THE RITUAL. A Bored Al Pacino Casts Out Toothless Demons

Emma Schmidt, a woman who lived from 1882 to 1964, was the central figure in one of the most well-documented exorcisms, performed in 1928 in Earling, Iowa. Notes taken during the process by Father Joseph Steiger became one of the most famous documents in the history of modern exorcisms. On the one hand, they served as material for numerous theological and academic analyses of possession, and on the other, they inspired many stories and cultural texts devoted to the subject. Interestingly, this case did not receive a direct film adaptation until almost a hundred years later. The second cinematic attempt to depict this story after The Exorcism of Anna Ecklund is The Ritual by David Midell.

The film opens strongly and atmospherically—a terrified priest, played by the charismatic Dan Stevens, rushes through a darkened monastery, eventually entering a room where an invisible force hurls a young woman against the wall. It’s stark, disturbing, and demonic. The prologue gives us a glimpse into the climax of the story, which is then told chronologically by the screenplay written by Midell and Enrico Natale. We are introduced to Father Steiger, grieving the death of his brother, a chaplain who served the Franciscan sisters’ monastery. He is soon given a mission by the bishop—to provide a place and assist with the exorcism of Emma, who is plagued by ailments unexplained by medical science.

Father Theophilus, a Capuchin specializing in exorcisms, is invited to perform the ritual. Emma is brought to Steiger’s parish, and the titular series of rituals begins. Midell holds all the cards for at least a solid horror film: a fact-based, “classic” possession story, the always-intriguing retro context, the involvement of modern horror talent Dan Stevens, and none other than Al Pacino portraying Father Theophilus.

Add to that a well-cast Abigail Cowen (whose surname, incidentally, fits the genre well) as Emma. All of this should add up to a satisfying final product. But the director of The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain not only fails to assemble a good film from this hand but doesn’t even utilize the potential of the individual elements. This is most evident in the performances of the two leads—Stevens, usually intense and commanding on screen, is surprisingly bland as a doubting and persistently rational priest, while Al Pacino is… simply there. A bit bored, a bit sloppy, which could perhaps be interpreted as the demeanor of an old, experienced, somewhat unhinged exorcist—but more likely feels like a nonchalant approach from the legendary actor.

He’s no Father Merrin à la Max von Sydow. Another issue is that the actors don’t have much to work with. The Ritual attempts to faithfully and reverently replicate the framework of a possession-and-exorcism horror, yet the filmmakers seem not to understand its mechanics. Midell’s film is structured around eight episodes of exorcisms, shown meticulously, with an emphasis on realism—and an absence of drama. Tension is present in the beginning, during the first act, when disturbing and incomprehensible events start to unfold.

But afterward, each attempt to cast out the evil does little more (or even less) than the previous, adding almost no elements that are frightening—or even interesting. Forget about dramatic levitations, spectacular spasms, or blood-curdling provocations from the devil. The Ritual offers a few convulsions, not much blood, and several instances of speaking in tongues. And all this is repeated, scene after scene, like a broken record. Everything feels cyclical, and while the portrayal of exorcisms may indeed be realistic, it fails as horror storytelling—after several minutes, it bores more than it frightens. There’s virtually nothing between the ritual episodes. At best, they are separated by two or three scenes that do little to develop the characters or the occult context. Steiger remains a priest grieving his brother, Theophilus is a nonchalant expert, and the accompanying nuns are practically indistinguishable. Emma’s characterization ends with her symptoms defying doctors. Even the subplot involving her past—which is supposed to connect with the demons haunting her—is handled superficially and ultimately lacks both depth and relevance to the overall story. This lack of psychological insight into the characters, the dynamics of their relationships, and the broader socio-historical context they inhabit kills any narrative momentum The Ritual might have had.

Horror of this kind should be driven by believable human emotions and relationships, intertwined with fear-inducing, carefully metered possession scenes. Here, we get neither the former, nor effective execution of the latter. It seems that The Ritual aimed to stay grounded and faithful to the exorcism documentation it adapts. Unfortunately, it lacks the skill to make such a restrained approach compelling while also telling a human story. In terms of execution, it’s a flat and unremarkable spectacle that—if not for the involvement of Stevens and Pacino—would have gone entirely unnoticed.

Midell avoids any critical engagement or thematic depth, while also (apparently deliberately) rejecting genre spectacle. Apart from the opening scene, there are few positives or memorable features to be found here. Decades later, The Exorcist by William Friedkin remains the gold standard, still unmatched.