Summary

• Moesko Island in The Ring is full of eerie history surrounding Samara's tragic past.
• Filmed at Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, the location adds to the film's spooky atmosphere with real ghost stories.
• The Ring's legacy continues with iconic moments, A-list acting, and a terrifying premise that still delivers scares.

Moesko Island is an important location in the 2002 adaptation of The Ring continues to hold up and deliver scares thanks to its terrifying premise, A-list acting from Naomi Watts and Brian Cox, and eerie direction from Gore Verbinski. Samara (Daveigh Chase), the glowing circle found on the cursed video screen, and one of the most horrifying facial expressions ever are a few of the movie's moments that have entered the annals of scary movie legend.

In the early 2000s, American remakes of Japanese horror movies were all the rage, and The Ring was one of the best thanks to the fairytale-like journey that Rachel Keller (Watts) goes on. The way Verbinski shoots almost makes Rachel feel like Alice in Alice in Wonderland, going deeper down the rabbit hole in her attempts to find a way to save herself. Her journey takes her to a mysterious island, Moesko Island, which is home to the horror at the heart of The Ring — and according to some, the filming location has its own ghost stories.

The Ring's Moesko Island & Lighthouse Explained

Samara Was Abandoned By Her Mother Nearby

The fictional Moesko Island lies off the coast of Washington state in The Ring with the notable landmark of a lighthouse, rising above a bluff. The lighthouse is first seen when Rachel watches the videotape. Among many flashing images that appear on the screen is the lighthouse, though Rachel doesn't recognize it right away. She comes to find out that the lighthouse is on the island, as is the childhood home of Samara, the ghost from the videotape. Rachel travels to Moesko Island to see if she can get to the bottom of the curse.

On Moesko Island, Rachel discovers Samara's house, the Shelter Mountain Inn that was built nearby, and the well from the videotape. It's in that well that Samara was dumped by her mother to die of starvation and exposure, leading her to become the vengeful ghost of the film series. The source of the movie's evil is only accessible by ferry and generally soaked from a neverending deluge of drizzling rain, making for a foreboding atmosphere and one of the best locations in horror cinema.

The Moesko Island Ring Scenes Were Filmed At Yaquina Bay Lighthouse — And It Has Its Own Ghost Stories

The Stories Include A Deceased Worker & A Missing Girl

The Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is the stand-in for the Moesko Island Lighthouse and there have been some strange occurrences at Yaquina that Samara would enjoy. Built in 1871 in Newport, Oregon, the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is not only the tallest in the state, but it'ss both the last wooden lighthouse and the last with an attached living quarter (via Happy Campers RV Rentals). There are many stories associated with the lighthouse, including one of a worker falling off and dying after being lodged between the double walls, never to be retrieved.

Another story involves Muriel Trevenard, a young girl who ventured into the lighthouse to never come out. A search party found only a blood trail and her handkerchief left behind. Muriel's story would make for a great film, either following her ghost after the event or the lead-up to her disappearance. The worker's fall could be why she disappeared in the first place. Those interested in finding Muriel for themselves will need a bit of luck as guided tours of the bottom floor of the lighthouse are announced "day of" starting at 10 AM (via Yaquina Lights​​​​​​).

Ghosts or not, the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse serves as a delightful reminder of The Ring, and how the legendary film defined early-2000s horror cinema.