MOVIE REVIEW – Our foreign colleague has already seen the film, and unfortunately, he didn’t have much good to say about it: under the classic title, a generic, tired exorcism horror hides, where despite Al Pacino or Dan Stevens trying to shine, the result is more of an awkward homage than a worthy tribute.

David Bruckner’s 2017 film The Ritual was one of the most memorable horror films of the past decade. The 2025 film The Ritual, written and directed by David Midell, starring Al Pacino and Dan Stevens, on the other hand, is a prime example of how NOT to approach a subject. Although it bears the same title as the aforementioned masterpiece, this poorly shot, uninspired work – hitting theaters on June 6th – directly copies The Exorcist‘s script, but without soul or substance. The theme of exorcism has long been overused in the genre: if you’ve seen one, chances are you’ve seen them all. The familiar tropes and stock characters (whether on the good or bad side) reappear again and again – and when names like Pacino or Stevens are listed in the credits, one would rightfully expect something extra. But no. Sadly, The Ritual will undoubtedly be one of the most unsuccessful ventures in both their careers – and Pacino’s filmography also includes Jack and Jill.

A Copy of Sin

The Ritual tells the true story of Emma Schmidt, who lived in Earling, Iowa, in 1928 and was allegedly possessed by a demon for decades. The Catholic Church eventually sought help from Father Riesinger (Pacino), to end the possession. When the viewer first meets Emma, she is already deep in a state of demonic possession: emaciated, pale, and completely broken down. It seems only divine intervention can help her, so she ends up in Riesinger’s church. Pacino – now 85 years old – plays the role of the priest commendably, with a subtle German accent that is just perceptible but not distracting. The character himself is quiet and thoughtful, so no one should expect classic Pacino-esque outbursts or grand speeches. Working alongside Riesinger is Father Joseph Stieger (Stevens), whose task is to document Emma’s exorcism – which, of course, involves a series of rituals. Several nuns participate in the procedure, including the timid Sister Rose (Ashley Greene). Other cast members include Patricia Heaton as the Mother Superior, and Patrick Fabian as Bishop Edwards. The cast is truly outstanding – but unfortunately, that’s where the list of the film’s virtues ends.

Déjà Vu from Hell

Whether you’re reading this review now or later, you likely haven’t seen The Ritual – but it feels like you’ve seen it at least twenty times already. Because this film is practically a weak Exorcist knock-off. William Friedkin’s classic, which is lauded as the non plus ultra of horror films, created a new genre school – and since then, numerous attempts have tried to evoke its spirit, but none have been able to approach its power. The Ritual, however, uses the most boring tropes and clichés ever put to film. Emma’s character, for example, is not introduced as a person – from the very beginning, she appears as an empty, suffering shell. As the possession intensifies, Emma is tied to the bed, begging for redemption, vomiting, breaking free from her restraints, then attacking her helpers. Under the demon’s power, she tries to outrage the priests with obscene and provocative sexual innuendos. Sound familiar?

However, the biggest clichés are embodied by the priests themselves. Father Theophilus Riesinger is the classic “old master” archetype, essentially a repackaged version of Max von Sydow’s Merrin – an older, ailing, but unshakeable faith-driven figure. Joseph Stieger (Stevens) is the skeptic, constantly arguing that Emma needs a doctor, not an exorcist. Furthermore, he carries a personal tragedy: he recently lost his brother. Doesn’t that eerily resemble the character of Damien Karras (Jason Miller), who mourns his mother and whose faith is shaken? Pacino, Stevens, and Greene try to breathe life into the cliché-ridden mess, but the entire story is painfully predictable and tired. There’s no twist, no innovation, no individual vision. Apart from one or two spine-chilling moments, The Ritual offers nothing we haven’t seen a hundred times before – and better.

Focus, Camera, Seriously!

Just as many true horror fans are willing to watch any cliché-filled slasher (the writer of these lines admittedly being among them), the question rightfully arises: is The Ritual at least watchable? Perhaps exorcism films fall into the guilty pleasure category for you, and you don’t expect them to step outside the usual patterns. But in this case, the most painful thing is not what the film tries to say, but what it visually commits. While the set is dark, spartan, and absolutely forgettable, that wouldn’t be fatal. What is fatal, however, is that the film’s visual world seems to work directly against your retina. The Ritual was made with a truly bizarre cinematography concept. It’s no exaggeration: this camerawork literally makes you instinctively turn your head away from the screen. Instead of getting grand, atmospheric, floating shots, we’re stuck watching shaky, handheld footage for the entire runtime.

The fact that Adam Biddle, the cinematographer for Overdrive, is responsible for this visual nightmare explains a lot. However, what worked there – with the insane pace and adrenaline rushes – completely missed the mark here. Perhaps the concept was to create a quasi “found footage” atmosphere with this handheld style, to make the events feel even closer and more visceral. Instead, all we get is constant shaking, distracting zooming, and irritating cuts. The camera constantly pushes into the actors’ faces, as if desperately searching for emotions that the screenplay is incapable of eliciting from them. Meanwhile, of course, we miss everything else: the space, the mood, the background – all get lost. A classic example of this is a scene intended to be the film’s most intense, most dramatic moment: Emma undergoes a kind of physical transformation. Based on the horrified looks of the others, this is the climax, but the camera darts around so confusingly that we see practically nothing of the transformation itself. Seriously: could it just hold still for a moment!

Watching The Ritual feels like watching a bad Exorcist knock-off on your phone, while constantly shaking it in front of your face for 90 minutes. And as the minutes ticked by, the same question kept swirling in my mind: Why? Why was this film made? Why did Pacino or Dan Stevens sign on for it? Do yourself the favor the creators didn’t do for you: skip The Ritual. Because you’ve already seen this. Only better.

-theGeek-