Ritual (2001/I)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

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 | Jamaica | Doctor | Tales From The Crypt | Based On Comic Book

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
Randolph Winston Jones	...	Gentleman Jackson
Scott Getlin	...	Scott
Erick Avari	...	Dr. Peter Winsfold
Kathy Owen	...	Dr. Shaba
Nahtasha Budhi	...	Dori (as Nahtasha T. Budhi)

Also Known As:

Revelation (USA) (working title)
Tales from the Crypt Presents: Revelation (USA) (alternative title)
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 | USA:R (certificate #38018) | Netherlands:16 | Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Germany:16 | Philippines:PG-13

Company:

RKO Pictures

Trivia:

Miramax purchased the rights from Universal and removed all references to the "Tales from the Crypt" (1989). 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:

References The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

Voodoo, Jennifer Grey in an erotic mood, strange Hallucinations, it sounds like Fun.

With one of the least original titles in the history of cinema, the team of producers of TV's Tales from the Crypt offer the last installment in this franchise. Actually the Crypt-Keeper doesn't appears in the final cut of 'Ritual', it is strange he appeared in 'Bordello of Blood' he could have been the introductory figure here as well, Avi Nesher's flick is consistently better than 'Bordello', Universal should have kept the distribution rights of 'Ritual', but they turned down this movie to Miramax. It's not a surprise from a studio that lost the Child's play franchise.

'Ritual' centers on a young female doctor who must take a job as last choice helping a young man who believes he has been jinxed by Voodoo. Playing the young doctor is Jennifer Gray who is far away from the Ferris Bueller's era. The fun here involves gore, naked girls and hallucinations product of weird herbs. It sounds like a lot of horror fun.

The hot of the island it's bounded with erotic scenes, 'Ritual' has some hot moments. Kristen Wilson plays a female native who carries on her shoulder a big part of all the erotic of the story, but even when Jennifer hasn't full nude scenes she shows she is a sexy woman. Unfortunately 'Ritual' was the last role of Jennifer in big movies, she has retired, which is sad, she could have been a nice 'scream queen'. Tim Curry plays the occasional upsetting guy he usually plays; another notorious actor in the cast is Craig Sheffer (Clive Barker's Nightbreed). The poor Dr. Alice Dodgson will try to redeem herself towards others while she gets involved more in all the magical aspects of Voodoo.

The story is a remake of a classic of producer Val Lewton. But almost there's no comparison possible, Lewton was a master of the subtlety, Avi Nesher's version is completely graphic, but it is only a sign of the times. Different eras, different views on horror genre. The script has been a collaboration of three writers yet it is good and solid, considering Xxx's Rob Cohen wrote part of the script it is a surprise that it has development of characters rather than being just one cliché after another (like the aforementioned Xxx).