Movie Review: ‘The Ritual’

NEW YORK (OSV News) – No pea soup was wasted in the making of the exorcism-themed horror movie “The Ritual” (XYZ).

In a commendable effort to avoid sensationalism in his dramatization of allegedly real events, set in the Midwest in 1928, director and co-writer David Midell downplays the chills and icky special effects to concentrate on more cerebral matters. Respectable though it is, this undertaking does not, in the end, succeed in maintaining viewer interest.

Catholic moviegoers will be intrigued to find Hollywood legend Al Pacino taking on the role of a priest for the first time. He plays German-born Capuchin friar Father Theophilus Riesinger.

After psychiatric treatment fails to cure the long-time mental troubles of Emma Schmidt (Abigail Cowen), Father Riesinger is authorized to try to free the tormented young woman of demonic possession. Much to the surprise of its pastor, Father Joseph Steiger (Dan Stevens), St. Joseph’s parish in Earling, Iowa is chosen as the venue for the rite.

In part that’s because St. Joseph’s is home to a community of nuns — Catholic actress Patricia Heaton portrays their mother superior — whose convent will provide a safe and private environment for Schmidt. With some trepidation, the sisters agree to welcome and care for her.

As limned in the script Midell penned with Enrico Natale, the crux of the story lies in the tension that arises between the veteran exorcist’s faith-based, almost mystical approach to his work and the rationalist doubts expressed by Father Steiger. The latter is also undergoing something of a personal crisis, though the specific nature of his disquiet is not made entirely clear.

Unfortunately, the weak screenplay fails to present the conflict between the two clergymen in a convincing or compelling manner. The result is that “The Ritual” comes across as restrained in some respects but overheated in others.

So we move from would-be passionate exchanges in the dialogue to characters’ nightmares and on to various supernatural phenomena as the picture veers between straightforward drama and the tropes of a chiller. In the former guise, the movie addresses weighty issues but lacks the heft to deliver on them, while Schmidt’s brief levitation and the like end up feeling like add-ons.

“The Ritual” does offer a serious and respectful treatment of its easily exploited subject matter and in doing so it may possibly qualify as acceptable fare for older adolescents. Ultimately, however, the production neither gels as a coherent tale nor jolts as a frightfest.

The film contains occasional gory and disturbing sights, mature themes, including suicide, brief partial nudity, momentary inappropriate sensuality, a couple of rough terms and at least one crass expression. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.

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