An adaptation of Adam Nevill’s 2011 horror novel, The Ritual is notable — and very welcome — for its commitment to delivering a solid genre experience. With nary a po-mo nudge or wink in sight, it replaces clever-clever games with a welcome commitment to just being a traditional horror movie. There are dark and stormy nights, suggestions of ancient evil, spooky cabins in woods, and the idea that what really haunts us lies within rather than without — all of which you’ll have seen before. But, like somebody doing a cracking Charleston, sometimes there can be pleasure in seeing an old standard done well.
A solid if unsurprising genre piece.
In a time when quasi-ironic pastiches abound, when too many filmmakers want you to know they’re smarter than the film they’re making, it’s refreshing to have an old-fashioned spooky forest flick that only wants to have you out of your seat. It’ll get you out of it, too — just not in awe at its ambition.
This is a horror film where the characters seem to have actually seen a horror film, but instead of irritating one-liners and ridiculous decisions, this knowledge lets them know that as soon as they see a gutted deer in the trees of antler-handed effigies, they’re in serious trouble. Progressing from plausibly played banter to almost turning on one another as the presence in the woods moves in on them, all four — including Four Lions’ Arsher Ali and Merlin’s Sam Troughton — are solid, with Rob James-Collier’s benign NCO type standing out. Rafe Spall is his usual dependable self, anchoring proceedings with an unfussy performance as a guilt-ridden everyman — the amount of self-loathing he packs into simply having a fag is impressive, and his nuanced turn classes up what’s essentially a B-movie.
Director David Bruckner has clearly seen a few horrors himself, with slow zooms and lengthy where’s-the-danger still frames showing he’s been taking notes from some of the classics, and his visualisations of Spall’s haunting visions of the murder he could have stopped are smart.
However, skilful delivery of familiar stuff is still familiar — there are scenes here that felt old-hat back in The Blair Witch Project, and right from the first discovery of runes carved into tree trunks you can probably work out what’s going on.
This has clearly been made by people aware of the traditions that lie behind them, and understand horror cinema’s position as a venue where trauma is processed, which is admirable. There’s nothing wrong per se with The Ritual but this feels more like a calling card than a full delivery of Bruckner and his team’s potential. Now they’ve perfected how to use the tools, it’ll be even better when they learn how to make their own machine with them.
