The Ritual
3 stars
Director: David Bruckner
Stars: Rafe Spall, Robert James-Collier, Sam Troughton
Duration: 94 mins
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd

The Ritual is based on the acclaimed horror novel of the same name by Adam Nevill, a story of a trip taken by four friends that goes horribly awry.

Luke (Rafe Spall), Hutch (Robert James-Collier), Phil (Arsher Ali) and Dom (Sam Troughton) take a hiking trip in the forbidding, yet beautiful, Swedish forests after they lose their friend Rob in a horrific and tragic hold-up in a convenience store.

When Dom hurts his ankle, the group takes shelter in an abandoned cabin in the middle of the woods. Their lack of preparedness for their hike is nothing compared to the horrors that are about to be unleashed on them, as they stumble on what seems to be the location of some weird and mysterious ritual.

As they try to get out of the woods, a malevolent force trails their every move. Unable to contain their fear or handle the threat, cracks soon begin to show within their friendship as bickering and resentment feed their fears and paranoia.

If The Ritual relies on many tropes for its central premise – a vast expanse of forbidding forest, animal carcasses splayed out on trees, human remains, spine-chilling noises, hallucinations, the presence of something neither human nor animal but possibly supernatural – it does not go straight for the jugular with  the horror elements of the story.

Rather, it takes its time to examine the emotions and complexities of friendships. Even more unusual is the exploration of male friendships without resorting to any male bonding clichés or posturing.

A quartet of actors who imbue the characters with depth

And so, as they face this inexplicable series of events, Luke faces his guilt about what happened to his friend. Dom hides his discomfort at this outdoorsy holiday by whinging all the time. the easy-going Phil often resorts to humour to hide his anxiety, while Hutch becomes the de facto team leader... confident and cocky until he begins to break down when he realises the extent of the hopelessness of their situation.

It’s a quartet of actors who imbue the characters with depth, making the easy camaraderie between the four authentic. It is clear they’ve been friends forever, but their friendship was never tested as it is now.  The cracks begin to show and the icy terror slowly takes over, causing them to bare their innermost anxiety.

Kudos to screenwriter Joe Barton for creating characters that are well-rounded and not mere ciphers lining up to be eaten by the monster lurking in the trees.

Director David Bruckner builds up the tension slowly and consistently and with a steady hand. The jovial mood underscoring the opening moments of the five friends enjoying a drink in the pub disappears in moments, as we witness the sudden act of violence that leads to Rob’s death.

The film immediately jumps to the four survivors taking in the impressive beauty of the Scandinavian forests they’ve chosen to explore on their vacation, taking us to the rising dread as things go down a terrifying path.

It has to be said that, when the plot ratchets things up a little and the mystery at the heart of the story takes centre stage, things go a little off course.

The beast is certainly ugly and scary and the mysterious group of villagers that worship him are certainly eerie. Yet, the fact that its intentions and purpose remain a little vague is frustrating. Its physical manifestation is much less effective than the psychological effects it has on the protagonists, which leave more of a mark throughout.

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