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Review: David Bruckner’s ‘The Ritual’ is a Merciless Creature Feature

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The Ritual

“If a shortcut were a shortcut, they wouldn’t call it a shortcut, they’d call it a route”  – Dom

The Ritual is David Bruckner’s seventh feature to his credit and fifth film in which he directed, adapted from the 2011 novel of the same name by Adam Nevill. If you’ve seen the film, read the excerpt below and you will note that the filmmakers didn’t stray far from the novel’s story and atmosphere.

Excerpt from the book:

“Something responsible for the bestial presence that follows their every step. And as the four friends stagger in the direction of salvation, they learn that death doesn’t come easy among these ancient trees…” 

Film synopsis:

“Reuniting after the tragic death of their friend, four college pals set out to hike through the Scandinavian wilderness. A wrong turn leads them into the mysterious forests of Norse legend, where an ancient evil exists and stalks them at every turn.”

I’ve watched The Ritual four times since it was released on Netflix and – in all honesty – I love this movie. To be fair, I have a strong affinity for creature features so maybe I’m a little biased. But… that being said, I found this particular addition to the sub-genre to be a cut above the rest.

What sets The Ritual apart:

First of all, Bruckner’s direction took a relatively simple concept – A group of friends lost in the woods find that isolation and exposure to the elements is the least of their problems, when they discover a superior being with nefarious intentions – and elevates it through his use of tracking shots and stunning cinematography.

You may be familiar with director David Bruckner from his work on the first segment from the original VHS anthology, Amateur Night. In Bruckner’s short, three college friends – one equipped with glasses which includes a camera – ditch their hotel for a night on the town in the hopes of bringing women back to their room to make an impromptu and secretive sex tape. They meet a woman named Lilly who turns out to be nothing short of terrifying, and their night takes an unexpected turn.

Bruckner’s short was so effective that in 2016 it was adapted into a feature film titled Sirendirected by Gregg Bishop. While The Ritual is dramatically different in tone, it’s clear that Bruckner is a name to watch out for.

The image below incorporates Bruckner’s specific style – at least in respect to The Ritual. He specializes in tracking shots of ominous locations in the wilderness that may or may not be hiding something (look closely at the image below… there’s a monster in there).       

Related image

The Loneliness of the Dog Guides

There’s something about real-world locations in place of sets or studios that makes the horror so much more effective. As far as I can tell, the majority of The Ritual was shot on location in the Scandinavian wilderness.

If you remove the monster and the terror that comes from becoming lost, those woods are extremely creepy. This specific setting paired with an ominous score and the primeval and cosmic sound design of the titular monster creates a unique and crushing atmosphere.

What I found to be quite notable was the acting and story. It may sound generic, but the performances and dialogue felt so genuine that I wouldn’t be surprised if a vast majority of it was improved.

All of the characters are distinct and serve a necessary purpose. In the short on-screen time span there are specific character developments between the two primary characters, Luke and Dom. Both start out as pretty unlikable characters, but by the climax of the film they’re completely changed for the better due to their horrific experiences in the woods.

Related image

via horrorfreaknews

The Monster:

The entity described in the film is called a “Jötunn“, a bastard child of Loki, although the creature’s morphology is potentially more directly inspired by other Norse legends.

For instance, the creature’s unique and grotesque physiology sounds like the “Nuckelavee” which is a half-horse and half-human entity. In the image above, the creature clearly resembles a very large elk or moose, while the head appears to be made up of two fused human torsos. The “head” is submerged within the torso where only the eyes are visible.

The design is mesmerizing and haunting.

 

The Ritual can be streamed on Netflix, and I strongly recommend that anyone who loves horror and appreciates mythology should check it out.

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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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