Ring 0

Oh dear. Where the first two movies are glorious examples of the new wave of Japanese horror, Ring 0 is a bit of an abomination. The plot ostensibly backs 30 years to track the adolescence of Sadako and her attempts at making friends in an amateur theatrical group. An hour and a half of flailing about later, we are finally rewarded with a truly frightening sequence set in coastal woods, where Sadako defies all laws of time and space and kills off some dreadful actors one by one.

The final showdown in the house is, however, blinding, and if you ever needed to see what it looked like when one tortured child becomes one with the body of her adult sister, this will show you. The "bone" sequence is enough to stop you cracking your knuckles for life. If you can get through it without grinding your teeth into dust, you're a better man than me. Woman. You know what I mean.

Unlike the other two films, Ring 0 has the occasional moment which will make you glad you sat through all the dross, but it's an embarrassment compared to the original and its sequel. Phantom Menace should have taught filmmakers everywhere that prequels are a rubbish idea, but this time they seem not to have been listening.

The change in director from the first two movies is all too noticeable, and while I recommend that you watch all three in the right order (Ring, Ring 2, Ring 0), expect fine things from the first two, and cut the prequel some slack.