Ring 0: Birthday - C+
By Kage Alan

"Ring" introduced us to a different kind of horror. Instead of the typical ghost story, a new urban legend has sprung up involving a cursed videotape. If you play the cassette and see nothing, you're fine. If, however, you see the image of a girl and a well…you're screwed. The only way to stop the curse is to make a copy of the tape and pass it on to someone who must view it within that week's time. It's like a chain letter with a twist; actual death. "Ring 2" continued the story as a new batch of victims are served up while another reporter attempts to discover a way to put the tortured spirit of Sadako (the girl on the tape) to rest. So, now we have "Ring 0", the prequel that supposedly expands on what we already know while breaking new ground by going further into tale of Sadako. Instead of being the terrifying tortured spirit we'd come to fear in the first two films, she's a young misunderstood outcast in this one. Sadako has joined a theatre troupe and the play they are putting on strangely begins to mirror events in the story as it progresses. When the lead actress is found dead on stage in typical "Ring" style, all eyes fall on the newcomer. Sadako swears it wasn't her, yet we all know what she's capable of later on. Many of the other cast members begin to have strange dreams about a little girl, a well and something that terrifies them in the attic of the house near the well, but what does it all mean and why do people catch glimpses of a little girl in white near Sadako from time to time? Furthermore, why can't she remember certain events and what's that strange noise one of the sound recorders picked up at the time of the lead actresses death? As always, there's also a nosey reporter who's digging into a story that sheds some light on the girl's history. While not as good as the first two films, the end will stay with you for a long time to come.