YourBuddy Ted

Very well made horror movie. I often find that the horror genre sacrifices character development in favor of set designs and effects, but not The Ritual. The setting is fantastic and presented in a way, that its believable four close but strained friends would meet for this hiking trip. Effects are usually a make or break for horror and The Ritual held up nicely. Sounds are presented in a manor that builds suspense and with the lack of "jump scares" the suspense isn't wasted. The Visuals are all they should be in a horror movie; just enough to give you a glimpse and just enough to let your imagination run wild with the possible horrors. Now where the movie really stood out to me, is the connection i felt toward the protagonist. Too many times I've watched horror movies that absolutely nail building a grotesque and horrific setting but completely whiff it by inhabiting that setting with bland characters who's only development is being alive one scene and dead another. The protagonist in the ritual on the other hand had a story and inner conflict, that regardless of weather or not I "liked" him, I felt satisfied to watch his journey through to the end. In all I recommend this movie.