The Ritual (2017) Review
- Viktoria
- May 20
- 5 min read
Director: David Bruckner
Year of release: 2017
Countries of origin: United Kingdom, Canada
Spoiler status: light spoilers
Genre: Folk and Ritual Horror
The Ritual is a folk horror movie that might not stand out in today's horror scene, but it definitely should. As a person who loves horror, I'm ashamed to admit I didn't know this film existed until a few days ago.
This folk horror masterpiece is gritty, dark, and perfectly dreadful. It's somewhere between The Blair Witch Project and Midsommar, so if you liked either of those movies, you're in for a treat.
The Ritual is the perfect horror movie to watch when you need something intense to take your mind off whatever's happening in the real world. How it has only a 6.4 on IMDb and 63% on Rotten Tomatoes' Popcornmeter is beyond me. Those ratings should definitely be higher.
With all that being said, let me be clear: it's not a perfect horror movie, but it's definitely scary. So be sure to prepare a blanket or a pillow to hide behind; I sure did.
The plot of The Ritual
This folk horror follows a group of friends who decide to fulfill their murdered friend's last wish to go on a hiking trip in Sweden. The story turns pretty dark right from the start, and I would say that Rob's (played by Paul Reid) death is one of the most disturbing scenes in the whole film. Things get only grimmer as we're taken deeper into the characters' minds, realizing how Rob's death affected each of them.
Luke (Rafe Spall) blamed himself for the death of one of his best friends, and the guilt was so great that it followed him into his dreams. He kept on having nightmares about that fateful night, forcing himself to relive the same dreadful thing over and over again. The nightmares only got worse as they entered the forest, almost as if they wanted to tell him something, but the message was always just outside his grasp. Dom (Sam Troughton) also decided to blame Luke for everything that happened to Rob. He thought that Luke escaping without a scratch wasn't fair. The tension between these two characters was tangible right from the start, and it's one of the main catalysts in the story. Once Dom stated his opinion loud and clear, things accelerated quite a bit.
This whole movie is heavily laced with a single, clear message. Hiding your feelings and trying to get over them without help is pointless. Sooner or later, everything floats to the surface. And if you don't manage your feelings correctly, they will try to kill you. Well, maybe not your feelings, but an ancient creature will. You get the gist. So do yourself a favor and go to therapy; you don't want the bastard offspring of Loki knocking at your door in the middle of the night. 👀
Is The Ritual actually scary?
As I stated in the intro, the movie is far from being perfect, but it's definitely scary. Dread is built not only visually but aurally, too. Intense silences and sound cues paired with thick shadows and visually misleading scenes make a winning combo. There's something uniquely spooky about being in a forest where the predator blends into its surroundings. You don't know where the threat is, you just know it's there. Directors often play with this phenomenon, hiding their monsters in the thick, dark shadows, like a subliminal message. You can't see them, but your brain picks up on the slight difference and warns you something's not right. In this case, the monster was camouflaged so well that I couldn't even tell it was there, but when it moved, it made me feel a new level of unease. Let me tell you, not being able to rely on your senses is a level of dread I don't want to feel ever again.
So, to answer the question: The Ritual is one of the scariest movies I've ever watched. Its brilliance isn't in the forced scares, but in the subtlety of its storytelling.
What is a Jötunn?
As I was watching the movie, I had a few theories about the monster that was chasing the group. At first, I was convinced it could be a wendigo. Looking back now, I have no idea why I'd think that because it makes no sense. My second theory included a shapeshifter, which was much closer to the truth.
So, to answer the question: a jötunn (sometimes spelled jotun), in Norse mythology, is a supernatural being often described as a giant, though not all jötnar share that physical trait. But why am I mentioning these beings? Well, as it turns out, the monster is a jötunn.
The bastard offspring of Loki, called Moder, is a terrifying giant creature that has not only the ability to shapeshift but also projects telepathic illusions into its victims' minds, breaking them on the spot. It's patient as well, lurking in the forest's shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to snatch its next victim. By combining all these traits, the creator, Adam Nevill, gave us one of the most terrifying creatures in horror history. It might look a bit silly, but don't let it fool you. Its potential is truly nightmarish.
Is The Ritual good?
The Ritual is a truly enjoyable horror movie. It has a great villain and a superb plot, but unfortunately, it focuses too much on one single character. At first, the plot focuses on a group of friends honoring their murdered friend's last wish, but the spotlight slowly shifts from them to Luke and his character development. He becomes "the chosen one" while the rest of the group drifts into the background, slowly turning into supporting characters. I'm not saying it's necessarily a bad thing, but it definitely takes away from the experience, turning the film somewhat predictable.
Does this mean that The Ritual is a bad horror movie? Absolutely not. Even though the character development plotlines were absolutely predictable, some other aspects of the movie made up for this flaw. The world and cult they've built around the creature were spine-chilling, making this one of the better folk horror movies I've watched recently. Some people say The Ritual is just a cheaper version of Midsommar (which is impossible since it was released roughly 2 years prior). This statement couldn't be farther from the truth. The Ritual does share some similarities with the 2019 hit horror film, but this doesn't mean it's a cheap knock-off (again, even if it wanted to, it couldn't be). It deserves to be mentioned as a stand-alone horror success because that's exactly what it is.
Rating: 🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️
The Ritual gets a 4/5 only because of its predictability. As I said, I don't like predictable horror movies; they take away from the experience. But in this movie, it didn't bother me that much because there were plenty of other elements I could enjoy. If you like folk horror, you have to put this one on your to-watch list. Trust me, you won't regret it.
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