I don't go camping. Not only do I have no desire to be a sweaty mess for days on end with only baby wipes to clean my smelly bits and have to poo in the woods, I also don't go camping for a simple reason: camping is fucking terrifying.
Think of all the movies where camping leads to certain (sometimes supernatural) death: The Blair Witch Project, Into the Wild, Deliverance, Wolf Creek, Friday the 13th...the list goes on and on. Just read this creepy-ass story that was one of Jezebel's best true horror stories of the year last Halloween: It's called "Footprints in the Snow" and it's the 6th story down.
So it's no surprise that one of the scariest books I've read literally ever takes place in the woods, when a group of college buddies tries to take a "short cut" on a hiking trip in Sweden and end up cutting their lives short. That book is The Ritual by British author Adam Nevill and it is ball-retractingly scary.
Following a group of four friends in their thirties, the first half of the book follows a familiar plot line: while on a short hiking holiday in Sweden, they attempt to find a quicker route to their destination by cutting directly through some deep, dark woods instead of going around. Things go sideways when they stumble across a gutted elk strung up in a tree with fresh blood dripping off of it. It's not the fact of a dead animal that freaks them out, it's how it's displayed. This is not the work of a hungry bear, but someone--or something--with malicious intent.
It gets worse with the gang gets caught in a downpour after dark and happen upon a tiny, boarded up house. They decide to break in and make camp for the night in the house--only to find freaky-ass pagan shit all over the place, including a bizarre statue-like thing in the upstairs part of the house made from sticks and deer antlers. After a night of horrific nightmares, they set out and promptly get lost, run out of food, and come to the realization that something is hunting them.
The group is made up of alpha male Hutch, overweight and whiny Dom, slightly less overweight and slightly less whiny Phil, and narrator Luke. The dynamic among the men ramps up the tension, especially when they start arguing over how to get out of the predicament and whose fault it is that they're lost.
The novel takes a sharp turn halfway through and it is such a curveball that some reviewers have complained that The Ritual almost feels like two books stitched together. But I actually enjoyed both halves, different as they were. I won't reveal what happens in the second half of the book, but I will say that although the second half is less viscerally terrifying, it maintained a sense of desperation and spookiness. Overall, I thought The Ritual was great. It's rare to feel scared while reading a book, so I have to give Nevill a hand--his ability to spin a spooky yarn is excellent.
The Ritual book--Grade: A-
So you can imagine my delight when I read that the novel was going to be adapted into a film. The sophomore effort of director David Bruckner (his last film was The Signal), The Ritual stars Rafe Spall as Luke, Robert James-Collier (best known as Thomas Barrow on Downton Abbey) as Hutch, Arsher Ali as Phil, and Sam Troughton as Dom.
That the film was released through Netflix, as opposed to a theatrical release, may have been a clue that it was going to be "meh", and while it is MUCH weaker than the book, it's still pretty entertaining. Significant changes were made to the plot. For example, much less time is spent on the events of the second half of the novel, making the last 40 minutes feel rushed and a bit confusing for people who haven't read the book first. The movie is only 1.5 hours--I think the could have easily added 15 minutes and explained/fleshed out the second half more.
Also, they added a backstory in which there is a fifth friend--Robert--who is killed during a liquor store robbery. Luke was with him, but was too cowardly to step in and protect his friend when the robbers begin threatening Robert. This backstory serves as both an explanation for the hiking trip (Robert is the one who suggested it, so they carry the trip out in his honor) and also a glimpse into Luke's psyche--he is ashamed at his cowardice and haunted by PTSD-like flashbacks during the entire trip. While the backstory is interesting, I don't think it added that much to the movie. I think it would have been better if the director had focused more on atmosphere-building.
Ok, but is the movie scary? Kind of. When the thing hunting the men is revealed (the movie teases, showing only brief glimpses until near the end), it is legitimately freaky. The scene in the abandoned house that gives everyone nightmares is also very effective and creepy. But overall, it's not even close to the level of dread the book was able to get to. The acting is ok, not amazing. The scenery is ok. Everything about The Ritual (the film) is ok--good for a rainy night in, but not rewatchable.
If you're looking to have the bejesus scared out of you, Adam Nevill's book is the way to go.
The Ritual film--Grade: C+
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