Horror Movie Review: Ring Ring (2019)

An interesting concept, good cast and clever setup isn’t enough to save Ring Ring from being a disappointing and boring movie. The idea of a group of disgruntled employees, who are due to be sacked when their branch closes down, deciding to steal their bosses’ client list only to end up in a ‘house of horrors’ has a real dark vibe to it. It conjures up interesting imagery of just what kind of story we have here.

How did the disgruntled employees end up in the situation? Who put them there? Is it revenge for stealing the client list? What will they have to do to escape? There are so many directions it could go in yet it goes down one of the worst. Resulting in such a nothing second half, it’s almost not worth watching.

A real shame too as the first half is strong as we’re introduced to our main cast in their telemarketing office. Will (Malcolm Goodwin), Amber (Kirby Bliss) and a couple of others hate their jobs but still are less than pleased with they are informed the branch they work in is closing.

Angry and blaming their boss, Mr Daniels (Lou Ferrigno) they come up with a plan to steal the company client list and start their own competing business. The plan goes off with only a few minor hitches but while out celebrating, Will gets drunk, hooks up with a woman and loses his phone. Which just so happened to have the client list on it.

The set-up is great and there’s even a comedic edge to the events but then it all goes quite wrong. Not just for us but the characters too as Will and Amber track the phone to a house. There, they break in and find the phone but run afoul of Jacob (Tommy Kijas) who locks them in his basement.

He’s a junkie and they figure they can get out of the situation. Until they find a dead body in the freezer of the basement. Then they realise they’re in a lot of trouble.

Ring Ring goes off the rails so abruptly, you’ll wonder if this was two separate short movies jammed together to make one whole one. Such is the disconnect between the first half and the second. Aside from the characters and the awkward way in which their captor is introduced earlier, there is nothing to relate the two.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the second half is incredibly slow moving and fails to drum up sympathy or interest in any character’s plight.

Some credit can be given to the movie’s attempts to subvert expectations. Such as the villain being a troubled drug addict who acted impulsively. Or Amber being the one to really try and get her and Will out of the situation they’re in. However, all of this just feels like missed opportunities in the end. As it all amounts to nothing and it’s ending is such a let-down, it’s hard not to feel like your time was wasted.