The first trailer for Rings is now online.
After numerous delays, we’ve finally got a look at what the third American Ring movie is going to look like. Shock of all shocks: it looks pretty much just like the first two, but updated for a time when people no longer use VHS tapes on a regular basis.
The Ring franchise began in Japan in 1998 with Ringu, and has remained a steady, popular franchise. Its most recent release was Sadako vs. Kayako, which saw its villain in a crossover film with the antagonist from the Ju-on movies. But in America, the Ring series didn’t initially make it past two installments. The Ring in 2002 made a good chunk of change, but 2005’s The Ring Two showed diminishing returns, despite still making a profit. There have been talks of a third film for years. It was originally called The Ring 3D, but that’s since been changed to Rings. It was also originally supposed to be released in November of last year, then April of this year, and finally this coming October.
In case you’re unaware, the hook of the series is that characters watch a video, receive a phone call that claims they’ll die in seven days, and then they try to figure out how to not do that. The video was originally on a VHS tape, but that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for 2016, so now it’s a viral video sent around via email. The villain, Samara, torments those who watched the video for those seven days before killing them – the trailer for the new film showcases how, although almost all of the ways are things we’ve seen before. Let’s hope the full film will provide new ideas and more scares.
