57
Metascore
18 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Total FilmMatt GlasbyTotal FilmMatt GlasbyEntertaining, engrossing and at times genuinely unnerving, Bruckner’s bad trip is one for horror fans to relish.
- 63The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerWhile thoughtfully done, the entertainment value of this sombre scare fiesta isn’t high. It’s about life’s paths taken and the rituals (and fears) we submit to.
- 63Slant MagazineHenry StewartSlant MagazineHenry StewartEventually, the filmmakers reveal the secrets they'd previously withheld, spoiling the film's sustained mystique.
- 60EmpireAndrew LowryEmpireAndrew LowryStraightforward, unpretentious and well-acted, this is a solid if unsurprising genre piece.
- 60The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawSpall is good casting in the lead: miserable, hangdog, humorous and scared, like a handsomer version of Josh Widdicombe. James-Collier is a fierce screen presence: some film-maker needs to find something more for him to do.
- 60Time OutTrevor JohnstonTime OutTrevor JohnstonIf it lacks the originality and sheer muscle of the best horror fare, this does offer an astute take on fragile thirtysomething machismo, and Spall treads a convincingly anguished path towards potential redemption.
- 60VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyThough well-cast and competently written, The Ritual owes its primary effectiveness not so much to story or character per se as to the unsettling atmosphere Bruckner and company have eked out of the forest itself.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonThe Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonSomewhere in the murky depths of this modestly gripping thriller lurks a more interesting film about real-life monsters, the kind that prey on human minds not human flesh.
- 50The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloHorror fans who’ve wondered what Bruckner might do with an entire movie of his own will be disappointed by his solo feature-length debut, The Ritual, which attempts to put a twist on the Blair Witch formula but demonstrates surprisingly little imagination.