This 2017 British horror film The Ritual is directed by David Bruckner and written by Joe Barton. It tells the story of four friends—Dom, Hutch, Luke and Phil—who decide to go to Sweden for a hiking trip on Kungsleden (King’s Trail) after their close friend, Rob, is robbed and killed at a convenience store by two junkies. However, after deciding to deviate from their original path because Dom injures his foot, they begin to encounter strange artifacts and have unsettling dreams.
The Ritual is very similar to other horror films that take place in the woods, like The Blair Witch Project and The Cabin in the Woods. It also brings in other horror tropes that includes ancient rituals, supernatural creatures and mysterious cults, so on the surface level, this film just seems like any other horror film.
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Although The Ritual uses these cliches, the movie still stands out because of how well it is executed. Bruckner focuses a lot on the atmosphere and sound, relying on the natural surroundings to make the audience uncomfortable as they wait to see whatever is going to appear from woods. It’s not until the end that the monster finally reveals itself, and it was honestly my favorite part of the film because the reveal was equally terrifying and impressive.
But there are definitely things that could have been worked on a bit more, such as the character development. Besides Luke, who clearly suffers from survivor’s guilt because he was too scared to help Rob in the convenience store, the other friends are very bland. There’s one scene that had each of them describe what they would eat, from steak and scotch to sushi and red wine, nicely showing how different each guy is, but it wasn’t enough to feel connected to them in my opinion.
Overall, The Ritual is a decent film. It’s not the best horror film that has come out this year, but it’s definitely watchable.