Review of The Ritual (2017) by John M — 11 Apr 2018

Into the woods. So this is about a group of British college buddies. They make arrangements to go on a hiking vacation in Sweden, but when they choose to take a shortcut through the forest, they have a shocking realization: someone or something is tracking them.

Now I love the diamond in the rough movie; it's one of my favorite types of films out there and I am elated whenever I happen to stumble upon one. It is honestly the main reason why I watch as many movies as I do, because that's how you find the good ones that you want to share; most people just don't know what to take the time on when it comes to smaller titles.

The Ritual is just that, and if you're in the mood for something spooky, you should go ahead and fire up your Netflix streaming. For this being straight to Netflix, it's actually really well made, and I will say that I did not anticipate this being as good as it is.

It is an atmospheric horror film where the environment plays a large part in making the scares work. You really feel the isolation in the Swedish wilderness, and regardless of where this story is going, you know that these guys do not have help on the way.

Whatever is stalking them, they're going to have to deal with it on their own, which is usually what makes a horror film successful. And speaking of, this movie does a great job of not showing you the antagonist until absolutely necessary, and really, that's almost always the best route to go in a movie such as this one, just look at Jaws.

I am a big time subscriber to the 'less is more' theory of horror, and The Ritual showcases why it is a successful school of thought. The mystery behind what is going on keeps you going, and you are never able to fully ascertain if this is really happening or if this is some sort of manifestation of personal demons.

The lead character in this (Rafe Spall) is most definitely plagued by guilt, so it could really go either way right up to the conclusion. I really ended up digging everything that this movie has to offer.

It is filled with surprises from start to finish in a quick 94 minute runtime, and I think if you are a horror fan, this is going to deliver the goods for you. It doesn't change the game or anything, but I do believe that genre fans are really going to connect with this if they give it a chance.

I was in it from start to finish, and I highly suspect you will be too.