THE RITUAL

The Ritual has strong intentions to differentiate itself from the standard exorcism based horror film, but its lacklustre execution leaves a lot to be desired, resulting in a frustratingly dull experience that does little to elevate the talents of Dan Stevens and Al Pacino.

When viewers think of an exorcism, whether they have seen the film or not, they all think of Linda Blair in The Exorcism. The iconic frames of Blair’s Regan levitating above her bed, profusely vomiting, and her head spinning around three hundred and sixty degrees have been burnt into popular culture and have set the bar for any horror film venturing into the world of exorcism. It’s an insanely high standard to be compared to, almost unfair given how acclaimed William Friedkin’s seminal horror film, but some films in the genre have recaptured that same intense sense of fear The Exorcism infected viewers with back in 1973.

Trying to differentiate itself from the legacy of The Exorcism, the latest exorcist horror film The Ritual takes a different approach to demonic possession. Instead of creating a story full of jump scares, shocking imagery and an intense final act showdown between the forces of good and evil, what director David Midell intends to do with this film is to create a contemplative piece of religious storytelling focused solemn reflection and restraint. There is nothing wrong with such an approach, as if done right, it can create a truly engaging film that still lends itself to some unnerving moments to elevate the audiences’ heart rate, but sadly The Ritual does not do that as it forgets one crucial element of storytelling: to be remotely interesting.

Based upon the most documented case of demonic possession and exorcism in American history, one that has become the basis for most exorcism stories in popular culture including The Exorcism, the film tells the tale of two priests who have to put aside their differences to save the soul of young Emma Schmidt. The ritual scenes while performing the exorcism have some bite, deploying the usual tricks of the subgenre and delivering the occasional and effective jump scare. But Midell’s restraint both in his writing and directing is felt as he tries to be respectful of the real life individuals involved in the story. There are many scenes interjected between the ritual sequences as Midell attempts to explore each individual and their backstory to give dramatic weight to the situation they find themselves and their development over the course of the film, but it is incredibly surface level and uninformed, causing this exploration to fall flat. Dan Stevens’ Father Joseph Steiger keeps mentioning his recently deceased brother and even after revealing how his brother passed, you never get a deeper sense of how this is affecting him as an individual or his faith, while Al Pacino’s Father Theophilus Riesinger’s past is briefly mentioned but never again explored to inform his determination to save Emma Schmidt through exorcism despite other members of the Church wanting to defer to modern medicine.

Even with the underdeveloped screenplay, the cast works hard to try and bring a depth and understanding to the individuals they are portraying. Stevens quickly captures the physical pain of Father Joseph Steiger, wearing the pain of the loss of his brother in every facial expression while being disturbed by the condition that Emma is in. Pacino is deeply committed to his portrayal of Father Theophilus Riesinger with an unwavering accent and dedication to Riesinger’s relentless determination to save Emma from the clutches of the devil. You can see both Stevens and Pacino fully inhabiting the real life individuals they are portraying with care and respect, especially in their moments together where the film has the most potential, but the writing is just not there to support their valiant efforts. Ashley Greene is woefully out of place as Sister Rose, having very little to do apart from look terrified and be tortured by the possessed victim, while unable to match the calibre of Stevens and Pacino’s performances.

The shining light of the film belongs to Abigail Cowen as Emma, the possessed victim. From a physical viewpoint, Cowen bears all the pain, scaredness and trauma of Emma in every frame of the film, whether it be the quieter moments between rituals where she bears her character’s vulnerability of the sheer pain and terror while the demonic entity is taking over her. It is a subtle performance at times, but one that is vital to the film's success, and while the screenplay does not fully work, Cowen ensures that it is not because of her performance that audiences are bored by the film.

Though, the biggest sin committed by this film is the way it is shot. Stylizing the visuals of the film to give it a raw and realistic look is the intent of the Midell, hoping that this sense of reality will deepen the fear within viewers, but it never achieves this. Instead, the shaky camera is jarring to say the least, making the film feel like it was shot by someone who has never made a film before on a cellphone. It is only worsened by poor editing that makes the film feel hyperactive, which is a detriment considering there is very little actually happening with the story. This all works against the story, creating a creative disconnect from the story it wants to tell which will more than likely result in viewers feeling frustrated and disoriented.

Some of the best horror films ever made are slow burns, playing with complex thematic material that thanks to a meaningful exploration has led to some of the most terrifying scenes ever depicted on screen. But even as The Ritual tries to distance itself and create a more reflective horror film with jump scares sprinkled throughout, it makes the cardinal sin of filmmaking: it forgets to be an engaging experience for viewers. Though paved with good intentions, its execution ultimately squanders any potential that David Midell initially had in bringing this true story to the big screen. While Dan Stevens and Al Pacino do their best with the roles they are written and Abigail Cowen becomes the backbone of the entire film with her performance, The Ritual suffers from underdeveloped writing that tries to hard to distance itself from the tropes of the exorcism subgenre that it never has anything interesting to say, which is only exacerbated by the conflicting cinematography choices.