Rambling Thoughts on “The Ritual” (2018)

I’m watching more movies for fun, now that I’m not getting paid for reviews. Periodically, I will publish my reactions, just because. Also, you will probably like this more if you’ve seen the film in question. A detailed plot synopsis is on the Wikipedia page, if you want a shortcut. Here, there be spoilers…

• Everyone here is way too happy. Somebody’s gonna die.
• Yep.
• These out-of-shape, thirty-something city dwellers can afford to vacation just about anywhere. Yet they decide to climb a mountain in a remote area of Sweden. This is the very definition of “more dollars than sense.”
• When is a shortcut not a shortcut? When it goes through a dense forest with no trails, dummy.

• The Descent vibes are becoming very Blair Witch.
• Now they’re Wicker Man.
• And Hereditary.
• Breaking into an abandoned house full of occult symbols has never, ever gone wrong for anyone.

• I love the way the forest is filmed. Beautiful, primeval, threatening.
• This was actually shot in Romania, by the way. Vampires are so passe.
• I like these characters. Even when they’re being dumb jerks, they’re oddly relatable.
• What does that say about me?
• And we finally see the monster. It’s equal parts silly and terrifying – just like the movie!
• For some reason, the creature can’t follow our “hero” out of the woods. Did he imagine the whole thing? Did something else happen to his friends? Discuss.