FILM · 2005 · USA
The Ring Two
39 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (39)
- #001
Hideo Nakata nearly tried to abandon production of the film and return to Japan because of studio interference, but stayed reluctantly out of respect for the cast and crew. The bad experience convinced him never to make a film in the United States again, and he refused to take part in later installments of the series.
- #002
Hideo Nakata disowned the film and claimed to hate it. He attributes the negative reactions from fans and critics to studio interference, saying Paramount executives stepped in during shooting and forced him to reshoot key sequences, delete certain scenes or alter existing scenes until they bore little resemblance to what he had in mind.
- #003
After reading the script, Naomi Watts did not want to make the sequel, but appeared in the film reluctantly because of contractual obligations.
- #004
While a carnival scene was being shot, local residents mistook the set for a real carnival and walked in. They ended up appearing in the film as extras.
- #005
Copies of the "Cursed Tape" were left in public places as a form of promotion. After roughly five minutes of footage, the viewer is directed to the film's website.
- #006
According to the production notes, life imitated art with strange occurrences on set. On the seventh day, it emerged that the production office had been underwater overnight after a water pipe burst; water is a strong theme in the film. In response, director Hideo Nakata asked for a Japanese purification ceremony to be performed by a Shinto priest, but the strange events continued. While on location, a swarm of bees descended on a prop truck, forcing the department to evacuate immediately before the bees left as suddenly as they had arrived. With no apparent cause, a five-gallon water jug in the production office kitchen burst open, flooding the same room that had flooded before. One morning in the Universal parking lot, a set decorator driving out of the lot saw a horned deer charging at him across the asphalt. Although deer are a common sight in the hills, the similarity to the deer attack in the film is uncanny.
- #007
Even with three artists, Kelly Stables's (Samara's) makeup took more than five hours to complete.
- #008
At roughly 54 minutes, there is a nod to psychiatrist Dr. Emma Temple's "Dr. Koji." This is a salute to Kôji Suzuki, the original author of the Ring books.
- #009
At roughly 1 hour 26 minutes, when Rachel takes the pills and puts them on Aidan's sandwich, she crushes them into powder. The label on the pill bottle bears the name of the film's property master, Tony Bonaventura.
- #010
The scene in which young Evelyn (Mary Elizabeth Winstead's only scene in the film) tries to drown baby Samara was cut from the film to secure a PG-13 rating. The scene was restored in the unrated cut. Even so, Mary Elizabeth Winstead can still be seen briefly in newspaper clippings in the theatrical cut, which is why she remains in the credits.
- #011
Hideo Nakata spoke almost no English during production, so a translator was kept on set to help him communicate with the cast and crew when the situation required it.
- #012
For the supporting role of Samara's mother Evelyn, Hideo Nakata wanted to cast a master actress of horror (also known as a scream queen). Sissy Spacek, best known for her role in Carrie (1976), was hired for the film. In a deleted scene, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who played young Evelyn, would later be praised as a scream queen herself.
- #013
This was Mary Elizabeth Winstead's first feature film, but she appears only in the unrated version.
- #014
Contrary to popular belief, this film is not a remake of Ringu (1998) or Ring 2 (1999); it follows its own unique story as a direct sequel to The Ring (2002).
- #015
Stunt performer Bonnie Morgan briefly played Samara in this well-received sequel, in which she did not appear in a leading role. She would reprise the role in the sequel Rings (2017).
- #016
Samara has aquaphobia (a fear of water) as a result of drowning in the well. In the Shinto religion, water was also used as a form of purification to cleanse evil spirits, a nod to the Japanese origins of the Sadako character in the original films.
- #017
Hideo Nakata, who directed this film, was the director of the original Ringu (1998), of which this film's predecessor was a remake. After the first film's unexpected success, Paramount Pictures contacted him and hired him to work on this film.
- #018
WILHELM SCREAM: At roughly 1 hour 40 minutes, right after Rachel jumps into the river and is about to hit the rocks, just before the river goes dark.
- #019
Although the cursed videotape is the source of the curse, it has no connection to the film's plot after Rachel burns and destroys it 20 minutes into the film. Samara's presence continues only because she has possessed Aidan.
- #020
Elizabeth Perkins and Sissy Spacek appear in the film at the 68th and 91st minutes; Perkins is on screen for only 5 minutes and Spacek for 3 minutes. Despite this, they receive the highest billing among the cast.
- #021
At around the 27-minute mark, when Rachel and Aidan visit the open-air Astoria Antique Fair Swap Meet, a vendor is flipping through a stack of used VHS tapes at his stall — and all the films are DreamWorks titles, such as Old School (2003) and Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004).
- #022
The film opened with a $35 million opening weekend, more than double the first film's opening weekend, but earnings dropped sharply in the following weeks, ultimately underperforming at the box office and leaving the franchise's future uncertain. Its budget was only slightly higher than the first film's ($50 million versus $48 million), yet it grossed even less worldwide, totaling $164 million compared to the first film's $249 million. Combined with Hideo Nakata's return to Japan and overwhelmingly negative reviews, this led to the series being put on hold until the release of Rings (2017), 12 years later.
- #023
Ryan Merriman, Emily VanCamp and Kelly Stables had previously appeared in the short film Rings (2005), which served as a prequel to this film.
- #024
The deer attack sequence and the carnival scene in which Aidan briefly sees a deer that is afraid of him were intentional homages to The Omen (1976).
- #025
The opening scene in which Jake dies, because Emily does not actually watch the tape with her eyes open, was inspired by a similar scene in Ring 2 (1999), in which a young girl makes a copy of the videotape for a journalist and begs him to watch it as soon as possible so that her own death can be prevented before the seven days are up. The journalist puts the VHS tape in a drawer without watching it and then dies.
- #026
This was Hideo Nakata's first directorial effort in America.
- #027
Naomi Watts, David Dorfman and Kelly Stables are the only actors who reprise their roles from the previous film.
- #028
The lighthouse shown in the film is actually Yaquina Head Light, located near the mouth of the Yaquina River on the Oregon coast. At 93 feet tall, it is the tallest lighthouse in Oregon. It was first lit in 1873 and had a range of more than 21 miles.
- #029
Naomi Watts is the real-life godmother of Simon Baker's son, Claude Baker.
- #030
The hospital in this film and the school in Kindergarten Cop (1990) are the same building and are set in the same town.
- #031
Richard Kelly was offered the chance to direct but turned it down.
- #032
At around the 1-minute mark, during the opening sequence when Jake and Emily move in, a highly recognizable piece by James Newton Howard from The Sixth Sense (1999) is used.
- #033
Television commercial director Noam Murro was set to direct but withdrew from the project due to creative differences with DreamWorks.
- #034
Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ryan Merriman, both of whom appear in this film (though Winstead is only in the unrated version and shares no scenes), would go on to star in Final Destination 3 (2006) a year later.
- #035
Excluding television and independent films, this was the only theatrical film in which veteran stage actress Chane't Johnson appeared.
- #036
Naomi Watts worked with director David Lynch on Mulholland Drive (2001) and Twin Peaks (1990). In this film she works alongside her former sister-in-law, Sissy Spacek. David Lynch had also turned down the offer to direct the previous film.
- #037
It was originally scheduled for release on November 10, 2004, during Thanksgiving week, but was pushed back to March 18, 2005, because the film had to undergo reshoots and a new composer had to be hired. Hans Zimmer ultimately became unavailable due to scheduling conflicts with composing Batman Begins (2005).
- #038
The black digital camera Aiden uses in the film is a Canon PowerShot Pro-1.
- #039
One of the images on the tape from the previous film shows Samara's adoptive mother, Anna, throwing herself off a cliff. Rachel escapes Samara's dream world by doing the same thing, in the same pose, from the same cliff.
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