Could a Ring prequel be in the works?

January 7, 2003

Having banked $127 million since it opened in mid-October, The Ring has become somewhat of a phenomenon. The $40 million remake of the spooky and popular 1998 Japanese horror film, Ringu, debuted with $15 mil at a slim 1,900 theaters on Oct. 18 and actually increased in ticket sales the next several weeks, the only horror movie to do so since 1996's Scream. With this enormous and unexpected success, it is only a matter of time until moviegoers are be treated with some more cursed videotape terror.

Rumors have been circling the net of a plan from distributor DreamWorks on filming a prequel. The story would follow the life and hardship of young Samara (Daveigh Chase), the ghostly child responsible for the video. Although prequels usually end up as nothing more then a vapid way of making money off of a hit movie (the same tends to go for sequels), it worked wonderfully for the Japan market.

After Ringu, or, Ring if you prefer, there was Ring 2, in 1999, and the prequel, Ring 0: Birthday. All three films were blockbusters in their hometown, the equivilant of the Scream movies for America. Respectively, Ring 0: Birthday is one of the more elegant and creepy horror films I've ever seen.

If DreamWorks, and director of the Ring remake, Gore Verbinski, do decide to head on into prequel territory, I'd welcome it with open arms considering 2002's Ring, which stars Naomi Watts, is the best horror movie I've seen in years.

Matthew Dalton

Source: Check out Ringworld

Filed under: The Ring