Netflix’s ‘The Ritual’ Takes a Tried Horror Subgenre and Adds Originality

Alex Aronson

As horror movies have long taught audiences, bad things happen when you get lost in the woods. But as far as the cliché premise goes, the Netflix acquired British horror-thriller “The Ritual,” which made a North American debut at the 2017 Toronto Film Festival, proves that no matter what strange and surreal occurrences take place within a sea of trees, original ideas can still be conjured.  

Following the sudden death of their friend, Robert (Paul Reid, “Vikings”), who falls victim amidst a liquor store robbery gone terribly wrong, a group of four male friends embark on a hiking trip to honor their late pal. At the previous suggestion of their now deceased friend, the group travels to the mountains in Northern Sweden. With nothing but camping gear attached to their backs, the men decide to take a shortcut around the mountain and through the dense forest — a decision they should soon deeply regret, as their expedition quickly evolves into a surreal descent to madness.

At the helm of the group is Luke (Rafe Spall, “Prometheus”). He is destined to make right by the trip out of guilt for witnessing Robert’s death first hand. But as events quickly unravel, Luke’s attempts to maintain the group’s collectiveness begin to fall short. Much to the annoyance of Hutch (Robert James-Collier, “Downton Abbey”) and Phil (Arsher Ali, “The Missing”), Dom (Sam Troughton, “AVP: Alien vs. Predator”) starts out the venture by twisting his ankle, immediately situating himself as the dead weight of the group.

Like most “lost in the woods” horror films, most comparably, “The Blair Witch Project” which holds the high watermark for this subgenre, small annoyances begin to tear the group apart. Possession of the compass, terrible weather conditions, and a lack of food all lead to minor freak-outs among the four men. While this systematically checks the subgenre’s boxes, something original still lies beneath the clichéd surface.

“The Ritual” is the first feature-length solo outing for director David Bruckner, who was one of three for the 2007 cult-hit “The Signal,” as well as short segments in the horror anthologies, “V/H/S” and “Southbound.” Bruckner finely captures the atmosphere of the damp and misty wooded surroundings. It takes a moment for the eye to adjust to the trippy aerial pans of the tall overgrown trees, which places the viewer in the mindset of the characters.

As the men venture further into the forest, surreal imagery, mind tricks, and dark dreams begin to shape their psyche. They come across an old cabin and soon discover strange markings carved into the trees with gutted animal carcasses hanging nearby. Everything cumulates to a satisfying third act that amplifies the film’s originality and goes a bit further than other films within the subgenre have ever gone before.

Based on the novel by Adam Nevill, and adapted for the screen by writer Joe Barton (“Humans”), the film doesn’t reinvent the subgenre by any means, but it does provide enough creepy atmosphere, along with an intriguing and out-there ending, to stand out above the rest. By the time the credits roll genre fanatics will be pleased with the final product, yet hesitant to enter the woods.

“The Ritual” premieres Feb. 9 on Netflix.