Not since Paul Schrader’s ill-starred “Exorcist” entry “Dominion” in 2004 has an exorcism-centric thriller taken itself quite so seriously as “The Ritual.” Based on a real-life case, like director David Midell’s prior “The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain,” this more fantastical drama is a relatively restrained effort less interested in standard horror effects than the events’ psychological impact on their participants. Nonetheless, its integrity and able performers only do so much to elevate a reluctant genre movie that emerges as rather dreary — not unlike “Dominion,” albeit minus theological discussions. With Al Pacino and Dan Stevens topping the cast, XYZ Films’ release should lure in some genre fans. Still, their
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