Rituals (film)
This article is missing information about the film's production, and theatrical/VHS releases.(June 2018) |
Rituals | |
---|---|
Directed by | Peter Carter |
Written by | Ian Sutherland |
Produced by | Lawrence Dane Harry H. Novak |
Starring | Hal Holbrook Lawrence Dane Robin Gammell Ken James Gary Reineke |
Cinematography | René Verzier |
Edited by | George Appleby |
Music by | Hagood Hardy |
Production companies | Astral Bellevue Pathé Canadian Film Development Corporation Canart Films Famous Players |
Distributed by | Astral Films (Canada) Aquarius Releasing (US) |
Release date |
|
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
This article needs an improved plot summary. (October 2017) |
Doctors go on a wilderness weekend retreat deep in the bushes of Northern Ontario. Around the campfire, they begin to drink and bicker among themselves about whose field is more intellectually demanding. Suddenly, they all have their boots stolen. And they find out that someone has left a deer carcass hanging by their campsite. The medics soon realize they're being hunted by someone, or something.
Cast
- Hal Holbrook as Harry
- Lawrence Dane as Mitzi
- Robin Gammell as Martin
- Ken James as Abel
- Gary Reineke as D.J.
- Jack Creley as Jesse
- Michael Zenon as Matthew
Release
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2018) |
Home media
Rituals was released on VHS by Embassy Home Entertainment in 1985.[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-eleased the film on April 10, 2007 in its Horror Classics: 100 Movie Pack. It was released by Code Red on April 19, 2011. On January 24, 2012, it was released by Filmchest under the alternate title The Creeper. It was last released by VFN on July 9, 2015.[2]
Reception
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2017) |
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
- ^ "Amazon.com: Rituals [VHS]: Hal Holbrook: Movies & TV". Amazon.com. Amazon. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
- ^ "Rituals (1978) - Peter Carter". Allmovie.com. AllMovie. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- ^ "Rituals (1977)". Terror Trap.com. The Terror Trap. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- ^ "Horror Reviews - Rituals (1978)". Oh the Horror.com. Brett H. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- ^ Kerswell, Justin. "RITUALS". Hysteria Lives.co.uk. Justin Kerswell. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- ^ Townsend, John. "Film Review: Rituals (1977)". HorrorNews.net. John Townsend. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- ^ Michaels, Phil. "Rituals Review (1977)". The Spinning Image.co.uk. Phil Michaels. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ Giesel, Stuart. "Rituals VHS Review". Digital Retribution.com. Stuart Giesel. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ "Rituals - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- ^ Leonard Maltin (3 September 2013). Leonard Maltin's 2014 Movie Guide. Penguin Publishing Group. p. 1181. ISBN 978-1-101-60955-2.
External links
- Rituals at AllMovie
- Rituals at IMDb
- Rituals at Rotten Tomatoes
- Rituals at the TCM Movie Database
- Rituals is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- 1977 films
- 1970s adventure films
- 1970s exploitation films
- 1977 horror films
- 1970s slasher films
- Adventure thriller films
- Canadian films
- Canadian adventure films
- Canadian horror thriller films
- Canadian slasher films
- English-language films
- Films directed by Peter Carter
- Films set in Ontario
- Horror adventure films
- Films about death games
- Backwoods slasher films