Horror fans rush to watch ‘devilish and dark’ film finally on Amazon Prime

The Ritual has made its way to Prime in time for Halloween (Picture: Netflix)

A British horror film lauded as ‘evocative’ and ‘horrifying’ has arrived on Amazon Prime Video.

Based on the novel by Adam Nevill, The Ritual follows four men – played by Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, and Sam Troughton – on a hiking trip following the death of their close friend.

While there, they take a seeming shortcut through an unmarked trail and become lost, beginning to suspect that an evil presence is watching their every move.

It premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews from fans and critics alike.

The Ritual holds a 74% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics’ consensus reading: ‘Director David Bruckner makes evocative use of the Scandinavian setting and a dedicated cast to deliver a handsome — if familiar — horror story.’

In their review, The Ringer said: ‘This steely British import examines the cost of male-bonding rituals…it’s nice to see a horror movie really go for it in the home stretch.’

Based on the novel by Adam Nevill, it follows four men who encounter an evil presence while hiking in Sweden (Picture: Netflix)

The Los Angeles Times added: ‘Efficient and highly effective in its style, relying on sound, creepy production design, and the men’s own fear and misjudgment to create the sense of pervasive doom.’

Village Voice wrote: ‘The Ritual, too, on occasion achieves a tense and devilish power, leaving you in the dark with these guys trying to figure out what that thing can mean. In these moments, the forest seems wilder than it is.’

Many compared it to the iconic found footage film The Blair Witch Project thanks to its setting and ‘creeping dread’ throughout.

The Daily Beast said: ‘The Ritual will feel like a trip to comfortably uncomfortable environs. And yet Bruckner’s film has more meat on its bones than most, its mayhem splattered with not only blood but issues of guilt, regret and redemption.’

Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter summarised: ‘A superior B-movie shocker set in the hinterlands of northern Sweden.’

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Speaking to The Reel Roundup, The Ritual director David Bruckner and screenwriter Joe Barton explained the influences behind their beloved adaptation.

Barton began: ‘I watched The Grey. I don’t know what the tone is, but then Liam Neeson being chased by wolves and stuff.’

Meanwhile, Bruckner added: ‘I definitely went back to Deliverance. Definitely went back to The Descent. War of the Worlds, the Spielberg movie, for a lot of reasons, particularly the shot constructions.

‘Spielberg sequences are so incredible; it’s kind of hard to achieve on a budget in the woods. And some Ben Wheatley, actually; really, the end of Kill List was pretty inspiring. And I went back and watched The Wicker Man for the first time.’

The Ritual is available to stream now on Amazon Prime Video

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