13 Frustratingly Underrated Horror Movie Sequels
1. Ring 0: Birthday
Original Film:
Ring, a J-Horror masterpiece which is still more or less the finest horror film of the last 20 years. It inspired an underwhelming American remake. The original film was followed by one underwhelming sequel, then a better one which disregarded the previous sequel.
Plot:
This prequel shows how Sadako became the vengeful ghost we know; her origin story is a lot sadder than you'd expect.
A very obscure one here. This prequel to Ring doesn't sound like much and the idea of giving the terrifying Sadako a sympathetic backstory sounded like an awful idea, but here's the thing: Ring 0 is good. No, like really, really good to the point where it comes close to the original.
Ring 0 is almost unknown and doesn't even have a Rotten Tomatoes score, but it's actually a very fine foreign horror film. Although it feels like a Carrie rip-off at times, it's hugely atmospheric, excellently acted and filled to the brim with pathos. It might be a very scary movie, but it's also a powerful drama that really makes you feel for Sadako while still preserving her status as a terrifying horror icon. Who saw that coming?
This should be lifted out of obscurity and treasured as the excellent horror prequel that it is. It's truly sad that more people have probably seen the terrible American films or the ghastly Sadako 3D (a terrible later sequel) than this.
The most underrated horror sequel of all time? Quite possibly.