The Ritual (2017)
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Four friends on a hiking trip through a Swedish forest encounter an ancient evil presence.
The story
After the death of a friend, four remaining friends embark on a hiking trip through the remote Kungsleden in northern Sweden. When an injury forces them to take a shortcut through the dense forest, they encounter unsettling signs of a presence, including Runic symbols and a mutilated moose. As a storm forces them into an abandoned cabin, the group's cohesion begins to fracture under the weight of strange occurrences and a growing sense of dread. They soon realize they are not alone in the woods, and the line between reality and nightmare begins to blur as they struggle to navigate the increasingly hostile environment.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Following the death of their friend Rob, four friends—Luke, Phil, Hutch, and Dom—hike through a Swedish forest. After taking a shortcut, they find a mutilated moose and Runic symbols. They take shelter in a cabin during a storm, where they find strange effigies and necklaces. The next morning, the group is physically and mentally distressed. They encounter a discarded backpack from 1984 and eventually find Hutch's body. Phil is then killed by an unseen creature. Luke and Dom flee and are captured by a cult in a nearby settlement. They are held in a basement where a woman reveals they are being prepared as sacrifices for 'Moder,' a jötunn and offspring of Loki. While the cult performs a ritual, Dom is sacrificed to the creature. Luke escapes, finds the cult's sanctuary, and sets it ablaze. He eventually confronts Moder in a final confrontation, ultimately escaping the forest as the creature retreats into the woods.
- First release year
- 2017
- Runtime (minutes)
- 94
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- David Bruckner
- Writers
- Joe Barton · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Rafe Spall · Luke; Arsher Ali · Phil; Robert James-Collier · Hutch; Sam Troughton · Dom; Paul Reid · Robert; Maria Erwolter · the Host; Hilary Reeves · the Curate; Francesca Mula · the Witch; Matthew Needham · Junkie
- Genres
- supernatural; psychological; folk horror
- Themes
- survival; sacrifice; mythology
- Tone and mood
- tense; eerie
- Setting
- A remote forest in northern Sweden.
- Premise and plot tags
- folk horror; survival; cult; mythology
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2011 novel of the same name by Adam Nevill
- Reception
- The film received mixed to positive reviews, with critics praising its atmosphere and production design while some found it to be a missed opportunity.
- Production trivia
- The creature Moder is a fictional jötunn created for the novel.; The film was shot in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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