Paramount Pictures has released a new trailer for its upcoming horror sequel Rings. The movie once again centers around a cursed video tape that kills viewers within seven days, first seen in the Japanese film Ring, released in 1998.
Rings is a continuation of the American arm of the franchise, which began with The Ring in 2002 and continued with The Ring Two in 2005. After a hiatus of more than 10 years, it seems like the new movie does everything in its power to update the central concept and pile on the intensity.
Of course, the pop culture notoriety of the franchise’s basic plot hasn’t evaporated over the course of the last ten years. Audiences are presumably still very familiar with the idea of a killer video tape, and as a result this trailer wastes no time in getting around to its scares.
We see the cursed video playing just seconds into the clip — although it’s not clear whether protagonist Julia has a VHS player connected to the widescreen monitor it’s being screened on, or whether the forces of evil have made the jump to Blu-ray.
A later scene sees the familiar imagery of a long-haired girl in the forest beamed to every personal video screen on a commercial airliner while a flight is in process. It’s not exactly a subtle scare, but it’s hard not to be intrigued by such a spectacular take on the series’ most iconic set piece.
The film isn’t the only resurrection of a major horror franchise that’s scheduled to hit this year. In September, Blair Witch will attempt to bring back the series that popularized found footage, while June saw the Japanese release of a movie where Kayako Saeki of The Grudge is pitted against Sadako Yamamura of The Ring.
Rings stars Matilda Lutz alongside Alex Roe, with Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Daredevil) in supporting roles. The film is scheduled to release in North America on October 28.
