The Ritual

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⭐ 8.0/10

(Originally written by Rebecca)

I asked a friend for some horror recommendations based on some criteria I had, and we ended up watching this one together. It was definitely right on the edge of Too Much for me, but I did really enjoy it. At its core, it's about a group of friends who go hiking in the mountains of Sweden, get lost, and get hunted by some horrifying monster, though it's more psychological than that. But the thing I genuinely like about horror is the way it can explore other themes of fear, guilt, and bravery, and I thought this one did it pretty well. I think the theme could have been stronger (if I wrote it, of course) but I loved the way it combined Past Trauma and Current Traumatizing Events. Unfortunately, most of the characters died so it loses 2 solid stars for that. I genuinely think the story would have been stronger if at LEAST one more person survived. Alas.

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