Two priests, one in crisis with his faith and the other confronting a turbulent past, must overcome their differences to perform a risky exorcism.
Chuck says:
Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Olivia de Haviland and Ray Milland, Oscar-winners all, were reduced to starring in low-budget shockers at the end of their careers. Quality scripts were in short supply for these screen vets and as a result, their respective big-screen presences ended with an ignominious whimper.
Here’s hoping the same fate is not awaiting Al Pacino. His latest, “The Ritual” is a curiosity, a cheaply made, B-Grade horror film of the sort that looks as if it were shot over various weekends in someone’s basement. It’s the sort of movie that makes you wonder if the actor is in some sort of financial trouble or if his senses have left him. Curiously, he’s not the only screen vet on hand, which gives rise to the notion that a case of group denial was in play regarding the quality of the script by Enrico Natale and director David Midell. I’m going to give Dan Stevens, Patricia Heaton and Ashley Greene the benefit of the doubt and assume that Pacino was already on board, and they all agreed to be in this travesty simply for the opportunity to work with the screen legend. If that were the case, then the cost for such an opportunity, despite what they might have been paid, was too high.
The case of Emma Schmidt, upon which the film was based, is a fascinating one. The woman underwent an exorcism in her teens and then another when she was 46. Unable to enter churches and prone to convulsions, the woman began committing “unspeakable sexual acts,” which prompted both exorcisms. “Ritual” focuses on the second, which took place in 1928 at a convent in Earling, Iowa, however here Schmidt (Abigail Cowen) is 16 years old. One assumes this would be more appealing to the young horror fans this movie is aimed at.
Father Steiger (Stevens) is the head priest at the convent and is reeling from the violent death of his brother. This has stoked a bit of doubt where his faith is concerned, which will only grow once he witnesses the shenanigans about to occur. Veteran exorcist Father Riesinger (Pacino) has been brought in to conduct the ceremony. He’ll be helped by various nuns, among them Sister Rose (Greene) who might or might not have a thing for Steiger. Needless to say, the Mother Superior (Heaton) is less than pleased her charges will be involved, even more so when furniture starts flying, bones are broken, and scalps are ripped from skulls.
That last sentence implies that something interesting happens. This couldn’t be further from the truth. What’s most shocking about the film is how devastatingly dull it is. Part of the exorcism takes place, Schmidt cusses or pukes, Steiger repeats his doubts and Riesinger assures him all will be well. This pattern is repeated throughout, preventing the story from catching fire. While the budget for special effects and make-up was obviously miniscule, the sort of jolts necessary to make the story compelling are possible in the hands of a capable director. Needless to say, that falls outside Midell’s skill set. Attempting to create a “you-are-there” feel with his handheld camera, the shaky perspective and clunky zoom shots prove distracting rather than engrossing.
Perhaps the most curious, and unfortunate, element of the movie is Pacino’s restrained turn. If any movie needed the sort of scene-rending performance the actor’s become famous for, it’s “The Ritual.” Had he only shouted, “Hoo-ah Devil! Time to get outta there!” with the sort of vigor that’s repeatedly made the veins pop on his forehead, we would have at least gotten a memorable meme from this debacle.
2 Stars
