Rings

As the credits roll, we're thrust into a frenetic pace with the film's opening scene on an airplane, where Carter (Zach Roerig) sits beside Faith (Laura Wiggins), his countenance etched with worry. The turbulence is mirrored by the turmoil brewing in his mind as he recounts the eerie events that have transpired: a disturbing video viewed just a week prior, followed by a chilling phone call forecasting his demise within seven days and mere minutes from their current time. Carter's distress is palpable, and Faith's concern is genuine, but little do they know, this plane ride is about to take a dark and sinister turn.

As the aircraft lurches through turbulence, Kelly (Lizzie Brochere) reenters the scene, having overheard Faith's story, her own eyes widening in horror as she realizes she too has witnessed the same unnerving images. It's no surprise when she rushes to find Carter, only to discover a bathroom beset by an otherworldly phenomenon: black sludge oozing forth, and a swarm of flies emerging from the cockpit like a harbinger of doom. The monitor screen flashes with an image that will haunt this flight forevermore – the emergence of Samara Morgan (Bonnie Morgan) from a well and onto the plane.

Fast-forward two years, we find ourselves in a college setting, where Skye (Aimee Teegarden) stumbles upon a VCR at a yard sale, its contents courtesy of Carter's father, who met his untimely demise in that fateful plane crash. This artifact from the past will soon unravel a tangled web of terror and foreboding.

As the night wears on, Gabriel (Johnny Galecki), Skye's professor and confidant, becomes increasingly entwined with her, but their budding romance is short-lived. The VCR, tweaked by Gabriel's curious fingers, yields an unsettling tape that seems to hold a malevolent presence. As he watches in horror, the phone rings, its caller simply uttering a single, ominous phrase: "Seven days." And then, as if on cue, the rain outside begins its ascent, as if drawn by some dark and unseen force.

Meanwhile, Julia (Matilda Lutz) and her boyfriend Holt (Alex Roe) are basking in the warmth of their relationship. However, as Holt prepares to depart for college, an air of melancholy settles over their farewell Skype chat. But it's not long before Holt is spirited away by his roommates, leaving Julia to face a solo night. Her slumber is soon disrupted by a haunting dream, only to awaken to the unmistakable ringtone signaling a video call from none other than Skye – her voice laced with panic as she warns of an impending arrival: "She" is coming.

As Julia (character name) arrives at Holt's college, she embarks on a determined quest to uncover the truth, beginning by infiltrating his dorm room and securing his class schedule. Her next move is to sneak into Gabriel's class, hoping to catch a glimpse of Holt or glean some crucial information. However, despite her persistence, Julia finds herself stonewalled by Gabriel's students, who refuse to reveal their professor's whereabouts.

Undeterred, Julia continues to explore the campus, stumbling upon a mysterious book penned by Gabriel that delves into the enigmatic tale of Samara. Her curiosity piqued, she decides to pay a visit to the student lounge, where she inadvertently overhears Gabriel and Skye discussing Holt in hushed tones, their conversation laced with an air of urgency.

Julia's instincts tell her that this development is crucial, prompting her to tail Skye as she recognizes her from their previous video chat. As they arrive at Skye's apartment, Julia is invited to stay and witness something extraordinary – a revelation that will change everything. But just as things are about to unfold, Holt sends a cryptic warning via text message: "Don't watch whatever Skye's about to show you."

Skye grows increasingly agitated, attempting to cajole Julia into witnessing the spectacle, but Julia remains resolute in her decision, locking herself away in the bathroom. As the clock ticks past 7:10, Skye becomes convinced that she has successfully staved off disaster, only for the TV to spring to life, defying her attempts to silence it.

Panicked, Skye destroys her laptop and tries to disable the television, but the cursed device continues to function, even when removed from its wall mount. It is then that Samara emerges from the screen's depths, her presence striking fear into Skye's heart as she meets a gruesome demise.

Julia, meanwhile, is oblivious to the horror unfolding in the next room, only to discover herself face-to-face with Samara's twisted visage when the bathroom door opens. As she attempts to flee, Julia finds that the door has been locked, forcing her to rummage through Skye's jacket for her keys.

In a shocking turn of events, Julia's fingers close around something cold and metallic – Skye's head, now contorted in a grotesque grimace. Shaken but determined, Julia makes a hasty exit and runs into Holt, who reveals the terrible truth: they have both been searching for someone to pass on the cursed tape, hoping to spare their own lives from a gruesome fate.

Julia's curiosity gets the better of her as she opens Holt's laptop while he sleeps, revealing the video that has unleashed this terror. As she watches, she receives a chilling "Seven days" phone call, signaling the start of her own countdown to doom. In the aftermath, Julia is visited by a haunting vision featuring Samara before being jolted back to reality by Holt.

As she gazes down at the burn mark on her hand, courtesy of the phone handle, Julia realizes that she has become embroiled in a desperate struggle for survival – one that will require her to confront the very essence of terror and despair.

As Julia and Holt embark on their journey to meet with Gabriel, they're met with an ominous foreshadowing of the supernatural events that will unfold. During the drive, a sudden and inexplicable avian mishap smashes into Holt's windshield, only to vanish into thin air upon Julia's subsequent glance - leaving behind a trail of mystifying occurrences that will test their resolve. The trio's attempt to duplicate a crucial tape is thwarted by its enormous file size, leading them to uncover a hidden layer within the footage, replete with eerie imagery featuring the same bird that had previously beset their vehicle.

As Julia delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding Samara Morgan, she becomes enthralled by the legend of this enigmatic figure, whose parents deemed her an abomination and cast her down a well to meet a gruesome demise. However, Samara's indomitable spirit refused to surrender, defying expectations as she survived for seven days before finally succumbing to mortality.

Convinced that Samara's restless soul is trapped, seeking liberation from its earthly confines, Julia and Holt set out to locate the site of her burial, only to discover that she was denied a proper sendoff. As they navigate this treacherous terrain, Julia begins to experience visions of a serene, expectant mother standing alone in an otherwise desolate landscape - a haunting apparition that reappears within the tape's hidden recesses.

As they continue their search for Samara's final resting place, Julia and Holt check into a motel, where they're beset by an onslaught of otherworldly visitations. Their nocturnal excursion to a local cemetery culminates in a break-in at the supposed site of Samara's burial, only to be thwarted once more by the groundskeeper's cryptic knowledge.

Their subsequent encounter with Burke (Vincent D'Onofrio), a blind former priest with ties to Samara's dark past, provides Julia with an opportunity to share her unsettling visions and the pair's quest for answers. However, their journey takes an unexpected turn when they're diverted from their destination by a road closure - only to stumble upon the lifeless body of Gabriel, whose electrocution at the site of a car accident serves as a grim harbinger of the horrors that lie ahead.

As Holt ponders the enigmatic photograph in the motel lobby, featuring the very same expectant mother Julia had seen in her visions, they're informed by the affable clerk, Karen (Jill Jane Clements), that this maternal figure is none other than Evelyn, Samara's own mother - a revelation that will forever alter their understanding of the sinister forces at play.

As Julia delves deeper into the mystery, she uncovers a haunting revelation in Burke's abode - the skeletal remains of Samara Morgan, her dark and troubled soul lingering long after her physical form had vanished. The discovery also yields another shocking truth: Burke, the blind priest who had been harboring Samara's bones, was her biological father. The twisted patriarch's malevolent energy is palpable as he attacks Julia before Samara's ethereal presence seeps into the room, striking a fatal blow to Burke.

Julia and Holt seize upon this newfound understanding, opting to cremate Samara's remains in a desperate bid to free her troubled spirit from its earthly confines. The ritual serves as a fleeting reprieve, however, for the cursed video continues to exert its malignant influence over their lives.

As Julia indulges in a solitary shower, Holt becomes engrossed in a series of eerie messages left by Gabriel, the cryptic professor who had first introduced them to Samara's haunting tale. It is here that they stumble upon a crucial clue: the peculiar mark on Julia's hand, inscribed in braille, holds the key to unlocking the secrets surrounding this malevolent entity. Holt, ever the diligent scholar, takes it upon himself to decipher the symbol's meaning, consulting online resources and scouring Gabriel's digital archives for any relevant information.

Meanwhile, Julia is confronted with a grisly discovery as she surveys her post-shower reflection: the burned skin beneath the peeling flesh has taken on an unsettling gray hue. Her initial revulsion gives way to horror as she extracts a long strand of hair from her hand, coiled into a macabre ball. Holt's subsequent research yields a chilling revelation: the mark on Julia's hand is actually a braille representation of the word "rebirth." The ominous implications are swiftly overshadowed by a more pressing crisis, however, as their computer system becomes infected with a self-replicating virus that begins disseminating the cursed video to everyone in Holt's digital Rolodex.

As the chaos spreads, Julia is forced to confront the dark reality reflected back at her from the mirror: Samara's ghostly visage has taken up residence on the glassy surface, its unblinking stare a harbinger of impending doom.