Ritual

You know how DJs do remixes of artists songs and many times these turn out to be better than the original? Well, this movie needs a remix. Buried within Ritual lies a film which probably could have been harrowing and intense, if they'd used much better actors, and much better direction. There were some decent scenes in it, and the use of atmospheric music worked quite well, but many times it just seemed apparent that it could have been improved on....vastly. Of course we have the (now common) 9 and 10 star fake reviews here from people involved with the movie, and hopefully someday we can lose this crap forever on IMDb (I won't hold my breath though). I guess you get better at reading between the lines however to fish out the REAL reviews if you've been around this site for a long time. Ritual isn't a bad movie, but it's not a good movie either. Sometimes it has long, drawn out, parts which seem to sit as padding, other times it jolts from one scene to another. Other scenes make little sense. For example, the main female role is being chased in the dark by two masked men, she hurts her foot, then sits screaming giving away her location. If you were being chased in the dark and managed to evade capture a while, would you then start screaming? Nope, me neither. It's the classic fault of so many horror movies - idiots doing things you would never do in real life.

If you want to kill a couple of hours Ritual isn't the worst film out there, once you get past it's slow start. But it just about manages to hold your attention. And for the fake reviewer here who suggested that someone who gave a negative review might be "retarded" that's simply not nice. Most of us review a film honestly, and there are many of us who are very passionate about the horror genre. If you get mixed reviews of a movie you've made - learn from them. Especially if the film is one of your first. Don't attack people because you think you know better. It's the viewer you're pitching to, not yourself. And Ritual showed promise for now. But really it should have been better.

This movie is not as bad as some of the reviews I have read on here. I gave it a try and I really liked the story about the satanic cult because I think things like that are creepy and something can really happen or has happened. The movie had believable acting and build some great tension and suspense. There was also some great creepy scenes and symbolism through out the film. Also the masked used were simple, but effective enough to creep you out.Where the film falls short is some unnecessary scenes that drag on a bit and the ending was a bit unsatisfying. Overall the movie was OK and good for a one time watch. I recommend people should at least watch it once.

Ritual takes the often used trapped in a motel room thriller and adds in a satanic cult element but doesn't do anything original with the idea.

The intro had my hopes up with it's stylish opening and eerie credits with the gradually appearing skull mask setting the mood very well. yet as the movie carried on my interest gradually waned as each scene was a real effort to sit through. An almost totally unlikeable female lead and virtually no chemistry between the two main actors made for every exchange between them a real laborious viewing experience.

The cults masks were fairly effective but you never really got to see what they were up to. The strange use of a high pitched whine as scenes got more "intense" was a rather annoying sonic choice that for me didn't pay off. The usual horror movie foolish choices appear but you should be used to that sort of thing if you watch this sort of movie. Obvious comparisons to vacancy are likely but the two movies are almost poles apart in terms of delivery. Vacancy is almost relentless once it gets going were as Ritual is a more sedate slow burn.

The biggest problem with Ritual for me was it wasn't any fun. It was just a little too miserable and slow. Ritual is not really a bad movie but having seen it it's probably one I wish I'd waited to watch on the horror channel.

Wow, i was once prescribed valium for insomnia but it didn't work, i tried everything, herbal tea, Chinese medicine, Zopidone or whatever that stuff is called. Anyway all of that could have been avoided if i had just had this film at hand. Perfect remedy for peaceful relaxing sleep. Now the writer of this film probably thought that some of his ideas would look really cool once they got round to shooting them but seriously sometimes it's just best to look at the end product & shelve it. The Ritual is a bad movie! Awful Film School style visuals, mind numbing sound, terrible script, over long sequences of nothing in particular or interesting. Snap shot editing that feels clumsy & again like a 14 year old film wannabe threw his hand in. Skull masks don't make a film scary & dropping little homages to older, much better horror films does not make your film any cooler if the idea is crap in the first place. This wants to be edgy but ends up looking & feeling all wrong. If you need a film to help you sleep, wack it on but other than that seriously don't entertain the idea of watching it for real, its a mess.

"Ritual" is a neat little scary movie with a simple plot held together by a very interesting style and strong performances overall. The story takes its time to get where going but suspense always builds with the help of a unique soundtrack and solid delivery by the husband and wife characters. The fuzzy, lingering camera shots create an uneasiness and there are a couple of great WTF moments before the cult arrives (particularly one involving a very creepy doll). I think the most interesting thing about this film is that I never really knew where the movie was going, even when it ended up where you might expect!

Overall, this movie is a great gem for fans of the horror genre and those looking for a unique experience.

*******/10