Movie Review: 'The Ritual'

Things are peaceful and quiet in the farming town of Earling, Iowa. Peaceful except in the home of the young Emma Schmidt (Abigail Cowen). She begins to suffer from terrifying and inexplicable phenomena and develops an unnatural hatred towards anything sacred. During the night she is tormented by terrors, violent outbursts and speaks in languages she doesn’t know.

Her family is devout Catholic, so their first inclination is that she is possessed. They turn to the church for help. A seasoned German American priest known for conducting successful rare exorcisms responds to the parents’ plea. Father Theophilus Riesinger (Al Pacino) is on his way to Iowa.

The aging Riesinger brings along a younger priest for help – Father Joseph Steiger (Dan Stevens). Riesinger is unwavering in his faith while Steiger is disillusioned with the church after the recent suicide of his brother. Haunted by the death of his sibling, he is dissatisfied by the church’s handling of mental illness.

He begins to change his mind after meeting Emma and witnessing the things she does – her unnatural voice and extreme physical strength. The priests agree to perform the exorcism in a secluded convent, but only under strict conditions. There must be silence from the nuns, all doors to be locked and constant prayers must be said.

As the ritual begins the nuns notice their home beginning to change, the temperature falls and the air becomes heavy. Emma, now tied to a bed, begins to speak in various voices, using foul language in loud or quiet voices. Demons appear as long past spirits, even one being Emma’s late father who abused her in life. The spirit of her aunt, rumored to have practiced witchcraft, makes an appearance.

Originally planned as a one-night ritual, the process turns into a 23-day torturous ordeal. It is now conducted in three stages, each more violent and draining than the previous one. Fearing for the safety of all concerned, Emma is sequestered in a bleak basement room. She remains tied to a bed as the ritual continues.

The physical toll is felt by all involved, especially by both priests. Riesinger becomes obsessed with the procedure, praying constantly and barely eating or sleeping. Steiger begins to break down emotionally, confiding in Emma during her rare lucid moments.

During the final 72 continuous hour stage, Emma trashes and screams, the room shakes, demonic voices cry out in fury and objects fly. Riesinger continues the rite with great intensity and Steiger finally commits fully to the ritual. Emma breaks free from her bindings, hovers above the bed, and then crashes down.

Directed by David Midell (Credits: Night Lights, By Any Other Name), “The Ritual” runs 98 minutes and is a “see” film. It is a well-documented story of true events that took place in 1928. At the time, Time magazine recognized Father Theophilus Riesinger in a feature article. Recently, a noted film credit made a belittling comment about the film and its low budget. The lack of funds commonly wasted on comic book scripts, special effects and loud music make this story seem very real and convincing.