Realistic characters, excellent character design, and some horrific surprises combine to make The Ritual stand out as one of the better horror films of the 2010s.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 22, 2023

Giving the tried and tested Blair Witch formula a Hangover face lift - sans the comedy - The Ritual is a highly effective shocker.

| Jun 10, 2021

A workmanlike but watchable horror flick which provokes a few gasps without ever really raising your heart rate.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 29, 2021

I thought where the film ended up was so original because it incorporated so many different themes... I think it was really original.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Apr 16, 2021

Has some great elements but despite an anxiety-inducing droning soundtrack and a building sense of dread, it is not eerie enough to justify its overlong 95 minutes running time.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Mar 4, 2021

The Ritual seems like a familiar film, but the horrors inside are something unexpected and beautifully delivered.

| Jan 2, 2021

The Ritual is not nearly as effective when the force stalking them goes from abstract to all too real.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jan 28, 2020

It is a haunting film, with immaculate direction, impressive creature design, as well as well-acted and well-realised characters.

| Oct 24, 2019

This is a well-done horror film, with authentic notes of grief and guilt, gorgeous trackless woods smoking with mist, and creature design which offers real pleasurable terror.

| Sep 19, 2019

The lack of personality of the protagonists gives a certain abstract and essential quality to the film. [Full Review in Spanish]

| Jul 27, 2019

The Ritual is about the rituals through which we put ourselves to dull our mistakes and weaknesses, and also those that allow us to break free of them.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Apr 28, 2019

The Ritual develops a sense of dread and consistently ups the ante, dragging us through the woods towards a climax that is both unexpected and riveting.

| Apr 10, 2019

While The Ritual may not bring anything new to the table, it does offer stress and misery aplenty, meaning that any viewers who are happy with the same old horror clichés certainly won't feel cheated.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 21, 2019

It's full of tension and chills, especially when the audience doesn't know what's in the woods and the group is coming apart at the seams ... or ribcage.

| Feb 1, 2019

The Ritual adeptly establishes an oppressively doom-rich atmosphere, and then proceeds to pitilessly slash into the viewer's subconscious with some genuinely chilling, uncanny horror imagery

| Original Score: B | Dec 7, 2018

The Ritual is a character-driven film that takes four friends down a sinister and unearthly path.

| Original Score: 9.5/10 | Nov 2, 2018

An inspiringly mediocre seasonal horror that you'll remember for the laughs rather than the scares, and even then, there's not a huge amount.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 31, 2018

It's still an above average horror film that doesn't stick the landing. That said, it's worth checking out for anyone who enjoys horror films.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Oct 10, 2018

Aside from a repetitive middle section and a reliance on cribbed horror tropes, The Ritual will definitely make audiences reconsider any plans they have to go for a hike in the woods anytime soon.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 21, 2018

If you're the type of person who needs a "bad guy"... this is not a movie you're going to enjoy. But if you can take a horror movie for what it is... then this is totally a movie you'll really like.

| Sep 7, 2018