Sommerleigh Pollonais, Horror Head Writer
Plot: An augmented reality (AR) game involving dark rituals results in a group of students unleashing a swarm of evil spirits into the world.
Review: A follow up to the Taiwanese horror The Bridge Curse which, flaws and all, I enjoyed, Ritual continues with a fresh batch of students, a new location and a whole hosts of jump scares.
While the first movie centered around one particular urban legend, this time around this group of teenagers is developing an AR game based around many urban legends that may or may not invoke the dead. While testing the game at a university that’s allegedly cursed, very real spirits start showing up and this is when The Bridge Curse: Ritual is at its best. Playing a horror game is always scarier than watching a horror movie, so incorporating the two was a legitimately smart move. And the way they visualise this (through the POV of the player) places you right in the shoes of the character(s). Unfortunately, they do away with this early on and what we’re left with is another typical horror story.
It’s a shame too because the pacing is tight and the setups for the legitimately creepy scenes are strong. The story is also buoyed by a likeable lead protagonist in Ting, a young woman whose brother Kai developed the game and in the process of attempting to uncover the mystery behind one the legends called “The Haunting Elevator” ends up in a coma. She eventually teams up with the security guard for the building, De, (SPOILER ALERT) the only survivor of The Bridge Curse (SPOILER ALERT ENDS).
My overall feeling watching Ritual was one of frustration for what could’ve been. A strong first act gives way to too many generic jump scares hobbled by an overuse of CGI ghosts and demons. The final act injects a bit more life back to the proceedings as it’s revealed time jumps around in the netherworld of the school and De’s choices in the first story blend well with what’s occurring now. There’s also a twist in the end credits that reveals something else I won’t spoil here; another interesting addition but again it all feels like there’s a better movie waiting to break out from this one.
That said, I’m intrigued enough to be excited for the third part of The Bridge Curse as the movie does set itself up for one. And while I don’t see them making any major changes to the visuals, one can only hope they rely on more practical effects to add real weight and some genuine dread to their cursed tale.
Sommer’s Score: 6 out of 10
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Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge-Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes. Double Tap Baby! Read More