Al Pacino’s ‘The Ritual’ Flops with 0% Rotten Tomatoes Score

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The real-life event that sparked the creation of ‘The Exorcist’ serves as the basis for Al Pacino and Dan Stevens’ upcoming horror movie, ‘The Ritual’, which will be released in theaters this Friday. However, if its Rotten Tomatoes rating is anything to go by, it appears that the film itself could benefit from an exorcism, as it received a brutal 0% score and has been criticized for being ‘poorly made’ and failing to achieve much.

If you’ve ever pondered about a mind-numbingly ordinary exorcism tale, shot in a manner reminiscent of “The Office”, then “The Ritual” provides that experience, according to Joseph Robinson from Fish Jelly Films. Critics have described it as a unique form of torment, with David Midell at the helm, and Mark Hanson from Slate Magazine goes so far as to call it “a special kind of hell”. Jacob Oller from AV Club echoes this sentiment.

Initially, “The Ritual” aims to be something more grounded and realistic, but eventually, it transforms into a possession horror film that fails to deliver its cheesy scares effectively, instead of being an unsuccessful attempt at fulfilling its original, less supernatural intentions.

Title characterised by Pacino as Father Theophilus Riesinger and Stevens as Father Joseph Steiger, the movie “The Ritual” delves into the lives of two priests: one grappling with doubt (Stevens) and another dealing with a tumultuous past (Pacino). Their contrasting struggles must be set aside to rescue a tormented young woman from a harrowing sequence of exorcisms. The story is inspired by the actual exorcism of Emma Schmidt that took place in 1928, one of the most extensively documented instances of demonic possession in American history. Alongside the 1949 exorcism of Ronald Edwin Hunkeler, it served as an inspiration for “The Exorcist“, a film that continues to be the gold standard for possession-themed movies.

‘The Ritual’ Is the “Worst Movie” of Al Pacino’s Career

Additionally featuring Ashley Greene, Abigail Cowen, Patricia Heaton, and Patrick Fabian, Brian Orndorf of Blu-ray.com remarks that “there’s no sense of suspense” in the movie titled The Ritual. He further adds that it is economically produced and appears to recycle scenes from classic subgenre films without attempting to generate a fear factor. This seems to be a common observation with many modern possession movies, which often fail to live up to the legacy of The Exorcist by becoming mere copies rather than unique entities.

As a film critic, I must confess it’s a tough task to pen down my thoughts about “The Ritual.” Regrettably, this film may well become a low point in the distinguished careers of Al Pacino and Dan Stevens. Shawn Van Horn from Collider puts it succinctly: it’s a movie that’s hard to watch. Giovanni Lago from Next Best Picture adds that it’s a cauldron of every horror cliché imaginable. It’s disheartening indeed, as the trailer (which you can see above) had us all excited. However, Jack Martin from Film Feeder laments, the final product just doesn’t live up to those initial expectations.

This exorcism movie isn’t frightening or captivating in any discernible manner, making it remarkably dull compared to others in the genre, which is noteworthy considering the stereotype of being overly predictable.

If you’re up for spending about 98 minutes this coming weekend in what seems like a fiery ordeal, consider watching “The Ritual” when it premieres on June 6 from XYZ Films. But keep in mind the words of critic Billie Walker from Little White Lies: expect a film that won’t make you jump with fright, leave you amused, or change your perspective.

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2025-06-04 20:02