RITUALS....

[andy13]

I HAVE NOW WITNESSED THEDELIVERANCE RIP-OFF "RITUALS", AND IT IS A CLASSIC BY FAR.
WHAT DOES ANYONE ELSE THINK I THIS PIECE OF CLASS??

[The Prowler]

I saw the cut Embassy version of it and it was ok. I though Hal Hollbrook was good but the movie put me to sleep on a number of occasions. It would of been better if the killer had more screentime than what he did. The woods setting was pretty good and the ending lifted it to an average movie. I thought Just Before Dawn was a better deliverance ripoff. Glad you liked it though, it couldv'e been better in my oppinion.

[This message has been edited by The Prowler (edited 06-17-2001).]

[CAPTAIN BLAKE]

I've been screaming about this little classic for a while, and recently included it in my "favorite thrillers" list here. I also mentioned Peter Carter in my lineup of "underrated directors", on the basis of this one film alone. I watched my old VHS copy of this a few days back, and the movie gets more impressive every time I see it. One of the most unappreciated movies in the genre, it needs to be released on DVD by a specialty house like Anchor Bay or Elite, with commentary by the director and star Hal Halbrook if possible. And regardless of the many surface similarities, this movie is too distinctive and strong to be relegated to DELIVERANCE rip-off status; I'm sure that the success of DELIVERANCE made this film possible for it's creators, but as HALLOWEEN played off it's model, PSYCHO, and moved from there into singular territory, RITUALS is one of a kind.

[CAPTAIN BLAKE]

Hey PROWLER, I thought the "unseen" nature of the menace was one of its strongest points, much as in BLACK CHRISTMAS, where the killer was merely sensed for most of its running time. And the "quiet" scenes weren't boring in the least, to me anyway. This is a movie that takes the time to add depth to its characters, one of the things that sets it far above the average scare-flick. I think if you pay close attention you'll see that none of the action or dialogue in RITUALS is filler. I don't believe this should be compared to your average slasher film, either, as it's more a study of guilt and the endurance of ethics in an isolated, no-win situation; An existentialist themed nightmare.

[Carl Zittrer]

Excellent comments CAPTAIN BLAKE. It'd be great to see a remastered DVD of this one. I've only seen the very poor quality VHS version.
It's a very good film, but not a great one. Its blatantly derivative DELIVERANCE plotline alone brings it down a notch or two. Why, other than an easy paycheque, would one put such effort into cloning someone else's ideas?
The spare music score during the stalking scenes was very effective, and the film picks up steam and originality later on when the remaining men reach the arid, otherworldly terrain.
The ending, with the last survivor reaching the road (read: safety, civilization), was very reminiscent of TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.