Rituals

I thought this was a very well-acted, believable and absorbing film. It's is a crime that there is not yet a DVD release of this title. It is very similar to DELIVERANCE in many respects, but with more of a horror-movie feel. Five doctors take their annual camping trip into the thick wilderness of "The Cauldron," a huge, basin-like spot in the forest which was formed, according to Native American legend, when the moon once bumped into the earth. Things go from bad to worse to horrifying for the doctors, as they're faced with a trip through hell brought upon by an unseen, unknown stalker. If you're a horror fan, this is a forgotten gem. Highly recommended for fans of backwoods slashers.

This is a powerful,surreal and frightening film. Like Deliverance, It's mostly about the very thin veneer of civilization. Shot in a cinema verite style, the brutality and horror seems almost documentary like, unlike Deliverance where there are practically signposts saying "meaning" per 24 frames, this film allows the horror and absurdity of itself unfold itself slyly around the edge of the frame.( consider the brilliant satire of having the surgeons chant "take him apart! take him apart!" as they dance around the campfire. And the eerie shot of the forest dwelling killer standing on top of the hill, a shadow against the sun.) Wheras Deliverance was all about northern white guilt, the doctors in this film have something to be guilty about. I think "Deliverance" is great but this film reveals it's limitations, it's lack of guts, and it's prettifying of nature. Ultimately this is a superior film.

Often compared to John Boorman's "Deliverance" (1972), Peter Carter's "Rituals" (aka. "The Creeper") of 1977 is a creepy and effective Canadian 'backwoods' Horror film which isn't too well-known, but enjoys a certain cult-status among Horror fans. The comparisons with "Delicerance" are obvious: A bunch of civilized men take a trip into the wilderness in order to have an adventure in the beauty of nature, and have to experience unexpected terrors. In this case, five medical doctors take a trip to go hiking in a remote lakeside area in the deep Canadian woods, days' walks away from civilization. In the first night, their boots get stolen. From that time onward, the friends are getting stalked by a murderous phantom fiend...

The film was obviously shot on a modest budget, and is very well-made. The beautiful but inescapable Canadian wilderness is a perfect location for a backwoods horror film, and "Rituals" maintains a truly creepy and menacing atmosphere from the beginning to the end. None of the characters is really likable, which slightly lessens the suspense, as one isn't as scared for them. The characters are thereby those one would expect in such a film: There is the heroic tough guy (Hal Holbrook), the scumbag (Lawrence Dane), the wuss (Robin Gammell), the clown (Gary Reinecke). Personally, I always lament the lack of a woman character in a Horror film, as I find it a lot easier to be scared for a woman than for a man. However, I see the point, as a trip into the wilderness is something that a bunch of guys would do together. The somewhat gonzo-style cinematography in the wilderness sometimes increases the feeling of presence (and therefore the creepiness) and reminded me of the Italian Cannibal films (such as "Cannibal Holocaust") that were shot around the time and later. The score is very good and effective, and the moments of powerful Classical music fit the film very well. The violence is not overtly gory, but quite disturbing. Especially in its second half, the film gets creepy as hell. Overall, "Rituals" is highly recommendable, especially to my fellow fans of gritty low-budget 70s Horror.

Hal Holbrook and four other doctors take their yearly vacation off in the deepest woods for uninterrupted fishing and camping. Once there strange occurrences begin to happen. All their boots are stolen. A deer is slaughtered and strung up with a snake crawling down its leg like a caduces. Someone is out there and someone knows these guys are doctors. Well, differing personalities and breaking points get the better of the men. Doctors begin to die...usually through no fault but their own in the beginning. Later the few survivors are hunted and (some) killed prior to reaching the film's resolution. This film is a little diamond in the rough of bad, pointless horror films of the seventies. It has some truly inspired moments of terror. It also has some truly disturbing moments. The deer scene is one such scene, and another scene is where a head of a previous killed doc is mounted on a pole ala Macbeth to greet the surviving doctors after their sleep. The image is horrifying as is the realization that the lives of the living could have been had at any moment by the hunter. Director Peter Carter is good at keeping the pace of the film moving and tight. The editing is the biggest problem as needless cuts and cutaways seem to be all over the place. They may be cuts made for the video distribution way back on the Embassy label. What really separates this film from a mindless slasher film is the heavy use of characterization throughout the film. We just don't see nameless doctors killed, but they are real people with real problems. Each character can be described in more than just appearance. Holbrook gives a very credible performance as a man who has a strong ethical base. Lawrence Dane does a likewise job as a man with a low breaking point. All the acting was very credible. The ending of the film is somewhat slapdash and some things just dont fit perfectly, but budgetary constraints appear to have been at fault for this little Canadian production. Despite, as an earlier reviewer noted, Siskel and Ebert giving it two thumbs down, I enthusiastically recommend the film as an entertaining suspenseful horror film.

Long before THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT took the crown of 'lost-in-the-woods-and-stalked-by-evil' movies, there was this poorly distributed low budget gem which deserves reevaluation, and should be seen by any serious horror/thriller enthusiast.

A buddy group of medical field professionals trek into the solitude of the forest for a relaxing fishing trip. On their first day out, their boots mysteriously turn up missing, marking the inception of a tense and distressing game played against an unseen evil adversary. One by one, the men meet grisly fates, and a scattering of vague clues which may reveal the reason behind it all are left to be pondered.

Quite good of its type, and deserving of mention in the same breath as DELIVERANCE and SOUTHERN COMFORT.

7/10.