The Ritual
Directed by David MidellTwo priests, one in crisis with his faith and the other confronting a turbulent past, must overcome their differences to perform a risky exorcism.
Cast of The Ritual
The Ritual Ratings & Reviews
- eddie43351June 27, 2025Excellent and scary movie Al Pacino was awesome!!
- Figueiragames4d agoA great movie about exorcism
- Paul CraneJuly 20, 2025Meh. Exorcist did it WAY better.
- itsmefenJuly 18, 2025Not bad, but not that good either. The story is quite dull, but it has its own charm. Not sure about the camerawork though.
- parcolanJuly 13, 2025One star just for Al Pacino the half is for the movie, very poor…
- Kylebailey94July 10, 2025Really good very interesting
- chilt21July 9, 2025An average possession / exorcism movie. Al Pacino was wasted. Nothing really stood out for me
- BartlowHomeJuly 6, 2025Masterfully executed!
- ricomckeeJuly 5, 2025It has Al Pacino. Patricia Heaton, and Dan Steven’s. That is 2 stars there. However, there are no scares. There is no tension. There a few special effects. It is a lackluster imitation of much better possession movies. If you watch it for a historical perspective… maybe… but not really. Hohum. No fireworks here.
- jeffmuch1011July 3, 2025Not bad, a good attempt at copying Anthony Hopkins' The Rite. Not done as well, but I am a big fan of Dan, Pacino did a solid job as well.
- jackmeatJuly 2, 2025My quick rating - 4.8/10. The Ritual is a sober, procedural take on exorcism that boasts the true story hook but struggles to rise above the many, many films that have already traversed this terrain. It’s a film that feels almost deliberately plain, offering no cinematic fireworks or shocking revelations—just a careful walk through a case of demonic possession documented in 1928. Al Pacino stars (though “stars” might be generous) as Father Theophilus Riesinger, a grizzled veteran of exorcisms, whose very presence seems to communicate a tired resignation to the task at hand. Opposite him is Dan Stevens, doing the heavy lifting here as Father Joseph Steiger, a younger priest wrestling with his faith and clearly out of his depth. Together, they are tasked with confronting a suspected possession that turns into a grueling nine-day affair. The Ritual opens with that now-familiar trope: a tense scene pulled from somewhere near the climax, which we’ll loop back to after a “nine days earlier” title card drops us into quieter beginnings. From there, it’s a slow, almost clinical unraveling of the ritual. The Latin incantations, the skin lesions, the psychological terror. It’s all here, but done with a restrained, almost documentary-like approach. There’s no spinning heads or bodies launched across rooms; instead, it leans into how an exorcism might truly look, rooted in discomfort and the fear etched on every face in the room. While there’s something respectable about its dedication to realism, it also becomes the film’s biggest liability. We’ve seen so many of these tropes before, often with far more style or gut-wrenching horror. The possessed patient rants in foreign tongues, the clergy question their faith, ominous figures lurk in candlelit hallways—it’s all executed competently, but without any new spark. You’re left feeling like you’re checking off a list of expected beats. Pacino is hardly recognizable under a mop of white hair and a raspy whisper that does just enough to remind you he’s still got it, but even he seems mostly to be shuffling through the motions. It’s Stevens who stands out, delivering a nuanced performance that captures both the fear and reluctant resolve of a man trying desperately to hold on to his beliefs in the face of something he barely understands. In the end, The Ritual isn’t a bad movie; it’s just uninspired. It’s exactly what you’d expect a “true exorcism story” to look like, for better and for worse. If you’re looking for sensational scares or a fresh spin on possession, you won’t find it here. Without Pacino and Stevens, I would've let this slip right into the basement. As it stands, it’s a passable but ultimately bland entry in a genre that’s already overflowing with more memorable takes.
- John BeyerJuly 1, 2025The cast is stacked. Abigail Cowen brings her A-game. Everyone else sadly realizes they are in a tepid Exorcist retread with twice the exposition and none of the dread. The budget was low, and it’s clear they got their cinematography inspiration from the TAKEN franchise. Pacino and Stevens are acting like they’re being held hostage. This film functions more effectively as ASMR than entertainment.
- James MooreJune 30, 2025You have to have a serious interest in this type of film to be able to stay engaged for the runtime. It's certainly not the worst example of the exorcist genre, but it's also far from memorable. Direction that doesn't get the best out of a solid cast and a lacklustre script mean that this film is only memorable because Pacino is in it.
- A. ConstantinJune 29, 2025Eh, pretty low effort movie, low intensity and just plain generic. Waste of time
- Jason VorheesJune 28, 2025Boring, not sure why Al Pacino would take on this role. The exorcist/horror genre is so over played. Too much talking and not enough action. Definitely not a horror, it’s a drama. If your looking for a good nap, this is for you
