Ritual Killings

Imagine a mash-up of The Blair Witch Project and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre -- a horror film about a group hiking in the woods, where they encounter dark supernatural forces... and a seriously messed-up group of homicidal humans. You don't have to imagine; that movie is The Ritual.

The Ritual is easy enough to lose in the massive volume of content on Netflix. There's no big name director, writer, or actor involved to bubble it up to the surface. (Though it's possible you'd recognize star Rafe Spall as "that guy from that thing.") Yet it is a cut above your average small budget horror movie. Or perhaps it's just that with the advances of visual effects, your average small budget horror movie is capable of more.

Mind you, "showing the creature" is certainly not the only novelty of The Ritual. But it is one thing that distinguishes this movie from its Blair Witch-esque roots. There's an absolutely fantastic monster design in this movie, truly "horrific" and disturbing. And while I feel like the creative forces behind the movie must have known they did well here, they still show tension-building restraint and wait a good long while before showing you what they've done.

The quality of the visuals is not just limited to what's built in a computer. The story is set in the wilderness of Sweden (though apparently, filmed in Romania), and the cinematography is really top notch. There are beautiful natural vistas in the opening act, and then excellent night photography throughout the rest. It cannot have been easy to film under these conditions, nor easy to make it all look this good. I'm usually one to focus first on character and story in a review, so hopefully my attention here highlights just how great I think it all looks.

But, as you might have guessed, one reason I'm not as focused on character and story here is that it's not the movie's strong suit. It's not bad. It's not even bad enough to bring the movie down all that much. But is a little off. A character arc is set up in the movie's opening moments, a thesis statement of a flaw to be overcome. But I think my idea of what that arc is differs from the screen writer's. (Or, perhaps, the author of the book on which this is all based.) I see a story about finding courage; the movie seems to focus on a much baser question of mere survival.

Still, if you are a horror movie fan, I find it pretty easy to recommend The Ritual overall. Especially if you like a lot of "that's messed up" in your horror. I give The Ritual a B.