THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM (1988)

lair white worm

Ken Russell might be (rightly) held in higher regard these days as a truly creative one-of-a-kind but at the time of The Lair of the White Worm in 1988, it was most certainly not the case. The Devils and the censorship row that followed in the early seventies cast Russell out for the most part into the critical wilderness. Following the home release success of Russell’s earlier Gothic in 1986 he was encouraged to make another horror film and he decided to very (very, very) loosely adapt Bram Stoker’s final novel.

The plot finds Peter Capaldi’s archaeological student Angus Flint working on his own dig on land owned by Hugh Grant’s newly-minted Lord James d’Ampton. His ancestor, as legend has it, defeated a giant snake-like creature many centuries ago.  Flint is staying with the Trent sisters in their house. The sisters’ parents disappeared without a trace a year before.  Meanwhile, Amanda Donohoe’s Lady Sylvia Marsh has returned early from her ‘winter hibernation’. When Angus digs up the skull of a snake-like creature it will set off a chain of events that brings everyone together in a tale of vampirism (of a kind) and human sacrifice.

It was made for nowt but Russell turns that into an asset and doesn’t let it temper his ambition as he simultaneously tells an admittedly silly horror film (but with a knowing nod and plenty of humour) and comments on paganism versus Christianity, with a few sequences of the ‘outrageous’ imagery he had become known for.  A caveat for those unfamiliar with Russell’s work is that you might wonder what it’s all about and very possibly consider this all a bit rubbish. But if you’re a Russell fan you should know what you’re in for and, overall, it’s a well-constructed, entertaining film. And the cast are great, with a seductive Donohoe the stand out performer.

The picture is sharp and clear on this release and shows off Russell’s imaginative direction, and the beauty of the scenery (cheap it may be but Ken could do wonders with very little).  This release also comes with a good number of extras. There’s a lively, information-packed and funny commentary with the witty and great fun Russell recorded some years ago, as well as a new commentary with Lisi Russell and historian Matthew Melia. For featurettes, we get a couple of short pieces, on the editing and an interview with producer Dan Ireland.  There’s a 15-minute interview with actress Sammi Davis and a 25-minute piece on the films’ effects work. Add in the trailer and a stills gallery and it’s a fine package for fans of the film and comes recommended.

THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM (1988) / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: KEN RUSSELL / STARRING: AMANDA DONOHOE, HUGH GRANT, CATHERINE OXENBERG, PETER CAPALDI, SAMMI DAVIS / RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 26TH

JIGSAW

jigsaw

Regardless of whether you’ve seen all the films, you’ll likely have an opinion on the Saw franchise. Occasionally gratuitous, undoubtedly extremely gory, it remains difficult to argue against their ongoing popularity with audiences. With Saw III (2006) a high point, there had been a steady decline in box office returns when the seemingly endless annual releases ended with Saw 3D in 2010. The franchise was, like its central ‘killer’ John Kramer, dead.

But if the horror genre has taught us anything, it’s that franchises don’t stay dead forever, and 2017 brought the release of the eighth film in the series and the first to feature the name of its antagonist, Jigsaw. This time, though, something is a little different.

If you chopped up the director of one of the previous films in a Kramer-esque trap their bones would display the word Saw like a stick of rock. James Wan who kicked the whole thing off is still attached as a producer, Darren Lynn Bousman helmed three films from 2005 to 2007, David Hackl who directed Saw 5 (2008) was a production designer on the previous three, and Kevin Greutet who had the honour on six and seven edited all the other films including this new one. One big, bloody family.

This time, however, the producers looked outside the spring-loaded box and hired auteur filmmakers Peter and Michael Spierig, better known for their thought-provoking sci-fi films Daybreakers (2009) and Predestination (2014). For the producers, this was a risk, in allowing outsiders control of their most prized possession. For the brothers, this was the first time they hadn’t written, produced, and directed their own project. And yet, it works.

The approach from the Speirigs is the key to Jigsaw. Instead of simply following a format that had yielded diminishing success, they approached this new film as more thriller than horror, something the initial film Saw (2004) had set out to do. Yes, there are still the traps and yes, there is still plenty of gore to keep fans happy. But there is something different here, a ‘whodunit’ that succeeds in keeping you guessing. There are times when you think you have a handle on things, but the various clues repeatedly contradict whatever theory you reach, and as such the finale is both bloodily extravagant and intellectually satisfying.

The Spierigs have also brought a different visual aesthetic to the franchise, with style very much matching substance, and their skill with the cast has drawn strong performances from Matt Passmore (Son Of The Mask, 2005), Callum Keith Rennie (Warcraft: The Beginning, 2016) and Laura Vandervoort (Ted, 2012). Most impressive, although somewhat predictably so, is Tobin Bell as the titular trap-master. There is something in Bell’s careful, thoughtful delivery that sets his character as one that should rightly enter genre annuls as one of the most interesting and terrifying, and Bell inhabits him wholly.

With few extras to speak of, aside from the usual commentaries and a documentary that is so routine, it could be for any film, the only true benefit of this Blu-ray release comes from the beauty garnered in the macabre surroundings. The deaths feel so, well, alive, and the locales so real you can almost taste the dried blood.

While largely one for fans of the franchise there is more than enough here to appease genre fans of all opinion. And given the working title for Jigsaw was Saw: Legacy, you can bet this is the last we’ll see of John Kramer.

JIGSAW / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: MICHAEL SPIERIG, PETER SPIERIG / SCREENPLAY: PETE GOLDFINGER, JOSH STOLBERG / STARRING: MATT PASSMORE, TOBIN BELL, CALLUM KEITH RENNIE, HANNAH EMILY ANDERSON / RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 26TH

CHASING THE DRAGON

chasing dragon

The return of ‘90s thriller director Jing Wong, to the grounds he so well established, is a thing of excitement for those familiar with his work. The prolific director’s workflow has rarely slowed, but his success over the past twenty years has wobbled with repeated ventures back to his own classic films. Chasing the Dragon is a stylish latest from Wong starring Donnie Yen as the infamous Hong Kong mobster Crippled Ho.

If the idea of Donnie Yen in a ‘70s set Hong Kong crime caper floats your boat then look no further. Yen is the leading man and carries it with trademark charisma, but the die-hard martial artists out there probably won’t be sated by the film’s action sequences. Though pleasantly raw, they don’t exploit Yen’s trademark skills as a bad ass action hero.

Co-directing with cinematographer Jason Kwan was a smart move. Wong’s visual practicality paired with Kwan’s style results in something effortlessly watchable. The low-key action always looks great and what the film lacks in period detail it makes up for in good camera work.

It’s a cool film. Undeniably so, but then what else do you expect when you unleash Donnie Yen on unsuspecting 60’s Hong Kong. As a gangster film. it covers all the bases, achieving the density of a political thriller whilst managing bigger Gangs of New York style brawls and intimate character arcs that draw parallels with Scarface‘s Tony Montana or The Godfather Part 2‘s Vito Corleone. The characterisation is thin though and never really breaks free of the trope.

Yen was reportedly scouted by Jing Wong whilst he filmed XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, intrigued by the minimal fighting and focus on performance, Yen agreed, and we’re glad he did. It’s a perfect match oddly enough, with Yen’s dangerous skill hidden beneath a façade of a glamorous gangster. Kung-Fu stardom has evaded Yen with Western audiences until recent years () and though this kind of film probably won’t catch on, it’s a fair show-case for Yen’s depth as an actor. Similar can be said for Andy Lau whose return to the character of Liu Lok makes a great counter-part to Yen’s Ho. But as mentioned previously makes this film feel like a Wong mash-up as opposed to a solid stand-alone film.

There’s a couple really nifty wee fights courtesy of XXX action choreographer Hua Yan, directed by Yen himself. It always works best when the performer directs themselves and this is no exception. Chasing the Dragon doesn’t go for the big set-piece showdowns usually attached to Yen, instead, blending street fighting with an epic long-haul crime story for fewer but weightier scenes of violence.

The problem is that you’ve seen it all before. By the end, Chasing the Dragon feels like a stylish retread of Jing Wong’s early hits, full of great performances from dependable talent, but missing the scuzzy edge that made his early films so strong.

CHASING THE DRAGON / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: JASON KWAN, JING WONG / SCREENPLAY: JING WONG / STARRING: DONNIE YEN, ANDY LAU, PHILIP KEUNG / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

WHEN THE WIND BLOWS (1986)

when wind blows

There honestly couldn’t have been a better time for a BFI release of Raymond Briggs’ peculiar disaster film When the Wind Blows. Briggs is well known for the enchanting yuletide fable The Snowman and similarly sweet short film Santa Clause, yet When the Wind Blows is a significantly darker cautionary tale released slap-bang between the two in 1986. In it, an old couple deal with the ramifications of nuclear war from their ‘cosy country home’.

After the delight of The Snowman, When the Wind Blows must have come as a shock: it’s an angry, highly political, film about the dangers of nostalgic nationalism. Director Jimmy T. Murakami proves a dab-hand at investing our attention in a familiar sleepy British atmosphere, then bulldozing it to the ground. So much of this film works because of how well the British fairy tale is constructed.

First off, the casting couldn’t be any more perfect. Peggy Ashcroft (A Passage to India) and John Mills (Tunes of Glory, Ryan’s Daughter) lend venerable weight and Brit-centric star power to their respective archetypes. The blending of drawn and constructed elements is playfully involving, whilst the live-action prologue (edited to David Bowie’s ‘When the Wind Blows‘ no less) sets this up as a more ‘real’ experience than perhaps expected. The same cosy disarming style that made The Snowman a perennial Christmas staple, is used to lure us in, disarm, and then assault us with harsh reality.

What begins as a comfy film about an old (if stubborn) British couple in their twilight years becomes a scathing attack on apathy. Even whilst the two succumb, quite gruellingly, to radiation poisoning, they keep calm and carry on, failing to grasp the ramifications of nuclear fallout. Made in the 80s with a particular eye to US/Russia tensions, When the Wind Blows dives under the skin of the public’s relationship with war, especially the generation who grew up during WW1 or WW2.

The two doddery old folks yearn for the days of the Great War: when the good guys were easily distinguishable from the bad: good vs evil in an old-timey British bulldog kind of way. For the modern viewer, it will be stupid at best, depressing at worst. Perhaps even gross, especially in 2018. It’s a blistering attack on nostalgia in all its forms and for the post-Trump/Brexit world it’s disturbingly on-point.

So yes, When the Wind Blows has never been more appropriate. And its cultural impact has been overlooked for too long, something this release does its utmost to readdress via a dense package of revealing special features. Show it to the retrospective dreamer in your family for max effect.

WHEN THE WIND BLOWS (1986) / DIRECTOR: JIMMY T. MURAKAMI / SCREENPLAY: RAYMOND BROOKS / STARRING: JOHN MILLS, PEGGY ASHCROFT, ROBIN HOUSTON, JAMES RUSSELL / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

THE GATE (1987)

gate

When a 10-year-old boy, his best friend, and older sister are left at home for the weekend, they accidentally open the gateway to hell which is unexpectedly underneath their house and garden. Hallucinatory episodes turn into nightmare realities though as evil little minions, a dead guy who lives in the walls and a big bad demon surface to take over the world. Can the kids’ force them all back to their hellish domain in time for Mum and Dad to get home?

There’s a lot to like about The Gate. Made in 1987, it’s like a cross between Poltergeist and Gremlins, but with a quarter of the budget and half the charm. Like both of those films, it takes its time to establish its characters before things go monster shaped and it’s actually some of those earlier scenes which work best. Even so, the nostalgia evoked if you saw the film on its original release is what gives it a warmth which you may not feel if you’re coming to it anew.

Stephen Dorff is a likeable presence in the main role and both Louis Tripp as his heavy metal loving friend and Christa Denton as the older sister impress enough to create a trio we root for as they face more and more PG horrors. Whilst the latter part of the film suffers slightly from things that make no sense at all, (such as why the mythical man in the wall is real after all, or why the dog comes back to life at the end), it’s easy to be distracted by the visual effects, some of which still amaze.

Given the film’s $2.5m budget it’s incredible what was achieved here. As we learn from the disc’s extensive extras, the minions were a combination of stop-motion animation and men in suits and, when it was the latter, large sets and forced perspectives using foreground and background performers were used to create a believable, authentic effect.

As for the extras, there’s plenty to get your teeth into with three separate commentaries including from director Tibor Takács chatting to writer Michael Nankin (who would go on to produce and write for shows like The Exorcist and Battlestar Galactica), another concentrating on the visual effects and one accompanying the isolated score for the film. Sadly the main commentary is a little rambling and chatty providing an easy 85 minutes but not really offering much depth or insight. There are several shorts of the ‘making of’ variety which are fun, a stills gallery and a behind the scenes film from 1987 which is so dated it looks like a parody.

Fun, but no classic.

THE GATE (1987) / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: TIBOR TAKÁCS / SCREENPLAY: MICHAEL NANKIN / STARRING: STEPHEN DORFF, CHRISTA DENTON, LOUIS TRIPP / RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 26TH

HELL’S KITTY

hells kitty

Hell’s Kitty, written, directed by and starring Nicholas Tana, is billed as the feature-film adaptation of the web-series of the same name. This is somewhat misleading; a more accurate description is that it’s a film cobbled together by re-editing the web-series, adding a handful of new scenes and slapping it all together through use of a flimsy wrap-around.

The series, Hell’s Kitty, is far from an internet phenomenon, with the official YouTube channel having well under a thousand subscribers. Presumably, this was a passion project from those making the show or they just realised how easily they could repackage the material that they’d already shot in an attempt to make it profitable.

The basic set-up is that, Nick, the main character, owns a cat named Angel who is demonically possessed and requires an exorcism because they keep killing people that come to visit. It’s a great premise for a horror comedy but it’s completely wasted here.

The web-series is completely episodic and the film-edit doesn’t change that. It feels as though you’re sat watching YouTube on auto-play as it serves up a series of incredibly weak, barely connected skits. Sometimes subplots are introduced that get completely forgotten about once the next “episode” begins.

The plotting seems to be much stronger in the original web-series. It seems as though attempting to streamline the thing caused a great deal of vital exposition and set-up to be left on the cutting room floor, rendering the film borderline incomprehensible at times.

There are frequent moments where it’s not entirely clear what’s supposed to be happening – often when the cat attacks people with a complete lack of special effects and we just see them running and screaming from a POV camera before disappearing (presumably, the cat ate the entire body). And when we do see a dead body, they always appear to have died from a few, realistically light, cat-scratches to the face.

The film’s production values certainly don’t help things. Dead pixels pop up during one scene and porn-star, Nina Hartley, acts circles around the rest of the main cast during her brief cameo, which should raise flags.

All of this might have been forgivable if a single joke landed, but the film is desperately unfunny. At one point, a character refers to the protagonist’s “brat… I mean cat”, which largely sums up the level of humour on which it’s operating.

The final nail in the coffin for Hell’s Kitty are its somewhat problematic elements. The web-series offers clear explanation that Angel is jealous of Nick showing affection towards others. That’s never properly explained in this edit so you’re just left watching a series of women die in weirdly sexualised contexts. Add into the mix a couple of sequences that play homosexuality purely as a joke and the whole thing leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

HELL’S KITTY / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: NICHOLAS TANA / STARRING: DOUG JONES, MICHAEL BERRYMAN, NINA HARTLEY, COURTNEY GAINS, JOHN FRANKLIN / RELEASE DATE: MARCH 13TH (US), TBC (UK)

HOMESICK

homesick

If you have recently lost your kitten and orchestra practice is driving you over the edge, you just might be Jessica (Esther Maria Pietsch), the lead character in Jakob M. Erwa’s psychological drama Homesick. When she and her partner Lorenz (Matthias Lier) move into their new home and Jessica is nominated to represent Germany at a prestigious classical music event, everything seems peachy. That changes as the pressure mounts, and she suspects her elderly neighbours have some vendetta against her.

The film waits until the halfway point for anything major to happen. Until then, it’s a lot of scene-setting and generational rifts, age being a prominent factor in Erwa’s script. A lot of the opening half an hour is Jessica’s elders expressing their disdain or telling her what to do – apart from her neighbour Hilde, who ends up bearing the brunt of Jessica’s spiralling paranoia. The first forty-five minutes or so will leave some twiddling their thumbs, but then maybe we’re to blame if arguments about wallpaper don’t do anything for us.

If the beginning is foreplay, then the second half wastes no time in getting down to business. After a tracking shot that could have come straight out of The Shining follows some blood upstairs, Jessica’s mind gives up on her almost entirely. Great care is taken in blending reality with illusion so you genuinely do not know until the very end who you should believe. It becomes far more tense and captivating.

It is in the film’s last moments that Maria Pietsch really shines, seemingly growing into her character as the film progresses. Jessica’s final degeneration is captured masterfully to the blood-pumping sound of J.S. Bach (what else?), and the film stops on a note no-one could expect. An uneventful opening is soon forgotten as you wrap your head around a very clever final scene, completed by one of the most darkly ironic onscreen dedication messages imaginable.

Homesick is not about keeping you up at night or making you hide behind the sofa. It is a dramatised but grounded depiction of what happens when stress becomes unbearable and the effects it has on everyone involved. It’s this reality that makes Homesick so chilling and that gives it an ominous flavour – this could very easily be your neighbour. It forgoes flamboyance and stylisation in favour of the basics; an ordinary couple subjected to ‘unordinary’ things. It’s the fundamentals of a psychological thriller executed with precision and purpose.

Thought-provoking it is, and while perhaps it could have been more, Homesick is a fine watch. Disturbing but not unbelievable; a film of two halves that surpasses your expectations as it nosedives towards its violent conclusion.

HOMESICK / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: JAKOB M. ERWA / SCREENPLAY: JAKOB M. ERWA / STARRING; ESTHER MARIA PEITSCH, MATTHIAS LIER, TATJA SEIBT, HERMANN BEYER, JANUSZ CICHOCKI / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)

Night of the Living Dead

Well, let’s be honest, what really is there left to say about George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead? A film first released in 1968, this is a picture often cited as being the launching point for the zombie subgenre and for standing up as a bona fide all-time classic. So, what makes yet another release of this genre favourite worthwhile? Let us tell you.

As mentioned, Night of the Living Dead was first released way back in 1968, marking this as 50 years since Romero’s iconic effort first terrified audiences. In terms of plot and premise, this legendary movie centres on a small group of people who find themselves in the middle of a scenario where the dead are coming back to life. While the unrelenting ghouls – Romero largely steering clear of the classic Z word – are chomping at the bit for a taste of human flesh, the main attraction here is the bickering and social interaction carried out by a core cast made up by the likes of Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman and Keith Wayne. As social commentary drips through every pore, Night of the Living Dead would prove itself to be a pivotal, vital piece of cinema, and a thought-provoking picture that worked on a whole plethora of levels.

So, that’s the plot. You likely already knew that, but it’s best we cover our bases in case this is your first time discovering this hugely influential movie. As alluded to earlier, how can you be expected to fork out your hard-earned pennies for a new release of a film that has been released time and time again over the past several decades? Simply put, this new release takes Night of the Living Dead and pushes it to a whole new level.

Put together as part of Sony Pictures’ Criterion Collection, this latest edition of this famed classic brings the extras and brings them hard. That’s not all, though, for we get a 4K transfer of the movie which makes it snap, crackle, and drearily pop with stunning beauty as this remorseless, desolate and desperate film plays out. Night of the Living Dead has never looked better, and we’d go as far as to say the only 4K restoration of a famed horror that’s ever looked better is the Dean Cundey-handled refresh given to Halloween to mark that picture’s 35th anniversary. Frankly, this new restoration looks absolutely phenomenal, bringing a new vibrancy, a new sense of claustrophobia to a well-worn favourite of yesteryear.

Back to the actual special features and bonus material, though, and there’s an absolutely ridiculous amount of extra material included over the two Blu-ray package. What’s most likely to grab longtime fans’ attention, of course, is the famed “Night of Anubis” work-print version of the film that’s included. Sadly, despite rumours and rumblings, this doesn’t mean certain ‘missing scenes’ are included, more it’s a case of a few alternative shots. Where missing material does come in to play, however, is in the 16mm dailies included as part of this release. That footage alone will likely swing this purchase for many a horror hound!

All in all, Night of the Living Dead is obviously just as marvellous as it’s always been. Sure, many newcomers may not quite appreciate the charm, shock, and social commentary of Romero’s famed 1968 movie in comparison to what modern audiences are accustomed to. But that’s kind of the point, for it was more often than not Romero and Night of the Living Dead that set the foundations for so, so many films that we’ve seen over the ensuing decades and still to this day. Throw in a truly mind-blowing 4K restoration and some must-see extras, and here we have a release that should be right at the top of many a genre fan’s wishlist.

Special Features: Two audio commentaries / Night of Anubis work-print / Never-before-seen 16mm dailies / New interviews / Archive interviews / Four new featurettes / Trailer / Radio and TV spots / An essay by Stuart Klawans

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD / 15 / DIRECTOR: GEORGE A. ROMERO / SCREENPLAY: GEORGE A. ROMERO, JOHN A. RUSSO / STARRING: DUANE JONES, JUDITH O’DEA, KARL HARDMAN, KEITH WAYNE, RUSSELL STREINER / RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 26TH

MICHAEL (1924)

michael

Carl Theodor Dreyer is most known to cinema buffs for his 1928 masterpiece The Passion of Joan of Arc, but that’s not his only film worthy of recognition – Michael, one of his more personal movies, is considered a landmark of early LGBT cinema.

Benjamin Christensen plays esteemed painter Claude Zoret, who lives with an attractive young twink called Michael, his muse and model. The two are very clearly in love, even if Claude refers to Michael as his ‘adoptive son’ when in polite company. Then the bankrupt Countess Zamikov comes into the fray, hoping that being painted by Claude will change her financial fortunes. But, obsessing over his inability to get Zamikov’s features right, Claude begins to neglect Michael, and eventually, Michael finds himself more interested in the Countess than in the ailing painter.

It’s a tight-knit story, set almost entirely in Claude’s lavish house, and there are comparisons to be made with current release Phantom Thread in its depiction of a difficult artist and his relationships with his muses. Indeed, Christensen puts a Day-Lewis level of intensity into his performance; he doesn’t need dialogue to convey the strain that Claude’s dual passions for Michael and for his art put on his mentality.

But it’s that passion for the young muse which makes the film remarkable to watch today; though it might not state it explicitly, Michael is an unabashedly gay movie, with Christensen and Walter Slezak putting on as pure a performance of two men in – and, in Michael’s case, falling out of – love as you could hope to see. This was alleged to have been a personal subject for Dreyer, who felt the need to dramatise his own feelings after a homosexual affair.

A third queer character, Robert Garrison’s journalist, who is profiling Claude but seemingly has some romantic past with him, adds an extra layer to the drama and plays neatly into the poignant ending. If there’s anything to criticise, it’s that Nora Gregor’s performance as the Countess doesn’t match up to the standard of the rest of the cast and that a subplot about a friend of Claude’s and his unfaithful wife feels unnecessary.

Nevertheless, Michael acts as a powerful reminder of the progressive, artistic sensibilities that made German cinema of the 1920s one of the most fascinating periods of the medium’s history. Besides that, it’s simply a stunningly scripted, directed and acted romantic drama.

This new Blu-ray release from Eureka does Michael justice; in a new 2K restoration, the film looks as crisp as ever, and there’s a range of fascinating extras: an audio commentary from Dreyer scholar Casper Tybjerg; a video essay by critic David Cairns; a 1965 audio interview with Dreyer himself; and a collector’s booklet full of essays, tributes and images. This comprehensive package makes for a highly recommended purchase for any silent cinema devotee.

MICHAEL (1924) / CERT: U / DIRECTOR: CARL THEODOR DREYER / SCREENPLAY: THEA VON HARBOU, CARL THEODOR DREYER / STARRING: WALTER SLEZAK, BENJAMIN CHRISTENSEN, NORA GREGOR, ROBERT GARRISON / RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 12TH

THE RITUAL

The Ritual

In The Ritual, V/H/S’ David Bruckner looks to dish out a tense, terror-laced effort that  ticks off plentiful horror tropes as a group of friends then themselves isolated in the wilderness. Does the picture succeed, or does it ultimately leave its audience feeling as stranded and clueless as its key players? Let’s find out.

Where the plot’s concerned, The Ritual opens with a group of five middle-aged male pals discussing their options for a possible holiday. Each offering differing views, and Paul Reid’s Rob suggests a Swedish hiking adventure. For poor Rob, however, any sort of jaunts and jollies are soon taken off the table when he and Rafe Spall’s Luke inadvertently end up in the centre of an off-licence hold-up. Quicker than you can scream “hit him with the vodka bottle!”, Rob is brutally killed while Luke watches on. Fast forward to a few months after this tragedy, and we find the four surviving pals – Robert James-Collier’s Hutch, Sam Troughton’s Dom and Asher Ali’s Phil joining Luke – making a pilgrimage of sorts to the Swedish countryside. Having made a toast to their fallen buddy, a turn in the weather prompts the foursome to make the poorly-judged call of taking a shortcut through the eerie, desolate woods. Clever, eh? Nope, not clever at all, as odd happenings, eerie dreams, and an increasingly-close lurking presence soon descend upon these lifelong pals.

The first thing that instantly grabs you about The Ritual is the kinship and camaraderie shared by the film’s key players. Rarely has the relationship between a group of friends seemed so natural in a movie, with the initial five never afraid to poke fun at each other, and often spending the majority of their time ridiculing their nearest and dearest in a way that feels utterly authentic. Of course, it’s not all laughs and figurative dead arms, and those quips and putdowns soon begin to dry up as the terror of their situation begins to take hold. And terror is most certainly here, with director Bruckner doing a largely brilliant job of building tension. Helping that out marvellously is the simply mesmerising location used, with Romania filling in for Sweden and giving a truly fantastic sense of scope when it comes to just how stranded and out of civilisation our central group is. Added to this, Joe Barton’s script – itself adapted from Adam Nevill’s 2011 novel of the same name – does well to highlight the elements of guilt, grief and even blame felt by its core players following the death of Rob, with these true feelings coming more to the fore as the tale unravels.

Unfortunately, The Ritual begins to lose its way a little as the film staggers to its conclusion, making its final act seem dragged-out, underwhelming, and even a little predictable. And it’s the predictability of The Ritual that is its ultimate undoing, with the movie essentially feeling a little ‘we’ve seen it all before’ by the time the twists and turns are laid bare. Still, that’s not to say that this is a total dud – far from it, in fact – but it just lacks any real sense of adventure or unique ideas, failing to capitalise on an interesting opening and leaving you with a sense of what could’ve been.

Special Features: Cast and crew interviews

THE RITUAL / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: DAVID BRUCKNER / SCREENPLAY: JOE BARTON / STARRING: RAFE SPALL, ROBERT JAMES-COLLIER, SAM TROUGHTON, ARSHER ALI, PAUL REID / RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 9TH (NETFLIX), FEBRUARY 12TH (DVD)