The Ritual

Attempts to put a twist on the Blair Witch formula but demonstrates surprisingly little imagination.

A superior B-movie shocker set in the hinterlands of northern Sweden.

If it lacks the originality and sheer muscle of the best horror fare, this does offer an astute take on fragile thirtysomething machismo.

Starts with an effective inciting incident but devolves into something that feels overly familiar.

Directed by David Bruckner, the film's horror is engaging; its look, handsome. While thoughtfully done, the entertainment value of this sombre scare fiesta isn't high.

Surely the best Yank-directed horror movie about English blokes terrorized by monsters in Romania-posing-as-Sweden that you'll see this year.

The Ritual will feel like a trip to comfortably uncomfortable environs. And yet Bruckner's film has more meat on its bones than most, its mayhem splattered with not only blood but issues of guilt, regret and redemption.

Eventually, the filmmakers reveal the secrets they'd previously withheld, spoiling the film's sustained mystique.

The core cast all play a part in making the viewer care. There's panic, terror, confusion and even the odd dry joke to bring some levity to the tension. Everyone (bar Dom) is likeable to various degrees.

... a seductively disorienting saga...

The actors uphold it with all their strength, but that sadly doesn't prove to be enough to overcome the familiar and clichéd storytelling.

A wonderful allegory of the power of good horror cinema. [Full Review in Spanish]