Thanks for the memories!

Did you people see the same film I saw?

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

A young lady called Lovely (Lisa Marie Summerscales) is being chatted up at the seaside. She's coy, all smiles. The next thing, we hear her disembodied voice on the phone crying, pleading for help. When her estranged husband Tom (Dean Cates) turns up to see her at a seedy hotel, he greets her desperate cries with all the sympathy of a sledgehammer. We soon see why. There's a corpse in the room with her, covered in blood. Apparently, 'this kind of thing' has happened before.Summerscales (who bears a resemblance to Billie Piper) is excellent in this, which is a role that really requires her to react to increasingly panicky situations. She's never unbelievable or unsympathetic – even when the 'corpse' turns out to have secrets of his own.Despite the leads' unwillingness to call the police (although looking back, it's just as well), I found myself fully invested in this. The performances are all strong, the atmosphere and music genuinely getting more and more unsettling. The direction is first rate – the hotel room, already seedy and unfriendly, takes on a more sinister tone when bathed only in the blinking static light from the television. The isolated nature of the location is powerfully utilised – poor Lovely's predicament becomes increasingly hopeless.There isn't much gore, and very few special effects to speak of. None of this matters when a story is told this strongly – in fact, sparingly used as they are, the effects depicting Lovely's deteriorating situation are all the more teeth-clenching. The setting, the 1950s, is effective and rids us of the convenience of mobile phones and the like.Director, writer and 'excited Cultist' cast member Mickey Keating has provided a terrific debut with this slow burning, often deliberately muddy production (we don't know much about the cultists and exactly what their 'mission' is, but that really doesn't matter), which continues to restore my faith in modern horror somewhat. At times it seems as if events are passing too slowly, but there's always a twist or a shock that makes sense of the decision. A dark, creepy, often claustrophobic story which remains compelling and unpredictable right until the end. Unnerving!

My boyfriend and I...well he's not really my boyfriend....more like my BFF with benefits (if you know what I mean)...heard about Ritual from some friends of ours. They viewed it as a life lesson in relationships...whatever that means. But I guess if you mess around on your significant other you're probably get scalded...just like the girl did in the movie. But I kinds think she deserved it and wondered why her lunkhead of a husband went and tried to bail her out in the first place. I'd love to get me one of those retro red bathing suits like she was wearing at the beginning of the movie. I'd fill it out better than she did..if you know what I mean! But I don't smoke. She looked like a skank and played the role well. We both enjoyed the movie and thought is was pretty creepy. Not in my top ten of my whole life but certainly memorable and it left a mark. Come tomorrow....I think I may give up being an escort. The money's pretty good though and I haven't seen any guys in masks.Would anyone out there want my client list? Check out Ritual for yourselves.Boyfriend explains that it's much cheaper and safer than elicit sex and nearly every bit as enjoyable.

This is not your father's slasher film. And folks who are looking for such should look elsewhere. Instead writer and director Keating has offered his first film as a slow-burn thriller...more Hitchcockian than FreddyKruegerian.Best assessment for a potential viewer is the read the review in IMDb from the critics who, with a few exceptions, provide positive feedback.These are the folks who really know the genre. Why all the hate from some of the viewers? Must be some jealous classmates of Keating's from film school who are working in someone's mail room in LA.For a low budget first-time film, the results are terrific. Savants of thrillers will recognize a number of homages to other directors and films. Good!!!! That's what young directors do. Historically, some of the best painters honed their skills by copying the masterpieces of the greats.The editing is crisp and the acting good. I liked the storyline...mess around and you will get burned.Now, there are some issues with pace. When breaking the film apart, it looks like some scenes were prolonged, probably to reach the 90minute cutoff required for a feature film.Would love to have seen the true director's cut. This aside, I found Ritual to be an excellent start from a young writer and director who appears to have promise. One wonders what he'll do with a better budget. I, for one, would be excited to see the results. As it is, the production values here are good. Ritual offers a thrilling ride for viewers who really understand film.

I loved every minute of this thriller. A great and exciting movie that had me on the edge of my seat. It had me guessing every minute as to what was going to happen next. The twist and turns of the story kept me fully engaged all the way through. The level that writing takes the story to is amazing and when I thought that they could not take it any further, they were able to in ways that I had not necessarily envisioned. The cast did an excellent job all the day around. The direction and production were also so superior. The movie also had great lead and supporting acting. I highly recommend this film to fans of horror, suspense, or adventure films.