Why watch The Ritual
Four friends venture into a Swedish forest to honor a fallen mate, only to discover they're being hunted by something older and far more deliberate than a random predator. The Ritual opens with genuine dread—the kind that builds from human vulnerability before anything supernatural arrives—making it feel grounded in a way that separates it from jump-scare horror.
Director David Bruckner crafts a slow-burn nightmare that recalls the atmospheric tension of A24 folk-horror like Hereditary, where the real terror lives in isolation and the fracturing of trust between friends. The film trusts silence and shadow over noise, letting paranoia simmer as the group turns on each other in the dark.
What makes this essential viewing is how it weaponizes male ego and grief against survival instinct. These aren't horror-movie archetypes—they're convincingly flawed, panicked people making terrible decisions under duress, which makes every moment feel like it could be their last. Rafe Spall grounds the chaos with raw, unglamorous fear.
You'll spend ninety minutes genuinely unsure whether the real threat is external or born from the men's own unraveling bonds. The final act delivers a creature design that's genuinely unsettling, but it's the moral ambiguity that'll haunt you long after.
— The What2Watch desk · US
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The story
A group of college friends reunite for a trip to the forest, but encounter a menacing presence in the woods that's stalking them.
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Reviews & ratings
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-ch…Show more
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 w…Show more
David Bruckner's The Ritual is an atmospheric horror film that effectively combines psychological tension with a touch of the supernatural. The story follows four friends on a hiking trip in the Scandinavian wilderness, where they encounter not only the haunting landscape but also their own fears and regrets. What sets The Ritual apart is the authenticity of the characters and their relationships. The dialogue and…Show more
Has a great first half but really lets itself down after the monster makes its first appearance. Still a solid horror, definitely worth a watch but nothing to cry about. The first house sequence was really well done and genuinely scary 3/5
Based on Adam Nevill’s novel, The Ritual follows four friends hiking Sweden’s Kungsleden trail who unknowingly enter the domain of a mythical jötunn creature named Moder. The film builds tension effectively through eerie atmosphere and gradual conflict, as strange events lead to a terrifying discovery. Though the horror setup and character development are strong, some action scenes and dialogue fall short. The myster…Show more
64/100 After tragically losing a friend, 4 guys decide to go hiking in Northern Sweden. After entering a forest, in an attempt to find a shortcut, they find themselves having unexplained visions and being pursued by something malevolent and huge. Heard a lot of praise for this film so I probably went into it with my expectations to high. Struck me as a pretty run-of-the-mill "people being hunted by a monster" film…Show more
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