Netflix's horror flick 'The Ritual' is creepy and moody but a one-time watch

Deep, dark woods and a cabin inside have been among the most recurring horror movie tropes from time immemorial(try streaming slasher flicks like Friday the 13th and its sequels) . And there will be a group, mostly couples, who go camping inside the woods. The Ritual(2017) incorporates all the above tropes into its plot albeit with a difference: it's an all-male group.

The Ritual is a British horror film distributed by Netflix. At the core, the movie directed by David Bruckner, is about male friendship. And the consequences of not standing up for your friends when the situation demands. Four friends-- Phil, Dome, Hutch and Luke--go hiking in the mountains of Sweden.

They go hiking in Sweden not to enjoy the vacations. They want to honor the final wish of their murdered friend Rob. Among the four Luke, played by Rafe Spall, seems not okay. He appears like lost in thought, or brooding.

Luke carries within him the pain of guilt. He was there with Rob in a pub when he was killed by robbers. However, Luke didn't offer any help to save his friend. This feeling of intense guilt gives Luke nightmares.

While returning from hiking in Sweden's mountains, the group take a shortcut through the woods. The woods conceal a dark force, a monster, which kills Phil and Hutch. Rob and Luke run for their life.

The Ritual is a well-directed film and is creepy and moody. It is about male bonding, guilt, witchcraft and cult worship. It has everything to elevate itself to the club of great horror movie but something is missing. May be it's tried too much for perfection and ended up missing life.

On a personal note I liked the performance of the actors, especially Rafe Spall's. I know Spall from the movies of Edgar Wright. Rafe Spall was in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. He played author Yann Martel in Life of Pi. So it was a pleasure to watch him as the leading man of The Ritual.

Rafe Spall in The Ritual is perfect as the brooding Luke

The Ritual is streaming on Netflix. Though not a masterpiece, it is definitely one of the good horror movies currently streaming on Netflix. Ready to go hiking in Sweden?

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