The Ritual (2025) - Film Review

      The Ritual, 2025.

      Directed by David Midell.

      Featuring Al Pacino, Dan Stevens, Ashley Greene, Abigail Cowen, Patricia Heaton, Patrick Fabian, María Camila Giraldo, Meadow Williams, Enrico Natale, Ritchie Montgomery, Liann Pattison, Courtney Rae Allen, and Emily Brinks.

      Synopsis:

      Two priests, one experiencing a crisis of faith and the other grappling with a troubled past, must put aside their differences to carry out a dangerous exorcism.

      Co-writer/director David Midell, who wrote the screenplay with Enrico Natale, repeatedly informs the audience that The Ritual is based on the most well-documented case in exorcism history. In a final gesture before the credits roll, it goes further to state that many exorcism films have drawn inspiration from Father Joseph Steiger’s (Dan Stevens) well-known observations. To be clear, this film lacks originality or innovation, yet there’s something infuriatingly audacious about a film that recycles the overused clichés of a heavily saturated sub-genre while presenting an ending graphic as if decades of similar movies should simply be dismissed because this one claims to be based on actual events.

      Beyond this frustrating detail, the film stands out (though not necessarily for good reasons) for featuring Al Pacino as Father Theophilus Riesinger, a clergyman with firm faith in God to exorcise the demon and liberate a possessed individual. Thus, Father Joseph Steiger, mourning the recent, tragic loss of his brother, is the one grappling with his faith. Essentially, the plot mirrors that of the original The Exorcist, but is set in 1928 with minimal focus on that aspect, all while claiming to be inspired by real occurrences. The filmmakers stress this point, even though the audience can see it clearly without the on-screen graphic. The most creative aspect of The Ritual lies in its attempts to mimic that classic film.

      Nonetheless, Father Theophilus Riesinger informs Father Joseph Steiger that they will be conducting an exorcism on young Emma Schmidt (Abigail Cowen), a girl exhibiting hissing behavior in religious settings and signs of self-harm. Her troubled home life raises doubts about the authenticity of her possession and whether it should be viewed as a strictly psychological issue requiring medical attention. Predictably, Father Theophilus Riesinger insists that demonic possession is involved, while Father Joseph Steiger philosophically counters this claim throughout the film. The film even has the audacity to conclude that, despite all the events, it remains uncertain whether the situation involved true possession or was purely a medical condition, all while dramatically exaggerating these occurrences.

      To their credit, Dan Stevens and Al Pacino deliver solid performances. However, they are undermined by poorly directed scenes, characterized by dim lighting and shaky camera movements that evoke the feeling of watching a low-quality bootleg. Structurally, the film is tedious, primarily consisting of six rituals where Al Pacino recites Bible verses amid the usual demonic possession antics.

      Perhaps the most significant flaw is that poor, tormented Emma suffers from weak characterization and lacks substance in terms of horror elements. Any insights into her character predominantly come from Father Theophilus Riesinger’s perspective, further reducing her role. Additionally, there are some nuns (Ashley Greene) and a Mother Superior (Patricia Heaton), none of whom are given meaningful material to work with.

      The Ritual fails even to capitalize on its potential for guilty pleasure entertainment, missing the chance for Al Pacino to overact in the style of “HOO-AHH Dunkachino” while exorcising demons. The filmmakers approach the material earnestly, as if exploring uncharted territories, leaving us to wonder what led them to believe this film was a viable idea.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★

      Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He also serves as the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews and follow my BlueSky or Letterboxd.