘s The Ring opened, and set off a chain reaction that changed an entire genre. Based on the 1998 Japanese horror film Ringu, directed by Hideo Nakata from the original novel by Koji Suzuki, The Ring terrified viewers here and was a critical and financial success, earning a 72% on Rotten Tomatoes and almost $130 million. That success spawned a whole slew of J-horror knock offs and remakes including The Grudge (2004), Dark Water (2005), Pulse (2006), and the notoriously awful One Missed Call (2008). The sequel, The Ring 2 also came in 2005.

Before we watch Rings Friday, let’s revisit 2002’s The Ring.