I'm sorry, but who the fuck, with no promotional material, and with a name as generic as _The_ fuckin' _Ritual_, told this movie, it was allowed to be so good? _Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time._
RELEASED IN 2017 and directed by David Bruckner, "The Ritual" is a psychological adventure/horror about four British dudes in their 30s who embark on a hike in remote northern Sweden wherein it slowly becomes evident that some THING is stalking them in the dark woods. Will any of them make it out alive? This is basically a meshing of “The Blair Witch Project” (1999) and “Ogre” (2008), but without the tongue-in-cheekiness of the latter. There’s also a little bit of “The Wicker Man” (1973/2006). Like “Blair Witch” the foul-mouthed protagonists become increasingly horrified in the foreboding forest and eventually turn on one another. But the sylvan cinematography is leagues superior due to the spectacular Romanian locations as opposed to the pedestrian film-work of “Blair Witch” in Maryland (which is understandable since the latter is a “found-footage” flick). I’m not going to give-away the creature, which isn’t fully revealed until the last fifteen minutes, but it’s basically a hybrid of the monsters in “The Relic” (1997) and “Wendigo” (2001), albeit bigger, and superior to both. The second half deviates from the book and people complain about it, but it’s superior to the lame black metal cult of the book IMHO and you can’t beat one potent sequence that smacks of hell-on-earth. There’s also an intriguing element about achieving nigh-immortality at the price of submissive veneration. Despite these positives, the movie’s a little uneventful and humdrum, plus it's lacking in the female department. The movie runs 1 hour 34 minutes and was shot entirely in Romania. WRITERS: Joe Barton wrote the script based on Adam Nevill’s 2012 novel. CAST: The four protagonists are played by Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier and Sam Troughton. GRADE: B/B- (6.5/10)
The Ritual is a monster movie with psychological ambitions and seemingly a decent budget. The jötunn monster is actually quite good and so are the cyclic re-enactments of the early on liquor store trauma. Unfortunately the rest of the movie is as bland as the title and relies too much on exotism of the deep Swedish forests. Sadly even that component gets watered out and the endgame cultists seem to be some recycled wiccans from Scotland rather than pre-christians of northern Scandinavia.
An American gets a ticket for an audience participation game in London, then gets involved in a case of mistaken identity. As an international plot unravels around him, he thinks it's all part of the act.
Movie Star Rating : 6.3 Read More
Steve Clark is a newcomer in the town of Cradle Bay, and he quickly realizes that there's something odd about his high school classmates. The clique known as the "Blue Ribbons" are the eerie embodiment of academic excellence and clean living. But, like the rest of the town, they're a little too perfect. When Steve's rebellious friend Gavin mysteriously joins their ranks, Steve searches for the truth with fellow misfit Rachel.
Movie Star Rating : 5.7 Read More
Forensic psychologist Alex Cross travels to North Carolina and teams with escaped kidnap victim Kate McTiernan to hunt down "Casanova," a serial killer who abducts strong-willed women and forces them to submit to his demands. The trail leads to Los Angeles, where the duo discovers that the psychopath may not be working alone.
Movie Star Rating : 6.5 Read More
The mutilated body of a six year old girl is found in a water hole. The girl is identified as the missing daughter of Claudia. However, only two peices of evidence could be used to identify her; a bracelet with her name on it near the crime scene, and the fact that her right leg was three inches longer than her left. All other methods of identification were removed from her body. Five years later Claudia, now addicted to tranquilizers, receives a phone call from someone claiming to be her daughter, asking for her mother to come find her before 'they' kill her. Other mysterious clues show up, further indicating that Claudia's daughter is indeed still alive, and very much in danger. Claudia, a run-down ex-cop, and a parapsychology reporter put together the clues to discover Angela's whereabouts
Movie Star Rating : 5.7 Read More
A group of heavily armed hijackers board a luxury ocean liner in the South Pacific Ocean to loot it, only to do battle with a series of large-sized, tentacled, man-eating sea creatures who have taken over the ship first.
Movie Star Rating : 6.2 Read More
In a far-future time ruled by the supernatural, a young girl requests the help of a vampire hunter to kill the vampire who has bitten her and thus prevent her from becoming a vampire herself.
Movie Star Rating : 6.6 Read More
Rookie cop, Amelia Donaghy reluctantly teams with Lincoln Rhyme – formerly the department's top homicide detective but now paralyzed as a result of a spinal injury – to catch a grisly serial killer dubbed 'The Bone Collector'. The murderer's special signature is to leave tantalizing clues based on the grim remains of his crimes.
Movie Star Rating : 6.8 Read More
Arthur the King 2024 - Movies (Apr 23rd)
Monkey Man 2024 - Movies (Apr 23rd)
The Cost 2023 - Movies (Apr 23rd)
Dangerous Waters 2023 - Movies (Apr 23rd)
Downtown Owl 2023 - Movies (Apr 23rd)
Time Addicts 2023 - Movies (Apr 22nd)
Tigers on the Rise 2024 - Movies (Apr 22nd)
Fern Brady Autistic Bikini Queen 2024 - Movies (Apr 22nd)
Tiger 2024 - Movies (Apr 22nd)
Hip-Hop and the White House 2024 - Movies (Apr 22nd)
Locked in My House 2024 - Movies (Apr 22nd)
My Child Has My Doctor’s Face 2024 - Movies (Apr 21st)
When Evil Lurks 2023 - Movies (Apr 21st)
Flying for the Flag 2023 - Movies (Apr 21st)
Stockholm Bloodbath 2023 - Movies (Apr 21st)
The Bricklayer 2023 - Movies (Apr 20th)
The Breaking Ice 2023 - Movies (Apr 20th)
Abigail 2024 - Movies (Apr 20th)
Hard Miles 2023 - Movies (Apr 20th)
Refuge 2023 - Movies (Apr 20th)
Love By Design 2023 - Movies (Apr 20th)
Tipping Point Australia - (Apr 23rd)
Accused - (Apr 23rd)
Inside the Force - (Apr 23rd)
NCIS - (Apr 23rd)
WWE Raw - (Apr 23rd)
This Old House - (Apr 23rd)
Bob Hearts Abishola - (Apr 22nd)
The Neighborhood - (Apr 23rd)
Contraband- Seized at the Border - (Apr 23rd)
Spring Baking Championship - (Apr 23rd)
Seeking Sister Wife - (Apr 23rd)
Ugliest House in America - (Apr 23rd)
Lakefront Empire - (Apr 23rd)
Lethally Blonde - (Apr 23rd)
The ReidOut - (Apr 23rd)
All In with Chris Hayes - (Apr 23rd)
Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh - (Apr 23rd)
Mean Girl Murders - (Apr 23rd)
Uncensored - (Apr 23rd)
All American - (Apr 23rd)