Ritual
A disgraced doctor caring for a mysterious patient in Jamaica is drawn into a lethal voodoo curse that challenges the boundary between illness and supernatural persecution.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- eerie
- paranoid
- foreboding
- late night horror viewing
- occult horror marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly rejected the film as an ineffective and poorly received supernatural horror entry.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Wesley’s belief that he has been touched by a voodoo cult becomes central to the threat facing him and Alice in Jamaica.
Alice loses her medical license after a patient’s death and accepts an isolated nursing job because conventional employment is no longer available.
Alice must determine why Wesley is ill and why both of them have become targets of a voodoo curse.
The Jamaican location places the characters’ medical investigation within an unfamiliar environment associated with voodoo and escalating spiritual danger.
Films like Ritual, and why
The Serpent and the Rainbow
supernatural horror involving occult beliefs, isolation, and a threatened protagonist investigating a sinister curse
The Exorcist III
psychological supernatural horror with an outsider confronting an apparently impossible malign force
The Believers
stylized occult horror centered on ritual, spiritual danger, and an ominous tropical atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Avi Nesher
- Release Date
- 2002-09-18
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Rating
- 4.7 / 10 (84)
Cast
- Jennifer Grey
- Craig Sheffer
- Daniel Lapaine
- Kristen Wilson
- Gabriel Casseus
- Tim Curry
- Ron Taylor
- Dorothy Cunningham
- Carl Bradshaw
- Jessica Collins
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Ritual about?
- A disgraced doctor caring for a mysterious patient in Jamaica is drawn into a lethal voodoo curse that challenges the boundary between illness and supernatural persecution.
- What is Ritual like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Ritual as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Ritual violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Ritual as moderate.
- What did critics think of Ritual?
- Critics broadly rejected the film as an ineffective and poorly received supernatural horror entry.
- Which films are like Ritual?
- Films with a similar feel include The Serpent and the Rainbow, The Exorcist III, and The Believers.
- How long is Ritual?
- Ritual runs 111 minutes.
- Where can I watch Ritual?
- In United States, Ritual is available to rent or buy from Apple TV Store.
