THE telephone always rings twice, and so The Ring is back, and this time the original Japanese director takes up the story.

Hideo Nakata, the lord of the Rings, made two Ringu movies and then saw Gore Verbinski chase easy thrills, distracting storylines in The Ring re-make. Only Verbinski's sensational rushing horse sequence on a ferry added to The Ring mythology.

In his American debut, Nakata goes for a closer focus in a sequel set six months on. Hotshot Seattle newshound Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) has moved to hicksville Astoria, in coastal Oregon, for a quieter office and home life with her son Aidan (David Dorfman). Above all, she wants to escape the cursed videotape and the evil Samara (Keely Stables), who is still in an undead state looking for closure after her mother abused her.

Rachel has made a copy of the original videotape, as instructed, but her belief that she has rid herself of the curse is shattered when the video nasty claims another victim. Samara has pursued nerve-shredded mom and strangely calm son to the coast where the spirit will seek to possess the boy's soul.

As Samara sets about invading Aidan's sleep and appearing behind him in mirrors and photographs, neurotic Rachel seeks to protect her son with the aid of the newspaper boss (Simon Baker). Gradually, however, Rachel's obsessive behaviour starts to trouble the authorities, especially child psychiatrist Dr Temple (Elizabeth Perkins). Could she be guilty of child abuse?

The mood and pace is slower, more elaborate and complex than The Ring, and quieter too and the human dilemmas have a stronger impact than in Verbinski's movie. This peaks in a haunting encounter between Rachel and Samara's mother, psychiatric patient Evelyn (Sissy Spacek in a typically deeply troubled Spacek cameo in her first horror role since Carrie in 1973)).

Save for one deer attack on Rachel's car (this film's rival to the horse scene in The Ring), the special effects revolve around water, a specialist subject for Nakata after his film Dark Water. They play second fiddle to the stretching of tortured souls, but are impressive crescendos until the flat final showdown.

What The Ring Two is not is scary. Instead it is a steady erosion of a well-worn path. Samara may well be back, but it is time to cement the lid on her well.

Updated: 16:32 Thursday, March 31, 2005