THE RITUAL (2025)

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: David Midell
Cast: Al Pacino, Dan Stevens, Ashley Greene, Abigail Cowen, Maria Camila Giraldo, Meadow Williams, Patrick Fabian, Patricia Heaton
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Rating: NC16 (Horror)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 12 June 2025

Synopsis: The harrowing true story of Emma Schmidt. Two priests—one questioning his faith (Stevens) and one reckoning with a troubled past (Pacino)—must work together to perform a series of terrifying exorcisms to save the young woman's soul.

Movie Review:

Let’s face it had The Ritual been released three decades ago, it might have stirred up a minor sensation, if anything at all. Fast forward to today, where audiences are inundated with exorcism and possession-themed horror and it’s hard to see this title making much of a splash.

Set in 1920s Iowa, the story follows a young woman, Emma Schmidt (Abigail Cowen), who is brought to a church after being diagnosed with demonic possession. The local parish priest, Father Joseph Steiger (Dan Stevens) is paired with the more experienced and grizzled Father Theophilus Riesinger (Al Pacino) to perform the exorcism. Father Joseph, however is more of an observer, there to take notes and learn.

Skeptical from the start, Father Joseph suspects Emma’s condition is more psychiatric than supernatural. This leads to a clash of beliefs: Theophilus trusts in tradition and faith, while Joseph leans towards science and reason. As the film progresses, Joseph slowly comes to accept that Theophilus may be right and that something truly sinister is at play.

The film opens with the claim that it’s based on a true story, calling it “the most documented case of possession and exorcism in the 20th century.” Typical Hollywood exaggeration? Perhaps. But director and writer David Midell seems to believe in his story though much of it feels like a patchwork of better exorcism films we’ve seen before.

Despite a committed performance from Cowen, who works hard to portray the tormented Emma, the predictable script gives her little to work with. The usual tropes- vomiting dark liquid, speaking in tongues, spider-walking on walls are all present and executed with little flair. If you’ve seen one exorcism movie, you’ve essentially seen The Ritual.

Dan Stevens, who stepped in to replace Ben Foster, does what he can with a thinly written role. His character’s loss of a brother and subsequent crisis of faith could have been compelling but the film never fully explores it. Instead, it defaults to the same tedious nightly exorcism scenes, robbing the story of emotional depth.

At 85, Al Pacino continues his streak of late-career roles that feel more like paycheck gigs than passion projects. That said, his portrayal of Father Theophilus Riesinger is surprisingly restrained. Gone are his signature theatrics, replaced by a grounded performance as a stoic, German-born priest. Given that Pacino once famously played the devil, portraying a priest might indeed be an easy pivot.

By the end, it’s unclear what The Ritual is trying to say or why this “true story” needed to be told. The storytelling is pedestrian, the plot lacks a meaningful hook and the grounded setting offers little in the way of suspense. Even the shaky camerawork perhaps meant to induce tension feels more distracting than effective.

In short, The Ritual brings nothing new to the table and leaves little to remember.

Movie Rating:

(The devil exists. God exists. And, unfortunately, bad movies still exist)

Review by Linus Tee