Ritual Macabro

Was probably one of the worst horror/thriller movies I have watched in awhile and there are a whole lot of those. The story line was so easy to guess what came next. Throughout the movie my husband and I were both wanting to stop the movie so we could watch another worth what little time we have together. I really can't believe After Dark Films put there name on this. It was one of the only reasons I even rented it. The acting was even very poor. They never gave an explanation why they did what they did or explain what the "rituals" really were for or about. I just hope to God they don't intend to make a second movie of this crap caliber or with the same actors. BLEH!!!!

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.

The trailer makes this movie look great but honestly it is not worth watching. It is extremely slow throughout the whole entire movie and was difficult to watch due to such bad acting and a boring storyline!! The creepy masks were a good idea but were not used to their full potential. Seriously nothing happens the entire time. The dialogue is really bad too, the characters have the same conversation for extended periods throughout the movie. It might have been a good short film, it could have been all fit in within 15 minutes. Even then the scary sequences aren't scary at all due to the length of time it takes for anything to happen. There needed to be a "falk in the road!"

"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

This is the most frustrating film I have ever watched. When the plot finally decides to drag it's way to a point, it makes that point multiple times and lingers on every shot just to drive it home. You could easily cut 45 minutes off the beginning and not miss anything crucial to the storyline. Even the transitions crawl at a mind numbing pace. The characters are boring, and unbelievably stupid, the dialog is boring, the title is boring. This isn't the so bad it's good type of film, this is painful to watch. This movie is wasting your time and relishes in it.

Oh and the female protagonist's name is Lovely.