When I first saw the trailer for The Ritual, I was intrigued but skeptical. It looked like a by-the-numbers movie about a killer cult some poor guys wandered into while backpacking. I was also skeptical because it was yet another Netflix horror movie and, if you’ve read my other reviews of Netflix horror films (1922, Before I Wake, Eli, Birdbox, Velvet Buzzsaw), then you know that most of their horror movies have been misses with me. Having finally given The Ritual my time, however, I regret not watching it sooner.

The Ritual is not necessarily doing anything that hasn’t been done before, but it is certainly not by the numbers. There’s good characterization, decent dialogue, truly haunting moments that are shot well, and impressive design and special effects. I would dare say it’s my favorite Netflix horror film I’ve seen thus far.

Pros

• Good acting from the cast; I was invested in all the characters

• Dream sequences managed to be surreal enough without being disorienting

• Some really creepy moments in the woods

• Good ominous, atmospheric music

• Good characterization & dialogue

• Good pacing; the film is not too long

• Though I begged for the film not to show the “thing”, what is shown is pretty impressive and interesting

Cons

• Of the four men, Phil ends up being a little forgettable

• Film is better before the final act

• Still would have preferred not to see the “thing”

Plot & Thoughts

Luke (Rafe Spall), Phil (Asher Ali), Hutch (Robert James-Collier), and Dom (Sam Troughton) are on a backpacking trip in Sweden to honor the memory of their close friend who died tragically a few years prior. Luke actually witnessed the death of their friend and is still dealing with the PTSD from it, along with the guilt of having not done enough to prevent it. The hiking trip is going as everyone expected, but after putting their friend’s memory to rest at the summit of their hike, Dom twists his leg like a dummy and damages his knee. The guys all roll their eyes at the severity of the issue but still acknowledge that it would probably be best to hurry on to the somewhat nearby lodge—where they’re supposed to have reservations—rather than give Dom’s leg a chance to worsen. This leads to them taking a “shortcut” through the nearby forest. You know where this is going.

The men wander for a while and come across an animal carcass that has been arranged in a way that is very off-putting to them. Someone brings up the bright idea of turning back around, but they press on for logical reasons. The weather worsens and the group manages to find a cabin, which they break into for shelter from the rain. There are a few runic symbols that are written on the trunks of trees nearby, as well as some wooden runes dangling from the cabin’s ceiling. Despite exploring the place and finding even more evidence that they should get the hell out of that forest, the group stays the night. From there, it becomes apparent that something is seriously wrong and that they are not alone in the woods.

It pleases me to say that The Ritual is a movie that manages to become another modern example of how a simple horror story can be done well. For one thing, it made me care about the characters before the horror got started. I wanted these guys to make it through their adventure. Part of this was the fact that everyone was very convincing in their performances. The other part was how the dialogue helped build the dynamics of the characters. It’s nothing groundbreaking or poetic, but it does a great job at characterization. The way the guys all insult each other (Dom in particular) and how they play off the quirks of their personalities makes their friendship convincing. Simple lines like, “I don’t care what they say,” when Hutch is telling Luke that he’s not responsible for their friend’s death, early in the film, do several things at once: it shows that Hutch is tapped into Luke’s personal struggle and it suggests that some people do feel that Luke is responsible, which may lead to something else later. The downside of the character interactions is that Phil ends up being the least interesting and the odd man out of the bunch because he’s not damaged like Luke, level-headed like Hutch, or a whiny dick like Dom.

Once the horror picks up, friendships are tested and the quirks of their personalities become more exaggerated in the right way, making each character more than a single layer. Another strength of the dialogue during these parts is that we learn details about each of the characters without explicit exposition, such as their family life, or their struggles in family life, or how their horrible night in the cabin affected each of them. It gives us enough detail to know something is there—giving us questions to ask without explicitly answering all of them, but still providing enough details that we as the audience can make some assumptions.

Where The Ritual starts to slightly decline for me is in the final act. Up to this point, the tension has been steadily building with some great moments that were well shot and acted. There were some more good dream sequences. There were several creepy scenes in which something was in the background and barely moved before the camera cut away. There were some good chase sequences. The last act, however, takes all this built tension and slows everything down a little too much. It gives us a break from the action and explains (thankfully, not to excess) what has been chasing them, before reaching the climax. I think it wastes a bit of the momentum and gives an unnecessary backdrop to the whole thing. It’s not bad and it doesn’t ruin The Ritual. In fact, it still has its own creepy moments. However, I think a different final act could have been written and completely removed the cultish element that had made me so apprehensive about The Ritual in the first place. Not to mention, you also see what’s been haunting the men the whole time in explicit detail during this part. It looks amazing and it’s incredibly well done, but I still think that those sorts of things are best left vague and blurry in the background if you want them to stay creepy to the audience.

TL;DR (Conclusion)

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed The Ritual. Strong and subtle acting with simple, but well-written dialogue made the characters compelling, which made the tension that much more powerful. While I enjoyed the first few acts more than the last, I still think The Ritual is effective from start to finish.