Plot
Years after the tragic death of his sister, Zach returns to his childhood home. There he finds an old toy phone he used to "talk" to his dead sister, setting off a series of terrifying events, making him question what, and who, is real.
Cast
Unfamiliar with anybody involved and made by two lads with almost no experience/filmographies
Verdict
When It Rings became a work lunch movie, a film I'd watch across two lunch breaks and was just a random Youtube movie that caught my eye with its artwork. Don't get me wrong the artwork is amateurish and an immediate red flag, but something about it got my attention and I regrettably went along with it.
So what is it? Horror? Arguably not, it's more of a thriller with an ambiguous supernatural element that attempts to be deep but fails miserably. The acting is so appalling it takes you out of the realms of believeability, the plot itself is nonsenical and frustratingly stupid and another complaint? Why is it so dark? I appreciate the lack of budget but lighting?! About a third of the movie at least (And I'm being nice here) is simply too dark to make out comfortably what's happening. Thankfully you're not missing anything as the darkness doesn't shroud any excitement, it's all so very painfully boring.
And then it hits you with the finale, it tries to hit you hard, attempts to be deep, begs you to care, but by this point you're so burned out, so incapable of caring about the characters and so annoyed you actually sat through the last 90 minutes of awfulness that it has the impact of a wet paper towel.
When it Rings has no redeeming features, it really is that awful.
Rants
If they made a movie where that little toy phone (That everyone of us over a certain age had as a kid) gained sentiency, developed superpowers and went on a killing spree it would have been an embarrassing cringe inducing mess and yet still, somehow, someway would likely have made for a better watch than this!
The Good
Honestly nothing springs to mind
The Bad
Poor acting
Too dark
Criminally boring.