Ritual

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.

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!!!!

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.

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.

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.