Paramount, in its infinite wisdom, has announced that F. Javier Gutiérrez will direct the third film in The Ring franchise. Also worth noting: holy crap, they’re making a The Ring 3? Have they seen The Ring Two?

I actually really loved the first film in this series. For a bloodless PG-13 horror flick, The Ring was surprisingly chilling. It somehow managed to accomplish the relatively difficult task of holding up against the Japanese original, Ringu. It’s one of the few American remakes of a foreign film that I’ll fight for, tooth-and-nail. If you hated The Ring because it “ruined” Ringu, I don’t know what to tell you. It’s basically the exact same movie. Besides, a monster that records herself on VHS cassettes is pretty stupid and maybe, just maybe, you’re being a little bit of a hipster about this one.

The Ring Two, on the other hand, was a cinematic train wreck. This sequel tried to expand the mythos in all the wrong ways. The Ring Two attempted to turn a relatively simple campfire horror story into a sprawling epic battle of “Good vs. Eternal Evil.” It failed miserably.  It also completely trampled on the fairly stringent rules that had been established in the first film. That’s the worst sin a horror franchise can commit. The plot of The Ring Two just felt like the monster was cheating to win. Plus, there was this awkward scene with nightmare deer:

By the way, that scene is never referenced again for the rest of the movie. There’s just a scene where the deer turn evil and destroy Naomi Watts’ car. Then the characters just move on because, hey, that’s life. If only there was some sort of clip I could use to describe what watching The Ring Two felt like. Oh wait, here it is:

I’m not alone in that opinion. With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 20%, 2005’s The Ring Two is generally regarded as a travesty. So why are we making a The Ring 3? Who knows?

Am I going to see it? Almost certainly. I’m weak and a glutton for punishment.

Source: Variety