The Ritual

I don't remember ever reviewing a movie here, but I decided to come at the rescue of this movie... I really enjoyed this movie and I go against the reviews which once more put it in the "average around 6.0 score" where so many other scary movies are standing. I consider myself a horror/scary amateur and I have seen many movies of this kind, and since the last 10 years, its getting harder to find some that makes you say "ok, this was a bit different".... (of course there are some, but in my opinion over the large quantity, only over 20% are passing the "not too bad" test"). For once, we don't have to bear some stupid teenagers partying for spring break in the forest, some people behaving so stupidly that you think "seriously ??", a haunted house, a possession, or a redneck hillbilly family... Here the movie has a lot of a "realistic" touch to it, the characters are normal and they could be us, normal people behaving normally in the face of danger and fear and that reinforce the attachment for the characters. Many times I wondered, "damn, i dont know what I would have done in this situation". The mood is nicely growing more and more stressing and not much of the "monster" is shown for a long time, letting the viewer finding out slowly about the real horror happening in those woods. The change of scenery (Swedish forest) and the isolation of the characters reinforce the idea that nature in itself can be scary and that even a friendly country like Sweden can appear in another light... The last quarter of the movie is a bit more conventional to the genre but still not falling in all the clichés. I especially raise a thumb up for the creature design and the explanation on what it is. Probably not all will approve, but I liked the way this was going and when learning what the creature really was, I wondered "would I try to fight against that or give up ?"

So yeah, this movie is not THE movie of the year for me, but for sure, it is totally over many of the "i watch and I forget" movie that I've been seing in horror recently. I recommend.

As a film, I really enjoyed it. Kinda creepy, and it was well executed from cast to photo to everything.

Only thing i oppose, as a Swede, is the image of the Swedish woods as something scary. It really isn't, I'm sorry to say. I have spent a good many nights there in tents and cabins, and I am pretty well educated about the folklore. This one turns into something that is reall none-Scandinavian in terms of that. None of the "rituals" or creatures have nothing to do with actual lore. Sure, they speak about norse figures like the children of Loki, but that is just silly.

As a fright-flick, though, it is good.

And for you to know: We do have scary creatures in the woods. But we who live here know them, and they look like nothing as projected here. Come and see.

Less is often more. In The Ritual, this is so true as the wilderness, the forest and creepy sounds are what create the tension. The effects are few, but effective. Four men go on a hike and end up somewhere in the deepest forests in Sweden, only to discover that something evil awaits them there. The first half of the movie is really good. The end not as good but decent. Unfortunately, the film is not shot in Sweden but in Romania, which I think is a shame because I myself am Swedish and immediately saw that nature does not look at all like in Sweden. But overall it is better than average low budget horror movies and worth watching.

No spoilers in this review but having come away from watching this film, on my own at the local Empire Cinema on Friday 13th I would say this is a good horror film for those who are bored senseless by the endless tide of "jump scare but not scary really" horror films we have to endure these days.

This is a proper story with a proper start, middle and end.

At times unsettling, at times creepy, at times a bit distressing whilst always being restrained (its not an utter gore fest and the violence is all the more affecting for that) this is a decent film elevated by good characterisation and very good acting.

Whilst nothing utterly original is on offer here, it is a film that does what it says on the tin and it is all done well. Special mention to Rafe Spall who, just like his dad, Timothy, continues to be brilliant in everything he's in.

Solid 7/10 and one for fans of proper horror. It deserves to be seen at the cinema as well so I'd urge people to get to watch this.

So going off wandering might not always be the best idea. Especially if you have some baggage to carry (pun intended). And while we do get some flashbacks and some backstory to the characters and their motivation to go on that trip, some may feel like the rest of the story is detached from that. Don't get me wrong, it has quite a few moments, it is shocking and it is tension filled, which might make you sit at the edge of your seat.

There is also the moral question and the what would you have done (that's for the inciting incident, the one that is the reason for their predicament in the first place)? It is a tough question to answer for some, though even those who may say different might have acted exactly the same way. The ending is maybe a little bit of a let down, but technically this is sound to say the least ...