Rituals (film)

Rituals
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Peter Carter
Produced by Lawrence Dane
Harry H. Novak
Written by Ian Sutherland
Starring Hal Holbrook
Lawrence Dane
Robin Gammell
Ken James
Gary Reineke
Music by Hagood Hardy
Cinematography René Verzier
Edited by George Appleby
Production
company
Astral Bellevue Pathé
Canadian Film Development
Canart Films
Famous Players
Distributed by Aquarius Releasing
Release date
  • July 21, 1977 (1977-07-21) (Canada)
Running time
 100 minutes
Country Canada
Language English

Rituals (also known as The Creeper) is a 1977 Canadian horror/thriller film directed by Peter Carter. It centers on a group of doctors who are menaced while on a camping getaway trip in Northern Ontario.

Plot

Doctors on a weekend retreat in the bush begin to bicker among themselves after drinking around a campfire. Suddenly, they all have their boots stolen. The medics soon realize they're being hunted by someone, or something.

Cast

  • Ken James as Abel
  • Michael Zenon as Matthew

Release

Home media

Rituals was released on VHS by Anchor Bay Entertainment on October 14, 1991.[1] It was released for the first time on DVD by Mill Creek Entertainment on February 7, 2006 as a part of its Drive-In Movie Classics: 50 Movie Pack. Mill Creek re-released the film on April 10th, the following year for its Horror Classics: 100 Movie Pack. It was later released by Code Red on April 19, 2011. On January 24th, the following year, it was released by Filmchest under the alternate title The Creeper. It was last released by VFN on July 9, 2015.[2]

Reception

The Terror Trap awarded the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, praising the film's atmosphere, editing, and Holbrook's performance, calling it "[an] above average journey-into-hell gem".[3] Brett H. from Oh, the Horror! gave the film a positive review, praising the film's characters, soundtrack, suspense, and ending; calling it " a gripping nail biter that will please slasher and horror aficionados immensely, and is one of the key pieces to the puzzle of Maple Leaf Macabre."[4] Justin Kerswell from Hysteria Lives! gave the film 4/5 stars, writing, "Not since Deliverance ... has the wilderness held such terror"[5] John Townsend from HorrorNews.net praised the film, writing, "Watching Rituals having seen so many of these subsequent films drives home the fact that it is possible to make a taut, tense horror thriller without the need for huge swathes of special effects and gallons of fake blood. There is more character, story and enjoyment to be had in this film and in much of the current franchise put together."[6] Phil Michaels from The Spinning Image gave the film 7/10 stars, writing, "On the face of it, Rituals is complete rubbish but if you are willing to work at it a little then you might find it rewarding."[7] Stuart Giesel from Digital Retribution rated the film 4.5 out of 5, stating, "Rituals is another reason why the 70's is, in my mind, the best decade for films: it's brutal, unsentimental, unflinching and utterly compelling."[8]

The film was not without its detractors. TV Guide awarded the film 1/5 stars, calling it "[a] cheap north-of-the-border ripoff of Deliverance".[9] Author and film critic Leonard Maltin gave the film 1.5 out of four stars, calling it "unpleasant".[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Amazon.com: Rituals [VHS]: Hal Holbrook: Movies & TV". Amazon.com. Amazon. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  2. ↑ "Rituals (1978) - Peter Carter". Allmovie.com. AllMovie. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  3. ↑ "Rituals (1977)". Terror Trap.com. The Terror Trap. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "Horror Reviews - Rituals (1978)". Oh the Horror.com. Brett H. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  5. ↑ Kerswell, Justin. "RITUALS". Hysteria Lives.co.uk. Justin Kerswell. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  6. ↑ Townsend, John. "Film Review: Rituals (1977)". HorrorNews.net. John Townsend. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  7. ↑ Michaels, Phil. "Rituals Review (1977)". The Spinning Image.co.uk. Phil Michaels. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  8. ↑ Giesel, Stuart. "Rituals VHS Review". Digital Retribution.com. Stuart Giesel. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  9. ↑ "Rituals - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  10. ↑ Leonard Maltin (3 September 2013). Leonard Maltin's 2014 Movie Guide. Penguin Publishing Group. p. 1181. ISBN 978-1-101-60955-2.
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