The Ritual (2017) #457

 

A Netflix original movie, "The Ritual" would have been fun to see on a large screen in a proper theater. The novel by Adam Nevill was adapted by Joe Barton and directed by David Bruckner, who is known for "Southbound" and "V/H/S", and Andy Serkis holds an executive producer credit. The film follows four friends who go out of country on a hiking trip to honor a fifth friend who was killed by a thug in a botched convenience store robbery. 

A group of five long time friends are gathered to plan their next yearly trip. Rob suggests hiking in Sweden but his plan is mocked and laughed at as the others would prefer something more urban. As the friends head home, Rob and Luke stop by a convenience store, unaware that there is a robbery in progress. Rob is seen by the robbers, and when he refuses to hand over his sentimental possessions, he is shot dead. The next year, in honor of his death, the friends go on the hiking trip that Rob had suggested. 

The mood is dark and somber as Luke, Dom, Hutch, and Phil begin there hiking trip in Northern Sweden. On the second day of the hike, Dom seriously injures his knee. Hutch recommends cutting through the forest so the trip time can be reduced for Dom. The group agrees and enters the forest proper, but they quickly become lost and begin to see haunting signs that something isn't quite right. That night they find an old cabin to take shelter from a sudden storm, only to find more haunting and terrifying relics that have been left behind. Things quickly spiral out of control as they continue to head deeper in to the woods...

"The Ritual" is full of wonderfully creepy moments and includes one of the most original and horrifying creatures to ever grace the screen. The friends breakdown of trust, security, and sanity grabs the viewers attention and never lets go. It gives the viewer with enough unanswered questions to leave them wanting more. I'm inspired to read the novel just to see if I can gleam anything new that I may have missed. This is one film that I can not recommend enough.

V/H/S (2012)

I was really excited to see “V.H.S” and I am still unable to express how disappointed I was after I saw it. I was bored and uninterested during most of the movie and this feeling grew as the movie dragged on and on. I was only amused by two of the six shorts and they happened to have been at the beginning of the film. Overall the scripts were weak and the acting was even weaker. The effects were fine and I was thrilled to see some of the clever uses of the devices that gave a P.O.V perspective but there was one story that wasn’t even from the point of view of a video recorder of any kind?!? This was a great concept that just didn’t pan out.

The first and wrap around connecting story is about a group of punks who are hired to burglarize a house and return with a specific VHS tape. They go to the house and find a messy room with stacks of tapes and an old dead man. One of the kids stays and begins watching different tapes while the others searched the other rooms. The old man turns out to be in a zombie-like state and kills the intruders.

The second story, “Amateur Night”, is the strongest of the set. It’s seen through the eyes of a guy wearing a pair of Google Glasses which records everything that he sees. His friends are trying their best to hook him up with a girl for the night. While at a club, he meets a quiet girl who only says “I like you”. They take her and another girl back to a hotel room where they begin to have sex. One girl is drunk and passes out, leaving the quiet girl alone with the three guys. The two friends try to have sex with her while the main character watches; suddenly the quiet girl changes, developing scales and a weird face. The quiet girl is in a murderous mood and only wants the shy boy, repeating over and over “I like you”.

The third story, “Second Honeymoon”, is about Sam and Stephanie, a married couple travelling around a desert “Western” area. While they sleep, a stranger uses their video camera and films themselves going through their belongings. This happens a few times until things turn violent.

“Tuesday the 17^th” is an odd piece about a group of friends being killed off by a killer who is all blurry. This is the section that is not POV.

Yawn……

“The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger” is a piece that is about a couple that is using Skype to talk to each other. The girl is having strange things happen at her apartment and has a weird bruise. The boyfriend pretends that he cares but he knows what’s really going on.

“10/31/98” is about a group of guys and their experience in a haunted house.

"I like you"