The Ritual 2025 Parents Guide

The Ritual (2025) is not rated but Suggested Rating: R (Restricted) for disturbing thematic content, intense sequences of horror violence, strong language, and brief religious commentary

The Ritual (2025) Review

Anyone else feel like exorcism movies could use an exorcism of their own? I only ask because The Ritual, David Midell’s new foray into demon-expelling territory, arrives dragging all the same creaky baggage that’s weighed down the genre since 1973. Despite boasting a heavyweight cast — Al Pacino, Dan Stevens, and even a few nods toward real historical possession cases — this film proves once again that without a fresh idea, no amount of holy water can save you.

Let’s put it plainly: The Ritual is not the second coming. If anything, it’s a sermon you’ve sat through a hundred times before, only this one comes with shakier camera work and a louder cast.

The Story & What It Tries to Say

Set in 1928 and loosely inspired by the real-life exorcism of Emma Schmidt, the story follows Father Joseph Steiger (Dan Stevens), a man of rational thought and quiet faith who’s tasked with observing a full-blown exorcism at his own parish. The subject is Emma (Abigail Cowen), a young woman whose body and mind have been pushed to the brink by… something.

Enter the grizzled Father Theophilus Riesinger (Al Pacino), a man who’s seen more evil than most, and the battle between old-school belief and modern skepticism begins. Night after night, the team — including a trio of unlucky nuns — attempts to purge the evil from Emma while slowly breaking down themselves.

The film tries to explore themes like institutional authority, the cost of blind faith, and the psychological toll of religious trauma. But these ideas barely rise above the surface, suffocated under a mountain of genre clichés and undercooked subplots. There are glimmers of something deeper — like a nun’s monologue about the Church’s treatment of women — but they’re fleeting, never explored with the depth they deserve.

Performances & Characters

The cast certainly tries to elevate the material, and to their credit, no one phones it in. Dan Stevens plays the doubting priest archetype with his usual charm and barely contained panic. He’s compelling, even if he’s working with dialogue we’ve heard before. Pacino, meanwhile, seems caught in a weird purgatory between The Godfather and a PBS docudrama. Those hoping for the Devil’s Advocate firebrand are going to be disappointed — this is strictly “quiet, weary Pacino,” occasionally raising an eyebrow but never the stakes.

The real MVP here is Abigail Cowen. Playing a possessed character is a notoriously thankless gig — it’s messy, exhausting, and often completely reliant on prosthetics and guttural snarls — but she goes for it. She twists, contorts, and suffers like a champ, channeling shades of Linda Blair and Jennifer Carpenter. It’s not new, but it is impressively committed.

There’s also an intriguing subplot involving the nuns, especially Patricia Heaton as a stern Mother Superior, and Ashley Greene as a nursemaid of sorts to Emma. But again, potential is left on the table. If the movie had shifted its focus entirely to the women enduring this horror behind the scenes, we might’ve had something fresher and more compelling.

Direction, Visuals & Pacing

David Midell has a clear affection for the material, but his direction lacks restraint and originality. The decision to shoot much of the film with shaky handheld cameras is baffling. Rather than drawing us into the chaos, it calls to mind mockumentary sitcoms (The Office, anyone?) and undercuts the gravity of the scenes. When the climactic confrontation devolves into wobbly chaos, it’s hard to take seriously.

Visually, the film is dim and claustrophobic, which fits the mood, but never quite elevates it. The pacing is also uneven — fast when it needs build-up, sluggish when it should explode. Instead of dread creeping in, you get fatigue.

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If you’ve seen even one exorcism movie, you’ve seen most of The Ritual already. The bed restraints. The self-mutilation. The deep, demonic voice distortions. Green bile. Religious chanting. The whole damn exorcist starter kit is here. It doesn’t help that the film borrows liberally from The Exorcist, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and others — but without their tension, novelty, or emotional heft.

There’s one inspired idea: that the repeated rituals start to break down everyone in the room — mentally, physically, spiritually. Unfortunately, that concept is only brushed up against, not deeply explored. Stevens gets a few “I can’t take this anymore” moments, but they don’t land with the weight they should.

Final Thoughts & Recommendation

In the end, The Ritual is a well-acted, well-intentioned echo chamber. It wants to be thoughtful and intense but ends up just tired. For diehard fans of the genre, it might serve as background noise — another haunted chant in the choir — but for anyone looking for something new, there’s nothing here that hasn’t been done, and done better.

If you’ve never seen an exorcism movie, maybe you’ll get something out of this. But if that’s the case… why the hell would you start here?

The Ritual 2025 Parents Guide

Violence & Gore: This is where the film pulls no punches. The exorcism scenes are brutal — not in a stylized, choreographed way, but in a raw, unsettling, “is this too real?” kind of way. Emma, the possessed girl at the center of the story, goes through hell. And I don’t mean that metaphorically. She convulses, screams in voices that are anything but hers, and contorts in ways that seem physiologically impossible. It’s disturbing to watch, not because it’s graphic for the sake of it, but because it feels genuinely painful — for her and everyone trying to save her.

There’s a fair amount of blood, too — not in buckets, but in a way that makes your stomach drop. Self-inflicted injuries, facial wounds, bloody hands, blood-streaked clothes — it’s all there, and it’s not glamorized. One scene in particular sticks with you: blood slowly oozing from her mouth while she smiles that eerie, not-Emma smile. It’s nightmare fuel, plain and simple.

Language: Yes, the F-bomb drops. Not a lot, but when it does, it hits hard — usually during moments of panic or emotional collapse. There’s also your usual horror-movie assortment of “damn,” “hell,” and religious language that, depending on your household, might raise some eyebrows. And when the demon starts talking… well, let’s just say it’s not Sunday school vocabulary. There’s some seriously aggressive, blasphemous stuff that might be unsettling to viewers with strong religious convictions.

Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking: No drugs, no drinking, no partying teens making dumb decisions. If anything, the characters look like they need a drink — they’re exhausted, rattled, and spiritually shredded. The toll of what they’re witnessing is written all over their faces. If anything, this movie does a great job showing the emotional burnout that comes from confronting darkness, literal or otherwise.

Sex & Nudity: Here’s where the film shows some real restraint — and thank goodness for it. Horror can be exploitative when it comes to young women, but this movie sidesteps all that. Emma’s appearance is disheveled, yes — she’s possessed and in constant torment, so you’re not going to see her in pristine pajamas — but there’s nothing remotely sexualized about it. No nudity, no creepy undertones. Just the horror of what’s happening to her, and the raw vulnerability of being completely consumed by something bigger than yourself.

Bottom Line: Age Recommendation: This is absolutely a 17+ film. Not because it’s littered with adult content, but because the intensity — emotional and visual — is simply too much for younger viewers.