The horror genre seems to be in the middle of a little gory renaissance. Isn’t it lovely? We’re finally getting a slew of original horror flicks, paired with good actors, competent directing, and bringing more to the table than jump-scares. And while international frights will always be headed by South Korea, Spain, and France, jolly old England more than carries its weight on the grand terror stage. The latest fare from across the pond, The Ritual, was just released on Netflix. This familiar tale about a jaunt through the woods gone wrong brings a few pleasant surprises to the classic setup.

“We should’ve gone to Vegas!”

Friends Luke, Hutch, Dom, Phil and Rob are planning their next lads trip when Rob is brutally murdered during a liquor store robbery. 6 months later, the 4 remaining mates are hiking through Sweden to honour their friend, with Luke (Rafe Spall) still carrying the guilt for not helping Rob when it seems he could have. When Dom injures himself during the trek, the boys decide to shorten their trip with a shortcut through the woods (always brilliant). Soon the men are beset by paranoia, nightmares, and the encroaching terror that they are not alone these woods. It’s like The Hangover, in Sweden, with monsters. And somehow less fannypacks.

The great thing about British horror is its insistence to treat the genre with respect. The cast acts their heart out, with Rafe Spall always being a joy to watch. The terror is treated seriously, with the fear these men are feeling coming across with all the visceral intensity it deserves. With a relatively familiar setup, The Ritual of course also brings a few familiar beats and scares, but once the film departs from the usual, it really does stand on its own with genuine creepiness, and a very original, cleverly designed monster.

The Ritual sets its horror in the mountains of Sweden, and this of course allows for some beautiful landscapes, and hauntingly creepy forests. And the touch of Scandinavian lore tossed in is just enough to get you enthralled, while staying mysterious enough to not distract from the core of the story. The Ritual is of course not about a monster in the woods; it’s about these four friends. The story never seems to lose focus on this fact, and the performances are all the better for it, especially when the real scares start coming.

“Your ritual begins tonight.”

Like all the classic horror tales, The Ritual keeps the CGI to a relative minimum. Practical effects are used, and to great effect, on both the (very intimidating) creature, and a few choice nightmare scenes. Terror is always most effective when it seems real enough to reach out and touch, so this is always great to see in horror nowadays, and seems much more common in international cinema than in today’s Hollywood horror. The creature design itself really impressed, not for being totally original or never-seen-before, but just for the sheer weirdness of it, and the great execution of its appearances.

All in all, The Ritual isn’t reinventing the horror wheel, but it does something a lot of today’s scary movies tend to forget: respect the genre. Horror has gone through a lot of iterations over the decades, but the best stuff has always been produced when real directors and real actors were willing to take the terror seriously, and treat it like any other film. Horror movies can have good actors, it can have competent, even impressive direction. The drama can be real and heart-wrenching, and the end product can be beautiful and cathartic. Hollywood can learn a thing or two from the world stage in this regard. Almost every other major film producing country in the world treats its horror with more respect than we do, and the genre thrives all the more for it.

This Guy Scores It: 7.5/10