The movie was filmed in Astoria, Oregon and Los Angeles, California. It was released on March 18, 2005, and opened with a strong US$35 million its first weekend, more than doubling the opening weekend of another Horror Japanese remake, opened up with almost $40 million a few months before. It's final $75 million gross was far less than the originals $129 million total, and even less than 'The Grudge's' surprising $110 million dollar total.

Just before the release of this sequel, See rationale on the talk page, or replace this tag with a more specific message. Editing help is available.

In the sequel, which takes place approximately six months after the events of the first movie, Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) and her son Aidan (David Dorfman), hoping to put the distressing events they have endured behind them, have moved from Seattle to the quiet coastal community of Astoria, Oregon, looking for a fresh start. Rachel begins a new job at the Astoria Gazette, a local newspaper, working for Max Rourke (Simon Baker). Before long, there is news of a teenage homicide in town. The details surrounding it sound too familiar to Rachel, who decides to investigate. She finds the corpse of Jake (the teenager who watched the tape) and the traumitized Emily (who was with Jake at the time) who has been petrified by Samara's attack, while investigating the corpse she finds that its face has an expression of horror. As Rachel is about to leave a apparition of Samara reaches out to Rachel stating before disappearing. Rachel finds and destroys the tape. However Aidan starts to develop hypothermia, and is covered with bruises. One day when he is alone Samara herself comes to him before (once again) disappearing. Later Rachel's house is rattled in a manner similar to what a poltergiest might do.

Aidan is subsequently hospitalized, and the staff, particularly psychiatrist Dr. Emma Temple (Elizabeth Perkins), suspect foul play on Rachel's part, and won't allow her to be near him. Unable to be around her son, and desperate to find answers, Rachel travels to Seattle to dig deeper into Samara's past and origins. While there, she discovers that Samara was not Richard and Anna Morgan's biological child, as was strongly suspected in the first movie. She tracks down Samara's birth mother, Evelyn (Sissy Spacek), who tried to drown Samara as an infant, and has been living in a mental institution ever since. Evelyn insists that Samara had no father, other than an entity from the sea (a likely nod to the original Japanese Ringu, on which The Ring is based on) and advises Rachel to "be a good mother" and "listen to her baby" when she seeks advice on how to deal with Samara. When Aidan tells her (in a dream, as it is stated that Samara cannot hear them when they're sleeping) what she needs to do, Rachel is left with the most difficult decision she has ever faced.

She is to destroy Samara through Aidan, by literally drowning him, as Evelyn had attempted decades before. After holding an unconscious Aidan underwater, Samara's spirit leaves and Rachel is able to revive him. The nightmare is still not over, for Samara is attempting to re-enter through the TV set (via the well from the videotape). Against Aidan's wishes, Rachel grabs onto Samara as she is emerging, and then ends up at the bottom of Samara's well. While climbing out, Samara emerges from the water below and begins chasing Rachel up. Rachel is able to climb out barely ahead of Samara, who is calling out to Rachel as her mother, to which Rachel replies, "I'm not your fucking mommy!" and then closes the lid, sealing Samara in (supposedly) forever. Rachel then wanders the bleak, almost monochromatic world of Samara's video, trying to find an exit.

She hears Aidan's voice and walks toward it, only to come to the cliff where Anna jumped to her death. She heard Aidan calling her name below. Determined to follow Aidan's voice, and accepting her own death, Rachel jumps off the cliff and ends up back in her living room with Aidan, minus Samara. It appears both Rachel and Aidan have survived Samara once again.

In the Unrated Edition DVD release, a few extra scenes were included that were not in the theatrical release. These scenes included conversations with Rachel's new neighbor (and neighborhood gossip), Carol Breyer, an extended scene with the deer just prior to their attack on Rachel's car, the dream conversation with Aidan and the short film The Ring 3 has been confirmed by Dreamworks. The cast from the first two movies will possibly not be returning. It is heard from some sources that this film will be lower budget, possibly focusing on the history of the Morgan family, and including information not yet revealed about Samara Morgan. Naomi Watts will not be returning for the sequel.The-Tape.com, She Is Here, An Open Letter, Seven Days To Live, and Samara Is Dead are now all offline.