True stories turned into movies are usually meant to pull the viewer in, but The Ritual didn’t quite manage that. It’s the third official film from director David Midell, who directed The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain and NightLights, which are also based on real events. While the horror film is based on the same story as The Exorcist, it doesn’t compare to the classic.
The Lore
The early 20th century marked an era where psychiatry was relatively unknown, and its experiments were problematic. Lobotomies were just around the corner during a time when mental illness was still heavily stigmatized. In 1928, the story of Emma Schmidt began. Her supposed “demon possession” case culminated in a prolonged exorcism in Iowa led by Father Theophilus Riesinger. During the ritual, Ecklund reportedly levitated, spoke languages she didn’t know, exhibited superhuman strength, vomited strange substances, and screamed names like “Beelzebub,” “Judas,” and “Mina”. A 1936 Time article documented this dramatic case thoroughly. The film likely dramatized mental illness to fit the “demon possession” narrative.
The supposed 1928 demon possession of Emma Schmidt, like many other tales of folklore in the early 20th century, conveys an incredibly eerie fascination around early psychological misperceptions and religious conspiracies. The Ritual attempts to translate this bizarre account into a modern horror film and falls quite short.
The Ritual’s Shaky Camera Work (Literally)
The movie’s opening was questionable. It begins with quick cuts of Father Jospeh Steiger in clear distress, as the camera shakily zooms in and out. From the beginning, everything came off as rushed and choppy, with quick cuts and cheap-looking visuals that made it difficult to stay engaged. The opening credits did little to establish any atmosphere, seemingly stitched together from leftover trailer footage rather than crafted to set the tone.
Any anticipation that had built up beforehand vanished quickly, as the cinematography clearly suffered from a tight budget. While a few shots of Iowa aimed for an indie aesthetic, they failed to authentically capture the rural atmosphere of 1928. The setting didn’t feel lived-in or period-accurate and felt as if it was a stage prop version of the original lore. Even the film’s climax was completely undercut by disorienting edits and an overuse of shaky camerawork.
Uninspired Acting
The Ritual features prominent actors such as Al Pacino, Dan Stevens and Patricia Heaton. This iconic cast set high expectations especially with the man behind Scarface and The Godfather as the lead exorcist. While Al Pacino plays an important role as Father Theophilus, his acting is subpar for his standard. There is little enthusiasm behind a character that takes on such a big task, and though he plays as a seemingly nonchalant character, less reserved emotion would have sufficed.
Dan Stevens plays the most significant role in the film, filling in as the virtuous priest Father Joseph Steiger. He is tasked with hosting an exorcist while grieving the loss of his brother. Introduced as quiet and expectedly disturbed, Emma (Abigail Cowen) is who Father Joseph attends to. While Stevens’ acting performance is decent, it is no fault of his own that his character is dull, as the dialogue for his character was predictable due to faulty writing.
Emma’s character was more of the same out of a stereotypical horror movie. Emma climbs walls, has black “possessed demon” eyes, and floats above her bed. Her acting, like Stevens’, was good, but her character once again fell victim to the script writing.
Heaton’s performance, however, was cringeworthy. For the headwoman of the church, her apathy showed, and her physical expressiveness especially lacked any passion or care.
Repetitive Plot
Many articles published Emma Schmidt’s 1928 demon possession leading up to the movie’s release on June 6th. The movie seemed promising considering the lore and Al Pacino’s role, but the plot remained bland for what it was. Midell could have created something more vintage and sinister, illustrated poor living conditions of the mentally ill like Emma, or extended upon Father Joseph’s alleged relationship with a nun, but it simply seemed too pure. Horror movies are meant to discomfort the viewer, and this plot was bound not to do that.
The plot’s downfall came from its repetitiveness from its climax. Each stage of the exorcism consistently ended with disagreements from Father Joseph and Father Theopilius and reach a conclusion to continue the exorcism. Emma returns to normal life after the exorcism and Steiger reflects deeply on his experiences, highlighting its predictability. The plot could have used a less wholesome approach for folklore that is quite disturbing and deserves a bit of experimentation.
Conclusion
In attempting to retell one of the most unsettling cases of early 20th-century exorcism lore, The Ritual had all the raw materials for a character-driven horror story grounded in history. Unfortunately, it misses nearly every mark. With uninspired writing, erratic camerawork, and a misused cast of seasoned actors, the film fails to elevate the eerie true story behind it. The result is a horror film that plays it too safe to leave a lasting impression. Few cheesy horror movies have become a staple in the genre after aging well, but The Ritual is forgettable at best. They may have aimed to unearth something haunting, but what it delivers is quite the opposite.
While there were a few overall redeeming qualities, most of them resided around Abigail Cowen’s performance as Emma. The directing felt amateurish, which is unsurprising considering this is Midell’s third official film. This may very well go down as one of the worst films of the year given its anticipation. The Exorcism was a clear inspiration for this movie, according to a Reddit AMA with Midell, but it’s quite upsetting to see how every interpretation throughout the film felt too safe. Director David Midell bases his third consecutive film on a true story, and while he executed The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain well, he may need to move on from this infatuation.
