Rafe Spall

Arsher Ali

Robert James-Collier

Sam Troughton

Paul Reid

Matthew Needham

Jacob James Beswick

Maria Erwolter

Hilary Reeves

Peter Liddell

Francesca Mula

Kerri McLean

Gheorghe Mezei

Adriana Macsut

Constantin Codrea

Zane Jarcu

Zoe Cooper

David Bruckner

Richard Holmes

Julie Harkin

Adrian Curelea

Patricia Poienaru

Ana Ioneci

Andy Serkis

Adam Nevill

Jonathan Cavendish

Mark Towns

Joe Barton

Andy Fraser

Nick Allder

Teo Bostanica

Delmi Thomas

Katie Shahrokh

Liam Lock

Marius Emil Stanescu

Luke Gentry

Ben Meechan

Radu Marinescu

Ron Karkoska

Paul Elman

Mihai Busuioc

Dinica Tiberiu

Florin Niculae

Valeriu Chiran

Butiseaca Florin

Katie Bullock-Webster

Catalin Ciobanu

Bogdan Stanciu

Andra Barbuica

Dominic Gibbs

Thora Woodward

Dana Boghean-Melconian

Stephen Nixon

Ciprian Dumitrașcu

Vlad Cioplea

Florin Gavrila

Adi Handac

Cristian Baluta

Will Tennant

Ben Lovett

Phil Robertson

Ron Ames

Xavier Marchand

Andrew Shulkind

Jemma Riley-Tolch

Catalin Voinea

Kim Honeyman

Domnica Circiumaru

Elisa Scubla

Parpala Mara

Peter Burgis

Elena Nastasia Mateiu

Adam Horley

Lupsa Armand

Zoe Freed

Raluca Tataru

Lidia Ivanov

Keith Thompson

Catalin Chiorean

Marcu Ion

Mihai Ionita

Marius Florian

Glen Gathard

Teddy Cavendish

Matt Watson

Steve Neal

Cristian Dragos

Diana Ghinea

Mihnea Bogos

Alexandru Durac

James Gregory

Gina Calin

Florin Ion

Horror

Thriller

Mystery

The Ritual

Entertainment One

The Imaginarium

Sierra/Affinity

Canada

United Kingdom

United States of America

English

svenska

robbery

monster

based on novel or book

nightmare

sweden

hiking

scandinavia

forest

friends

grief

murder

cabin

guilt

survival horror

pagan

norse mythology

guilty conscience

folk horror

lost in the woods

depressing

Gimly

I'm sorry, but who the fuck, with no promotional material, and with a name as generic as _The_ fuckin' _Ritual_, told this movie, it was allowed to be so good?

_Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time._

RELEASED IN 2017 and directed by David Bruckner, "The Ritual" is a psychological adventure/horror about four British dudes in their 30s who embark on a hike in remote northern Sweden wherein it slowly becomes evident that some THING is stalking them in the dark woods. Will any of them make it out alive? 

This is basically a meshing of “The Blair Witch Project” (1999) and “Ogre” (2008), but without the tongue-in-cheekiness of the latter. There’s also a little bit of “The Wicker Man” (1973/2006). Like “Blair Witch” the foul-mouthed protagonists become increasingly horrified in the foreboding forest and eventually turn on one another. But the sylvan cinematography is leagues superior due to the spectacular Romanian locations as opposed to the pedestrian film-work of “Blair Witch” in Maryland (which is understandable since the latter is a “found-footage” flick).

I’m not going to give-away the creature, which isn’t fully revealed until the last fifteen minutes, but it’s basically a hybrid of the monsters in “The Relic” (1997) and “Wendigo” (2001), albeit bigger, and superior to both. The second half deviates from the book and people complain about it, but it’s superior to the lame black metal cult of the book IMHO and you can’t beat one potent sequence that smacks of hell-on-earth. There’s also an intriguing element about achieving nigh-immortality at the price of submissive veneration. Despite these positives, the movie’s a little uneventful and humdrum, plus it's lacking in the female department.                

The movie runs 1 hour 34 minutes and was shot entirely in Romania. WRITERS: Joe Barton wrote the script based on Adam Nevill’s 2012 novel. CAST: The four protagonists are played by Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier and Sam Troughton. 

GRADE: B/B- (6.5/10)

Walruse

The Ritual is a monster movie with psychological ambitions and seemingly a decent budget. The jötunn monster is actually quite good and so are the cyclic re-enactments of the early on liquor store trauma. Unfortunately the rest of the movie is as bland as the title and relies too much on exotism of the deep Swedish forests. Sadly even that component gets watered out and the endgame cultists seem to be some recycled wiccans from Scotland rather than pre-christians of northern Scandinavia.

David Bruckner's The Ritual is an atmospheric horror film that effectively combines psychological tension with a touch of the supernatural. The story follows four friends on a hiking trip in the Scandinavian wilderness, where they encounter not only the haunting landscape but also their own fears and regrets.

What sets The Ritual apart is the authenticity of the characters and their relationships. The dialogue and interactions feel natural, and the bond between the friends comes across as genuine, with years of shared history subtly woven into their exchanges. This grounding in realism makes the escalating terror all the more impactful.

The film takes its time building suspense, though some scenes linger longer than necessary, and certain dialogues feel repetitive. These moments, while noticeable, don’t detract significantly from the overall experience. The latter part of the movie veers into unexpected territory, delivering an unsettling and imaginative climax that feels fresh in a genre often bound by convention.

Visually, the film is stunning, with the eerie forest serving as a character in its own right, amplifying the isolation and dread. The Ritual succeeds in blending human drama with horror, creating a story that's both haunting and deeply relatable. While not without minor flaws, it’s a compelling watch for fans of atmospheric and character-driven horror.

Has a great first half but really lets itself down after the monster makes its first appearance. Still a solid horror, definitely worth a watch but nothing to cry about. The first house sequence was really well done and genuinely scary 3/5

The Ritual | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix

THE RITUAL (2017) Official UK Trailer HD, David Bruckner

The Ritual( 2017)

Your darkest dream awaits you.

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A review by Gimly

Written by Gimly on Wed Feb 14 2018

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