The Ring

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The Ring

PG-13

2002

1h 55m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

72%

Tomatometer

214 Reviews

48%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

It sounds like just another urban legend -- a videotape filled with nightmarish images leads to a phone call foretelling the viewer's death in exactly seven days. Newspaper reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) is skeptical of the story until four teenagers all die mysteriously exactly one week after watching just such a tape. Allowing her investigative curiosity to get the better of her, Rachel tracks down the video and watches it. Now she has just seven days to unravel the mystery.

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Critics Consensus

With little gore and a lot of creepy visuals, The Ring gets under your skin, thanks to director Gore Verbinski's haunting sense of atmosphere and an impassioned performance from Naomi Watts.

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Keith Phipps

AV Club

Jul 25, 2014

B+

Gore Verbinski creates an air of dread that begins with the first scene and never lets up, subtly incorporating elements from the current wave of Japanese horror films along the way.

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David Edelstein

Slate

Jul 25, 2014

The filmmakers have wisely stayed close to the original's mood, which is somber and flat, with quick (near-subliminal) inserts and a soundtrack full of watery-grave groans and murmurs.

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Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Jul 25, 2014

An edgy, watchable film, but one that makes you feel more squeamish than screamish.

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Justin Brown

Medium Popcorn

Oct 22, 2025

3/5

The Noah death scene is worth the price of admission but it takes its sweet time getting there...It's a cool movie but is a bit of a chore to get through.

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Brandon Collins

Medium Popcorn

Oct 22, 2025

3/5

It has a few iconic horror scenes and a very specific vibe. But it left me with far more questions than answers and I'm not sure I care to learn what they are...A bit of a frustrating watch despite looking pretty cool.

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David Day

Horror Movie Talk

Sep 23, 2025

9/10

The tone of The Ring is deadly serious, and it lands just right in the quiet of your darkened home on a Friday night. It feels morose and hopeless and creepy beyond compare.

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Rebecca

Oct 24, 2022

One of my favorite horror movies! I was excited to see it again in the theatre:)

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Owen I

@OwenTheCritic Sep 14, 2026

The ring was a very interesting movie to say the least, and I definitely recommend.

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Julie D

@RT40892224 Sep 5, 2026

The Ring is basically a haunted VHS tape with the worst customer-service policy imaginable. Watch the tape, get a phone call, die seven days later. Simple. Efficient. No unsubscribe button. What makes it work is how quietly nasty it is. The horror creeps in rather than kicks down the door, turning ordinary things, static, an old photograph, a ringing phone into little pieces of bad news. It’s cold, weird, and genuinely unsettling. Also, maybe stop watching mysterious videotapes sent by dead children. Just a thought.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 4, 2026

It's worthy of 3 and 1/2 stars

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Missspoil3d 0

@RT87703048 Aug 25, 2026

8.9/10 - of course this is a classic, and I personally loved it. I LOVE THAT THIS MOVIE HAS A GOOD STORY AND IT KEPT MY ATTENTION!!!. I was so interested to know more about Samaras, and where she came from. honestly I would watch it again and again! It had some good scares and I like that it's creepy.

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Chris S

@Janomi Aug 10, 2026

The Ring is very solid because the cursed videotape premise is so simple and terrifying. Watch the tape, get the phone call, die in seven days. It is an instantly memorable horror hook, and the movie uses that ticking clock well. The atmosphere is one of its biggest strengths. The cold, wet, gray Pacific Northwest setting gives the film a haunted mood, making even ordinary spaces feel damp, bleak, and unsafe. Naomi Watts grounds the story as Rachel, a journalist and mother trying to solve the mystery before time runs out. Samara remains terrifying because the movie keeps her mysterious and unsettling. The final TV scene is one of the great modern horror images. The mythology can feel vague, and not everything about Samara is fully explained, but The Ring is eerie, memorable, and very effective.

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Gore Verbinski

Director

Naomi Watts

Rachel Keller

Martin Henderson

Noah

David Dorfman

Aidan

Brian Cox

Richard Morgan

Jane Alexander

Dr. Grasnik

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1:28

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Synopsis

It sounds like just another urban legend -- a videotape filled with nightmarish images leads to a phone call foretelling the viewer's death in exactly seven days. Newspaper reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) is skeptical of the story until four teenagers all die mysteriously exactly one week after watching just such a tape. Allowing her investigative curiosity to get the better of her, Rachel tracks down the video and watches it. Now she has just seven days to unravel the mystery.

Director: Gore Verbinski
Producer: Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald
Screenwriter: Ehren Kruger, Scott Frank, Kôji Suzuki
Distributor: DreamWorks SKG
Production Co: DreamWorks SKG
Rating: PG-13 (Language|Disturbing Images|Some Drug References|Thematic Elements)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 18, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 4, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $128.6M
Runtime: 1h 55m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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