Its been a while since I reviewed a movie, but this one had me sharpening my pencils. I went in expecting the usual horror movie flick aimed at young audiences with jumpscares, bad dialogues, the usual trope with a decent twist thrown in at the end (The Descent, Cabin in the Woods, Eden City anyone?). Dont get me wrong, all decent films but forgotten soon enough. With the Ritual instead, what we got was a rare horror masterpiece, very refreshing and artfully done, its definitely going to stay at the back of my mind for a while.
The Ritual is a harmonious cross between The VVitch and Midsomar. It tells the unfortunate tale of 4 friends who go on a hike trip to Sweden. What is absolutely haunting, and definitely its most standout feature, is the cinematography. The cinematography here is equal parts haunting and stunning, desolate and beautiful. Its most winning feature along with the camera work and music, is used in the film as a mechanism to increase the foreboding of the viewer. The cinematography in this film alone is worth watching for believe me.
While praising it, I can also see why this film might not have sat well with mainstream audiences. So long as the movie kept the plot a secret, you are free to believe the worst. The mystery is unraveled in the final 30 mins of the movie, and this is where I believe the film might have lost its audience. I wont say much beyond this, but The Ritual is artful, and haunting and superbly executed.
The rating of 6.3 awarded to the film here is nonsense. 4 on 5 from me.
The Ritual is a harmonious cross between The VVitch and Midsomar. It tells the unfortunate tale of 4 friends who go on a hike trip to Sweden. What is absolutely haunting, and definitely its most standout feature, is the cinematography. The cinematography here is equal parts haunting and stunning, desolate and beautiful. Its most winning feature along with the camera work and music, is used in the film as a mechanism to increase the foreboding of the viewer. The cinematography in this film alone is worth watching for believe me.
While praising it, I can also see why this film might not have sat well with mainstream audiences. So long as the movie kept the plot a secret, you are free to believe the worst. The mystery is unraveled in the final 30 mins of the movie, and this is where I believe the film might have lost its audience. I wont say much beyond this, but The Ritual is artful, and haunting and superbly executed.
The rating of 6.3 awarded to the film here is nonsense. 4 on 5 from me.