FAQ

The Ritual will be released on DVD on March 20, 2012.

It can be ordered here: http://www.amazon.com/Ritual-Anne-Reiss-Brinke-Stevens/dp/B006OT0SPI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327547556&sr=8-1

While their M.O. of filming their crimes is based on Canadian serial killers Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, the actual characters of Wayne and Andrea Montgomery (as well as John Craven and Wayne's teenage accomplice, Jared) are not based on any real-life serial killers.

No. The events and characters in The Ritual are completely fictitious.

Every scene in The Ritual was improvised.

It is not specifically stated whether or not it's the same building. It's possible that by this point, John had already learned that the building is scheduled to be demolished and therefore left. Or it could be a different building in the complex.

Another theory is that he is searching an entirely different location AFTER the steel mill has already been demolished.

John Craven is Andrea's first-born son from her previous marriage (which was mentioned in Head Case). At some point prior to Wayne's 1989 retirement from serial killing, he took John on as his protégé. John now is a professional (and prolific) serial killer himself, having developed his own M.O. and base of operations. The two are very close, with John serving as Wayne's voice of reason.

Seth is John Craven's protégé, a young teenager psychologically damaged by his parents drug addiction. John takes Seth under his wing and encourages him to murder his entire family. This storyline is the focus of Post-Mortem, the 3rd film in the Head Case series.

The title "The Ritual" refers to a serial killer's process (or ritual) of grooming a protégé by passing on the skills necessary to become a professional (and successful) murderer.

Yes. There are four films in the series so far: Head Case (2007), The Ritual (2009), Post-Mortem (2010), and Head Cases: Serial Killers in the Delaware Valley (2013).

From the director, Anthony Spadaccini:

"In terms of the universe established in the Head Case films, it's hinted at that filmmakers bought the rights to the footage, edited it all together, and released it to the public. In Head Case, the focus was simply on Wayne and Andrea Montgomery, so the entire film (with the exception of the police interrogation footage at the end) is from their point of view, using their own footage. The Ritual takes a slightly different approach, focusing on three different aspects: Wayne's life as a fugitive, the search for Wayne by the authorities, and the exploits of Wayne's friends. Some of the footage presented in The Ritual couldn't possibly exist following the same philosophy as in Head Case. For example, there's a scene where Detective John Haynes searches an abandoned building for Wayne. It's highly unlikely that he would have a camera crew following him everywhere. Post-Mortem's story is told using John Craven's footage, Seth's video diary entries, and the webcam entries of the suicide support group members. While Post-Mortem focuses mostly on the relationship between John Craven and his accomplice Seth, there are certain shots of John that couldn't have possibly been amateur home movie footage, such as the scene where he is reacting to the news of Wayne's death. The scene is shot from multiple angles. Also, one could conclude that some of the webcam entries were re-enacted (after all, what parent would allow footage of their son or daughter committing suicide to be released to the general public?). In all cases, it can be assumed that the re-enactments were added in later by the filmmakers for dramatic effect."