Ritual (2001/I)

Director:

Avi Nesher

Writers (WGA):

Inez Wallace (story)
Curt Siodmak (1943 screenplay I Walked with a Zombie) ...

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

The truth is everything you fear

Plot:

Dr. Alice Dodgson gets her medical license revoked after the death of one patient. She's facing the...

Plot Keywords:

Voodoo | Nipples | Dance | Blood | Doctor

Cast

Jennifer Grey	...	Dr. Alice Dodgson
Craig Sheffer	...	Paul Claybourne
Daniel Lapaine	...	Wesley Claybourne
Kristen Wilson	...	Caro Lamb
Gabriel Casseus	...	J. B.
Tim Curry	...	Matthew Hope
Dorothy Cunningham	...	Violette
Ron Taylor	...	Superintendant Archibald
Trevor Rhone	...	Julian
Carl Bradshaw	...	Ramon
Jessica Collins	...	Jackie
Randolph Winston Jones	...	Gentleman Jackson
Scott Getlin	...	Scott
Erick Avari	...	Dr. Peter Winsfold
Kathy Owen	...	Dr. Shaba

Also Known As:

Revelation (USA) (working title)
Tales from the Crypt Presents: Revelation (USA)
Tales from the Crypt Presents: Voodoo (Philippines: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | USA:R (certificate #38018) | Philippines:PG-13

Company:

RKO Pictures

Trivia:

Miramax purchased the rights from Universal and removed all references to the ?Tales From The Crypt? franchise so that it could be released as a stand alone movie.

Quotes:

The Crypt Keeper: [in a fake Jamaican accent] Oh, what up my people? Welcome to Jamaica man! This is your old bosom bloody the Cryptkeeper.
Hot Girl: Nice hair.
The Crypt Keeper: Aint they cool? On me they call these "deadlocks".
[Cackles]
The Crypt Keeper: Woah! One of the things I love about Jamaica is the eye popping honeys. Of course, I'd prefer them with a little less meat on their bones, or better yet, just bones
[Cackles. A woman brings him a drink with a shrunken head in it]
The Crypt Keeper: T'anks but that's not what I be meanin when I say I want a little head.
[Cackles]
The Crypt Keeper: Anyway, mon, I just wrapped my new movie here in Jamaica, where they dance, smoke grass and all the nice girls be in the voodoo trance. What a place to work. You've got mangos, papayas,
[Focus in on a woman's breasts]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Remake of I Walked with a Zombie (1943)

"It's a sickness of the soul."

First it's a Tales From the Crypt film, then it's not. Then it is, then it's not. Finally this film was given a decent release and they used the Cryptkeeper to try and sell it. Sadly, this will be the only thing under the Tales From the Crypt banner that I will never own. Ritual just wasn't up to Crypt standards. Demon Knight was one of the best horror films on the 90's and Bordello of Blood was a laugh riot. Ritual is neither of these things. It's basically a retelling of I Walked With a Zombie. It has no surprises and it's rather straight-forward in it's direction. I'm also not big on voodoo movies. There's just something about them, and they all tell pretty much the same story. So not much stands out and the film is a bit boring. The pace could have been tightened up a bit. It's a shame too because the acting is quite good. Jennifer Gray leads the cast and is up to the task. The new nose must be working out for her because she looks to be in the best shape of her life. Daniel Lapaine and Kristen Wilson, both of whom I'm not familiar with, also are admirable. And Tim Curry and Craig "I need to fire my agent" Sheffer show up to lend their credentials. Seriously, Sheffer is a way better actor than his filmography would have you believe. Another plus is the effects. What little gore there is is done expertly. Gotta love the doctor getting microwaved.