I'm always sold on horror films that take place in the woods, as humans tend to have a natural fear of unknown environs and we seem to have carried a primordial fear of dark woods for generations, evident in many fairy tales.
But just choosing a woodsy location isn't always enough, as there have been plenty of bad horror films set in the forest. What makes a good one is the same thing that makes any horror film good: a good plot, good acting, tension, etc.
While relatively simple on plot, "The Ritual" does have a stellar opening five minutes that help set the tone for the rest of the film and elevate the human characters beyond the mere teenage fodder we normally get in films such as this. No, this time there's a real human element involved, as their motivation for visiting said woods they eventually find themselves in goes beyond a juvenile desire to drink it up, smoke pot, and have sex behind some trees. The human drama is just as palpable as the eerie forest itself, though a particularly sinister-looking abandoned house does take the cake for some time during the opening half.
"The Ritual" relies on the always-classy and seldom-seen rule that "less is more", leaving enough ambiguity to make the goings-on incredibly creepy as things predictably go from bad to worse for our characters. It helps that the film utilizes its location to the max. I'll go as far as to say that the woods in this film are even creepier than the ones seen in "The Blair Witch Project", and there's certainly no absence of dread once night falls. You come to be on the edge of your seat every time the sun goes down, as, along with the aforementioned film, that's typically when the you-know-what hits the fan.
Films of this nature usually involve some character or another almost deserving their fate for engaging in poor decision-making or being so irksome that we root for the threat to take them out. So it's a relief to be able to say that the men in this film really have little control over what's happening to them, and their lack of "bro-isms" and juvenile delinquency makes us care for them beyond the teenage cliches we normally get in films with this setting.
Where the film does stumble a bit is in its last half hour, when the tables are turned, so to speak, and a different type of threat emerges in addition to what we've already seen. Without giving too much away, I felt the film's scare factor decreased significantly during these scenes, but the film nevertheless manages to recover enough for a suitably thrilling finale that leaves us with just enough closure to have made the journey worthwhile.
Words of advice: don't watch this while camping. You've been warned.
But just choosing a woodsy location isn't always enough, as there have been plenty of bad horror films set in the forest. What makes a good one is the same thing that makes any horror film good: a good plot, good acting, tension, etc.
While relatively simple on plot, "The Ritual" does have a stellar opening five minutes that help set the tone for the rest of the film and elevate the human characters beyond the mere teenage fodder we normally get in films such as this. No, this time there's a real human element involved, as their motivation for visiting said woods they eventually find themselves in goes beyond a juvenile desire to drink it up, smoke pot, and have sex behind some trees. The human drama is just as palpable as the eerie forest itself, though a particularly sinister-looking abandoned house does take the cake for some time during the opening half.
"The Ritual" relies on the always-classy and seldom-seen rule that "less is more", leaving enough ambiguity to make the goings-on incredibly creepy as things predictably go from bad to worse for our characters. It helps that the film utilizes its location to the max. I'll go as far as to say that the woods in this film are even creepier than the ones seen in "The Blair Witch Project", and there's certainly no absence of dread once night falls. You come to be on the edge of your seat every time the sun goes down, as, along with the aforementioned film, that's typically when the you-know-what hits the fan.
Films of this nature usually involve some character or another almost deserving their fate for engaging in poor decision-making or being so irksome that we root for the threat to take them out. So it's a relief to be able to say that the men in this film really have little control over what's happening to them, and their lack of "bro-isms" and juvenile delinquency makes us care for them beyond the teenage cliches we normally get in films with this setting.
Where the film does stumble a bit is in its last half hour, when the tables are turned, so to speak, and a different type of threat emerges in addition to what we've already seen. Without giving too much away, I felt the film's scare factor decreased significantly during these scenes, but the film nevertheless manages to recover enough for a suitably thrilling finale that leaves us with just enough closure to have made the journey worthwhile.
Words of advice: don't watch this while camping. You've been warned.