10/18 - The Ritual (2017) - 5+/10

A standard but decently worked psychological thriller/lost in the woods creepfest that pleases with a fairly unique mythology and folklore on display. It will keep you involved and interested, cleverly weaving in the psychological trauma of a personal failure/tragedy to amplify the loss, fear, and desperation encroaching in the shadows of the characters’ experience. Sometimes a little bit too blatant, but the concept is smart and leads to a disconcerting head-space. Poor decisions and typical conflicts keep it slotted in its normal filmic lane, but the ending “nemesis” and those around it boosted the strange levels and provided fodder for strange questions and probably weirder answers. This is a film that executes its basic genre voyage fairly well, never blowing you away or knocking your socks off, but making it all work and interjecting a few things you haven’t seen before, such as the terrific antagonist’s design/lore. I liked it and appreciated some of the weirdness that it peaked at, with the lack of appropriate explanations very much savored.